"Jack just told me what happened. I'm so sorry, Danny. I can't help but feel like it's my fault," Jessica said as I listened to her on my phone.
"It's not your fault, so don't feel like that. I'm the one who started everything and kept going," I responded.
"But, still, I just can't help but think about what would have happened if I turned you down that first night," she said.
"It's in the past. We can't help it now," I said.
"I know. So, how are you doing? Are you OK?" She asked me.
"Yeah, I'm doing OK. I got my own place, am working a lot, and am getting ready for the court hearing next week to figure out the divorce and how screwed I am. But I'm adjusting," I said.
Jessica took a deep breath on the other end of the phone before saying, "Gosh, I just feel so bad for you. Is it OK if I ask how Kathy found out? All Jack said was that you and Kourtney were caught together, Kathy kicked you out, and Gary left Kourtney."
I let out a little cuckle before saying, "We weren't really caught, at least not like that. Kourtney had a college interview in Chicago, and I flew out there with her. When we got back, Gary kept pressing Kourtney about what I and she did out there together. She finally admitted to us sleeping together, and Gary left. Kourtney's parents got pissed at her; she was feeling down and depressed and got drunk. She called Kathy while she was drunk and confessed to everything between me and her."
"Oh my gosh, Danny! I can't believe she would do that. She could have easily kept her mouth shut," Jessica said.
"Maybe. Not once Gary found out. It was over then," I said. "I couldn't blame her at all."
"Dang it, Danny. I'm just so bummed about it for you. Your girls must be devastated," Jessica said.
"Yeah, they are. At least the two that are old enough. I've only seen them a few times, and they just keep asking me why. That's been the hardest part," I told her. "But, how have you been? How is Boise?"
"I've been good. Adjusting. Made a few friends. Work is good, and Liam likes it up here," she said.
Without really thinking about what I asked, I blurted out, "Any guy friends?"
Jessica laughed and said, "Do you really want to know?"
I thought about it for a minute. Did I? "Yes," I told her.
"Nope. It's been hard enough getting settled, let alone dating," Jessica said.
"I bet. I don't even know why I asked," I said with a laugh.
"Well, it was good to talk to you, Danny. I have missed you. But I do have to go to work for, like, half a day. If you want, you can text me," Jessica said before we both said goodbye and hung up the phone.
During our conversation, I had finished my workout and was just sitting on the bike I had been riding. I pulled out my phone and thought for a second if I should text her immediately or not. It was really nice to talk to her. And we are both single now.
I decided to give it some time and went back to my apartment to shower. By the time I finished that, I had made up my mind to text her, but instead, I had a text waiting from her.
"By the way, if you want, I can help you prepare for the court case. I do have a little experience with it. I immediately texted her back, saying that I would love her help.
It was a Friday when she called me, and we spent the entire weekend and the next week talking, both texting and on the phone. She was giving me a lot of tips and some insight into how my court hearing could go, plus we caught up with our lives. I was a little surprised, but not shocked, that none of our talk was sexual. I had thought about saying something a few times to her about it, but I didn't want to push things.
The night before my court case, Jessica called me on the phone to wish me luck and say that she hoped everything worked out well. Before hanging up, she asked, "What are you doing afterwards?"
"I'm not sure. Probably just come home. I'm sure I'll have some things to think about and work out," I told her.
"Most likely. I know it's totally last-minute, but do you want to come up here to Boise? Liam will be with Jack. And I know how I felt after mine. I just wanted to get away for a bit," she said.
I thought about it for a few minutes before saying, "Actually, that does sound good. I think the hearing will be over early enough that I could make a day trip out of it."
"Oh, I was thinking that you could spend the weekend, but it's up to you," Jessica said.
The next morning, I ate breakfast and got dressed for court. Wearing my best white shirt and tie, I trimmed up my beard and actually styled my usually shaggy hair. With just a few minutes before I needed to leave, I grabbed a backpack and stuffed a weekends worth of clothing into it, along with my bathroom stuff and phone charger.
The court hearing went about as well as I figured it would go, and I immediately jumped into my car afterwards and texted Jessica that I was on my way. She texted back that she had just dropped off Liam with Jack, who met her halfway between my town and Boise, and was on her way back home. We both said that we couldn't wait to see each other.
Boise was just over four hours away from where I was. I stopped an hour into my trip to change my clothes and get some lunch. With my music turned up, a Mountain Dew Voltage in the cup holder, and a full stomach, I was almost able to forget the court hearing as I drove.
I arrived at Jessica's apartment complex in the late afternoon. I grabbed my backpack out of the backseat of my car before walking up to her door. I had butterflies in my stomach as I went to knock, but Jessica must have seen me coming as she opened the door first and nearly jumped into my arms.
I quickly wrapped my arms around her body and pulled her close to me. We walked into her apartment and shut the door behind me. She saw my backpack and said, "Did you decide to stay for the weekend?" I told her that I did, making Jessica smile and give me another hug.
I took my backpack off, and we sat down on the couch in her living room. She looked at me with a serious look in her face and said, "So, how did it go? What was the verdict?"
I shook my head and said, "Probably not as bad as it could have been. The judge was clearly on her side and didn't want to hear too much from me. At the end of it, I am paying six hundred a month in child support."