My two grand daughters, Delaney and Riley, have been back here in Ohio for a week now. They were brought back here to spend Thanksgiving with their father’s family. Their father’s family lives about 6 – 7 miles from me. I normally might write about how great was to have seen them; but that didn’t happen. The last 3 times their father has brought the girls to Ohio, they were prohibited from seeing either me, or my son and his family. So, since I can’t tell you about how great it was to see the girls, let me tell you a little bit more about my former son-in-law, George. I will call him ‘George’ because that’s what his name actually is – and I don’t give a shit if he might be ‘offended’ or not! I have never been concerned about offending a ‘slug.’
(Am I concerned that someday my grand daughters might read this? Not at all! It’s past time people stop tip-toeing around the slug and his family.)
I met George just as he was completing high school. Not a bad kid; full of ideas, promise and goals. He was going to go to college until his dad, Big George, pulled his promised financial support because the kid was dating my daughter. Class!
As it worked out, in the late 90’s George and Dana got married. They both had good jobs and George actually began college, supporting himself. He was enrolled in Air Force ROTC, claiming he wanted to become a pilot. He subsequently quit.
The job market in Northern Ohio then tanked and George was laid off from the battery company he worked at. So, he began training to become an electrician.
With jobs in NW Ohio somewhat scarce, George and Dana decided to move to Colorado. Out there he bounced around from one job to another – always having an excuse for quitting. It wasn’t long thereafter before Dana tired of him sitting around the house – essentially doing nothing at all. They were divorced, and then the ‘fun’ really began.
Dana did not ask for ‘spousal support;’ she just asked for and was awarded child support. And it has been a battle ever since. They have been back to court once over delinquent child support payments and recently completed ‘mediation’ – essentially over delinquent child support again. George just arbitrarily decides not to pay, or his checks bounce, or he reduces the payments because he thinks $50 per month is just fine to support 2 teenaged girls. This Fall Riley called Dana at work to tell her that her school lunch account – that George was suppose to fund – was $20 overdrawn. Thankfully the folks at the school ‘found’ a cheese sandwich for her.
(Soon thereafter George gave Ri a ration of crap because of a ‘C’ she had gotten on an assignment. I told her to consider that this was coming from a guy who was getting an ‘F’ in personal financial management, and not to worry about it!)
So now it seems as if George wants to continue fighting my daughter through the girls. This is the third time now, over the past 18 months, that the girls were brought to Ohio, and prohibited from visiting our side of the family. I can not even imagine restricting the girls from visiting his family if we were to bring them out sometime. That ‘behavior’ is just not in my family’s fiber.
The thing I suppose I am most concerned about is, what the girls are being taught about “hatred.” And they are being groomed for “hatred” with this behavior of their father and his family. I can’t do anything about it, and I know it. But I can record it, and maybe someday, the girls can see it for what it is. Maybe someday they can see their father for what he is… an asshole.
So, as I was taught in AA, I’ll say a prayer for him this morning, and let it go: “God, please see that that son-of-a-bitch gets what he deserves!” Amen!