Work Text:
Chris sulked in the back seat of his abuela’s car. He’d been in El Paso for four days and his grandparents were already driving him crazy. Because of his CP, they treated him like a toddler instead of an almost 14-year-old teenager.
Since his abuela had a volunteer committee meeting and his grandfather was off with his retired buddies, he was being taken to spend time with his Aunt Sophia. Because of course they couldn’t leave him home alone for a few hours! (It was especially insulting, since many of his similarly aged friends were already earning money babysitting younger children. Instead of being babysat themselves!)
He didn’t actually mind spending time with his Aunt Sophia. While he didn’t know her that well, he thought she was pretty cool. Her 3-year-old daughter Maria was also adorable. He was just extremely frustrated that Sophia was being asked to babysit him, rather than it being his choice to visit her.
Chris enjoyed helping taking care of Maria, including coloring with her and reading her a story. After putting Maria down for a nap, he and Sophia settled in the kitchen with tall glasses of lemonade and a plate of cookies.
“How’re you doing Chris? I know it’s probably been a hard adjustment living here with your grandparents.”
Chris shrugged as he ate a cookie and mumbled, “Okay, I guess.”
“Chris, you can confide in me. I’m a good listener and won’t take anybody’s side but yours.”
Chris thought about it. He really wanted to talk with somebody. For some reason, he hesitated to discuss the situation with his grandparents. He knew he could talk to Buck, who’d listen without judgement. But he also knew that Buck would push him to talk to his dad. Which he wasn’t yet ready to do.
So, Chris unloaded on his aunt. He talked about walking in the door with his dad’s girlfriend to find his father hugging a woman who could’ve been a twin of his mom. He shared that he momentarily thought his mother had come back from the grave. Then he realized that it wasn’t his mom. That his dad had been cheating on his girlfriend with someone who just randomly looked like Shannon. How in a fit of anger, he called his grandparents to bring him to El Paso. Partly because he wanted a change. Mainly because he knew how much it would hurt his dad. How he was completely miserable since his grandparents were treating him like a baby. And meanwhile his dad was living it up back in LA, enjoying his freedom and becoming more involved with Kim.
Sophia took a deep breath. “Wow. That’s a lot to unpack. I’m sorry you’ve had to go through that.”
Chris nodded and murmured, “Thanks.”
“Who told you that your dad was happy?”
“Abuela. She said that he was glad to finally be free of the burden of raising me.”
“Well, that’s weird. I’ve been speaking with your dad every day. Including this morning. I can tell you that he’s definitely not happy. Quite the opposite. I don’t want to betray his confidence, but I can share that he broke down crying over how much he misses you.”
“Well, even if that’s true, I’m sure that Kim’s there to console him.”
“He hasn’t seen Kim since that night. Buck’s the one he’s leaning on. I’ve also been speaking with Buck who’s shared how miserable your dad is without you, and how worried he is about him. Buck was able to finally push him back into therapy.”
Chris was confused. He didn’t know who or what to believe. He believed that neither his dad nor Buck would lie to Sophia. But he hadn’t thought that his grandmother would blatantly lie to him either. “Are you saying that abuela lied to me?”
Sophia sighed. “I love my mother. I truly do. But she has a tenuous relationship with the truth. Especially when lying furthers her agenda.”
“Well, it doesn't matter. Why was Kim even there? Why did dad make me think that mom had returned?”
“Chris, I’m sure your dad wasn’t trying to hurt you.”
“You’re just taking his side!” Chris snapped.
“I promise I’m not. Your father made some big mistakes. Huge mistakes. He just wasn’t intentionally trying to cause you pain,” Sophia calmly replied. “And I think deep down you know that as well.”
Chris paused before reluctantly nodding his head in agreement. “Then why was she in our house? Why was dad even seeing her?”
“It’s a long story. That you should hear directly from your dad. Preferably in joint therapy.”
“But I need to understand it before I’ll agree to therapy. I trust you to be objective,” pleaded Chris. “Please, Aunt Sophia.”
“Fine,” Sophia begrudgingly agreed. After taking a few moments to collect her thoughts, she continued, “You know that the relationship between your mom and dad was complicated.”
“I know that. Not sure how much I understood at the time, but I know that now.”
“Those complications continued right up until her accidental death. So not only was your dad never allowed to grieve your mom. He also wasn’t able to gain closure.”
“Why couldn’t he grieve my mom?”
“How much do you remember about your mom’s funeral? I think you were 8 years old at the time.”
“I remember feeling sad. Since she died shortly after coming back into our lives.”
“Do you recall anything specific about your grandparents from the funeral?”
Chris thought back. Nothing came to mind at first. But then he remembered how much they upset him. “I remember them telling me not to cry about losing my mom. That she wasn’t a good mother. And that big boys don’t cry.”
“That sounds like them. What else?”
“I recall them telling dad that we should move back to El Paso. Or that he should send me back to live with them in El Paso. I remember being upset by that. I recall Buck leading me away to comfort and distract me,” Chris shared. “Is that why dad couldn’t grieve mom? Because he was too busy shutting down their talk about us moving back to El Paso.”
“Partly. Chris, are you familiar with the term ‘toxic masculinity?”
“I think so. Doesn’t it mean that men always have to act strong and tough? And never show any weakness?”
“Exactly. It also means never showing any emotion other than anger. Never showing sadness or crying. And certainly never getting therapy. That’s probably why they scolded you for crying.”
“Is that how they raised my dad?”
“Absolutely. That’s why he never allowed himself to mourn Shannon. It’s also why, before now, he never voluntarily got therapy. Which he needed to deal with the loss of Shannon as well as his PTSD. All of which made him vulnerable to Kim when he accidentally ran into her at the mall.”
Chris was thoughtful for a few minutes. “I get all that. And feel bad for my dad. But I’m still mad at him. And now I feel guilty for saying that. Especially since part of the reason I called my grandparents was to hurt him,” Chris said with tears in his eyes.”
Sophia jumped up and hugged Chris. “You’re still allowed to be mad about what he did without feeling guilty about it. Although, it’s never okay to intentionally hurt someone. Especially your father who’s gone out of his way to give you a great childhood. Something that he was never allowed to have. Instead, he was forced to be the “man of the house” when he was four years younger than you are now.”
“I’ve heard him say that. But what did that even mean?”
“Before I explain, let me ask you a question. What was your morning routine like before leaving for school this past year.”
Chris was puzzled by the abrupt topic change but trusted his aunt. “Well school started at 8 am. So, we had to leave the house at 7:30 am to be sure and get there before the first bell. Carla, dad or sometimes Buck would drive me.”
“So, what time did you wake up?”
“Well, my alarm was set for 7 am, but I sometime hit the snooze button for 5 minutes or so. Then I’d get dressed, eat breakfast, grab my stuff and be out the door.”
“How did that give you enough time to prepare your breakfast, pack your lunch, and clean both the kitchen and your room before leaving?”
“That was all done for me. Breakfast was always on the table when I walked into the kitchen. My lunch was already packed and ready to be put in my bag. And I didn’t have to do any cleaning before going to school.”
“I assume high school will be similar.”
“Yup. Although since it’s about 10 minutes closer, I can set the alarm a bit later,” Chris explained. “But what does that have to do with how my grandparents made dad be the man of the house?”
“Because I wanted you to clearly see how his routine differed from yours. Due to all the responsibilities they placed on him. When he was your age, his alarm was set for 5 am. He’d take about 10 minutes to get himself ready before starting his morning chores. He was expected to fold the family’s laundry, clean the living room and dining room, pack our lunches, ensure that Adri’s and my backpacks had all of the necessary papers and other stuff, set out breakfast for Adri and me, and start dinner prep. All of that was to be accomplished before waking up Adri and me. Then he supervised us getting dressed, did our hair, served us breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, made our beds, straightened our rooms, put away our laundry, and oversaw us brushing our teeth before walking us to school. And that was just the morning routine. The afternoon and evening routines were even more involved.”
Chris’s jaw dropped. He had no idea that his dad had been expected to do all those chores! “Where were my grandparents?”
“Dad was always working. And mom was always busy with her various social activities. And when she was home, she ‘rested’ a lot. She was furious when your dad enlisted. Not because she was worried about him. But because she had to resume all of the parenting and household activities. But until that point, they dumped all of those responsibilities on your dad. And then always found fault with the way he did them.”
“Now I feel even worse about calling my grandparents. Given how badly they treated my dad all his life.”
“Bad enough to start joint therapy with your dad?” pressed Sophia.
Part of Chris wanted to be stubborn and continue to refuse all communication with his dad. But he knew that wasn’t right or fair. “Fine,” he conceded.
--------
Eddie was thrilled and relieved that Chris had agreed to joint therapy. He was indebted to Sophia for convincing Chris to work on their reconciliation.
They arranged to have therapy sessions via Zoom on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Given Helena’s busy social schedule, she was only too happy for Chris to spend that time with Sophia and her family. She had no idea that her daughter was using those afternoons to help Chris reconcile with his dad via joint therapy.
The first session was very rough but productive. Eddie was impressed that Chris was able to constructively channel his anger and articulate why he was upset, rather than just lashing out. Again, he suspected that he had Sophia to thank for Chris’s mature attitude. They ended the session by stressing how much they loved each other and were committed to repairing their relationship.
Eddie’s good mood lasted until the next morning, when he received a nasty text message from Chris.
“What happened?” asked Buck with a concerned look on his face. Buck had basically been living with Eddie since Chris left. While Eddie kept saying that Buck didn’t need to babysit him, he was extremely appreciative of Buck’s support. Without it, Eddie knew he would’ve spiraled even further.
“I got another nastygram from Chris. I thought they would stop after the breakthroughs in yesterday's session,” as Eddie handed Buck his phone.
“This looks almost identical to the ones you’ve been receiving on a daily basis since Chris left.”
“Yeah. It’s almost like yesterday’s session didn’t even happen. I’m back to square one with Chris,” Eddie dejectedly said as he tried to stop the tears from running down his cheeks.
“Maybe there’s another explanation.”
“Like what? It’s clear my son hates me.”
“What if he didn’t send the message? I recall Sophia saying that Chris had pool club this morning at 9 am their time which is 8 am our time. This text was time-stamped at 8:27 am PT. Chris would’ve probably been in the pool at that time. And it’s unlikely that he’d have his phone with him on the pool deck. That’s assuming your mom even let him take it out of the house.”
“Maybe,” Eddie conceded. While Buck’s argument was logical, he was having a hard time not catastrophizing about the text. Plus, if Chris didn’t send the message, the most likely culprit was Helena. He knew he had a challenging relationship with his parents. But he didn’t want to believe they were actively sabotaging his efforts to reconcile with his son.
“Let’s call Sophia. She’d know Chris’s mood after we finished yesterday’s session. She’d also tell us about his schedule this morning. Specifically, how likely it is that he’d have his phone at pool club.”
Buck sent Sophia a screenshot of the message before calling her on her cell. He put the phone on speaker so Eddie could join the conversation.
“Guys, I’m 100% sure that Chris didn’t send that message. Since he was at Pool Club this morning.”
“Are you sure mom didn’t keep him home for some reason?”
“I’m positive. Since she had a doctor’s appointment, I dropped Chris off.”
“Well maybe he was sitting off to the side of the pool and using his phone,” said Eddie
“Not possible. Mom only lets him use his phone for a few hours a day, while at home under her supervision. At all other times, it’s locked up so Chris doesn’t have access to it.”
“She has no right to do that!” Eddie exclaimed. “The deal was that he'd be able to reach out to me at any time. Which he obviously can’t do if he’s not allowed to use his phone.”
“Then you need to put your foot down with her. That’s not something I can do on your behalf,” Sophia insisted.
Buck interjected, “Guys, let’s get back to the main point here. If Sophia is positive that Chris didn’t send those nasty texts, then -
“- my mother is the likely culprit. It’s either her or dad. And this sounds like the type of manipulative activity that’s right up her alley,” said Eddie.
“I agree. It’s definitely something mom would do,” Sophia chimed in.
“So, what now?" asked Buck.
Sophia was quiet for a moment, obviously formulating a plan. “I’m going to convince mom to let Chris bring his phone when he comes over tomorrow afternoon. I’ll say that I’d like him to take pictures of Maria and me, and it would be easiest for him to use his own phone. I’ll assure her that I’ll closely monitor Chris so that he doesn’t engage in any ‘inappropriate’ activity with it.”
“I assume you’ll look on Chris’s phone to see if the messages are in the sent or deleted folders. And ask Chris about them,” asked Buck.
“That’s the plan. I’m positive they’ll be a surprise to him,”
“I really hope you’re right,” said Eddie before thanking Sophia and ending the call.
“Feel better?” asked Buck.
“Some. I’ll feel better when Chris confirms that he didn’t send those texts. Which we won’t know until tomorrow afternoon. Right now, I really want to call mom and give her a piece of my mind.”
“We can’t until Sophia looks at Chris’s phone and confirms that he didn’t send those texts.”
“I know. But I want to yell at her for restricting Chris’s use of his phone. The deal was that he should be able to reach out to me at any time.”
“I agree. But I think it would be prudent to wait until we know everything. And let our lawyers instruct us on what to do,” cautioned Buck. “We should reach out to our lawyers this afternoon and get their thoughts on how to proceed, especially if Chris says he didn’t send the texts. They may want to have him sign some type of affidavit.”
“That makes sense,” Eddie reluctantly agreed. “I just really want to lay into Helena.”
“Well, you know what they say. ‘Revenge is a dish best served cold’.”
Eddie snickered. “Are you seriously quoting ‘Star Trek Wrath of Khan’ to me?”
-----
Thursday afternoon couldn’t come fast enough. While their joint therapy session wasn’t scheduled to start until 2 pm, they were waiting in front of the computer at 1:30 pm. Hoping that Chris would call after Sophia checked his phone and reviewed the messages. (As anticipated, Helena fell for Sophia’s story and agreed to let Chris bring his phone.)
A few minutes later, the laptop signaled an incoming video call. They clicked on it, and Chris came onto the screen. “Dad, you have to believe me! I did NOT send those nasty messages!”
“I believe you, Chris,” Eddie assured his son, before asking Sophia, “I’m assuming you found them on his phone.”
“Yup. Mom thinks she was smart in deleting them. But didn’t realize that she also had to empty the deleted folder. I took screenshots of them to share with your lawyers.”
“Dad, most of those messages were sent when I was at pool club. And abuela doesn’t let me take my phone out of the house. She only lets me use it for a few hours a day. And she closely watches me while I do so. I don’t know how Aunt Sophia convinced her to let me bring it with me today.”
“Well, your aunt always had the magic touch with your grandmother,” Eddie lightly chuckled, before continuing in a more serious tone of voice. “And your grandmother's wrong to restrict your use of your phone. That’s not what we agreed on. And I’ll be addressing that with her. But, right now, I need something from you.”
“What, dad?”
“Sophia has affidavits that I need you to sign. That state you didn’t send those text messages.” After speaking with their lawyers yesterday morning, affidavits were drafted and emailed to Sophia. “Chris, since you’ll be legally stating that you didn’t send those text messages, you need to be 100% sure of it. I promise I won’t be mad if you actually did send them.”
“Dad, I promise I didn’t send them. You have to believe me!” Chris pleaded. “And I’ll sign anything you want stating that.”
“I do believe you Chris. And thank you for being willing to sign the documents.”
As Chris was working his way through the documents, he suddenly looked up. “I just thought of something. The pool club has video surveillance with cameras everywhere. Your lawyers might be able to get pictures of me in the pool at the exact time the messages were sent. That would further support my claim that I didn’t send them.”
“Great idea Chris,” as Eddie looked over to Buck who was already emailing their legal team.
Chris finished signing all of the documents and gave them to Sophia to express mail back to the lawyers. They chatted for a few moments before logging into the therapy session.
It was another productive session. They opened by explaining everything that had transpired with the nasty text messages.
The therapist, Dr. Jacobs, listened before asking, “Chris, how do you feel about what grandparents did?”
“Angry. And betrayed. I thought that I could trust them. I know they don’t care about hurting dad. But it’s clear that they also don’t care about hurting me. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be trying to sabotage my relationship with dad. I’m dreading having to return to their house this afternoon.”
“I’d offer to let you stay here Chris. But we don’t have an extra bedroom. Plus, your grandmother wouldn’t leave you alone if you moved in with my family.”
“I understand Aunt Sophia.”
“Chris, do you want to come home?” asked Eddie.
“Yes. But I’m not sure I’m ready to live with you.”
Eddie and Buck looked at each other, before Buck chimed in, “Chris, you can stay with me. Either in the loft. Or I can stay with you at the house while dad stays in the loft.”
“Thanks, Buck. Either of those would work.”
Dr. Jacobs cleared his throat. “Now that we’ve figured out the immediate concerns, let’s resume our conversation from Tuesday. Eddie, I believe that you were explaining to Chris why you couldn’t stop yourself from talking to Kim.”
It was another tough but productive discussion. About five minutes before the end of the session, Chris said, “I changed my mind about coming home right now. I think I want to stay in El Paso a bit longer.”
Eddie’s heart sank as he tried to keep an understanding expression on his face. He attempted to keep his voice neutral as he said, “Chris, I understand if you need more time before seeing me.”
Chris looked startled. “I promise it’s not that, dad. I just thought that if I spent more time with my grandparents, I could collect more information for your lawyers.”
“You mean like be a spy?” Buck incredulously asked.
“Exactly. They can’t stop themselves from trash-talking dad when I’m around. Which I know isn’t right and I’d be willing to officially state that to your lawyers. Plus, they don’t think I’m very observant. So they talk about all types of stuff in front of me. Stuff that your lawyers might be interested in hearing about.”
“Chris, I’m concerned about you doing that,” said Eddie.
“Why? I won’t be in any danger. It’s not like I’m going behind enemy lines in Nazi Germany!”
Eddie cast a dirty look at Buck who tried to look innocent. As part of a history assignment a few months back, Chris and Buck had immersed themselves in an intense deep dive into the role of espionage in WWII. “I’m not worried about your physical safety. I’m concerned about the emotional toll this could take on you.”
“But dad, I know I can find out stuff that your lawyers would find very valuable. And that could be really important. Because let’s face it. My grandparents aren’t going to let me leave without threatening to sue for custody!”
After Eddie looked over and had a silent conversation with Buck, he sighed and reluctantly said, “One week. You get one week. We’re picking you up a week from today. Unless of course, you want to come home earlier.”
“Thanks. And I’ll see you in therapy next Tuesday.”
“And Eddie, I’m having dinner with our parents on Sunday and will check on Chris.”
“Thanks Sophia,” Eddie said as they ended the session.
------
The following Tuesday, Sophia, Buck, Chris and Eddie had another call before their joint therapy session. Chris looked anxious and said he had upsetting news to share. “Abuela and abuelo were talking about how their lawyer was drawing up papers to have me permanently live with them in El Paso. I don’t want to live with them!”
“Chris, they can’t just have their lawyer arbitrarily draw up papers. That’s not how it works,” assured Eddie.
“Your dad’s right. The only way that they can get custody of you is if they formally sue your dad in family court. The judge would then hear the arguments and make a ruling,” explained Buck.
“But they keep bragging about all the important people they know in El Paso. What if the judge just decides to give them custody without listening to anyone else?”
“Since you’re legally still a California resident, they’d have to bring suit in LA family court. Where they don’t have any connections,” expounded Buck. “Plus, given your age, the judge would place significant weight on where you wanted to live.”
“And we have an excellent team of lawyers. The work they’ve already done makes it even more unlikely that my parents could ever gain custody.” Eddie was happy to see that his son looked relieved at the assurances received from him and Buck.
Before long, it was time to call into the therapy session. Dr Jacobs opened the session by asking Chris how he was doing emotionally in continuing to temporarily live with his grandparents. Chris admitted that it was hard and that he was glad to be coming home on Thursday. He did feel it was worth it, however, given everything he’d overheard.
They then spent the rest of the session preparing for the confrontation with Helena and Ramon on Thursday. Eddie especially wanted to ensure that Chris was prepared for some of the uncomfortable items that would likely be raised. For example, Eddie was going to talk about the physical abuse he endured, both in frequent disciplinary beatings and in being sent to ‘conversion camp’ when his parents were concerned that he might be gay. Chris asked a lot of questions before promising his dad that he could handle the conversation.
They agreed to skip Thursday’s therapy session since Eddie (and Buck) would be in El Paso picking up Chris. Their next session would be in person in LA the following Tuesday.
-----
Buck and Eddie arrived at Sophia’s house late Thursday morning.
Eddie immediately gave his sister a huge hug. “Thank you! I can’t ever repay you for what you’ve done to help Chris and me reconcile.”
“No thanks necessary. You’re an excellent father and Chris belongs with you. Our parents are wrong for trying to keep you apart!”
“Well thank you anyways,” Eddie replied.
Sophia turned to Buck who had been standing back to not intrude on the sibling reunion. She reached out to give him a hug as well. “After all our plotting over the past two weeks, I feel like you’re my new best friend!”
They then greeted Sophia’s husband Nick, who came into the living room with Maria who’d just woken up from a nap.
They had lunch and socialized while waiting for Chris to arrive. It’d been quite a while since Eddie had seen his sister and her family, and despite the circumstances, he enjoyed spending time with them.
Helena dropped Chris off at Sophia’s house in the early afternoon. (Eddie and Buck hid in the bedroom to ensure they weren’t accidentally seen.) Sophia reminded her mother that she and dad were going to stay for an early dinner when they returned to pick Chris up. This was a ruse to ensure that Ramon joined Helena for the ‘discussion’ before Eddie and Buck took Chris back to LA.
After Helena left, Buck and Eddie came out of the bedroom and immediately rushed over to Chris, who wrapped them both in a big hug. “I missed you both so much. I’m sorry for calling my grandparents. Especially since I only did it to hurt you, dad. I should’ve just stayed in LA,” Chris tearfully said.
“It’s okay, mijo. I know how upset you were by what I did. The only thing that matters is that we’re together again and we’re working things out,” Eddie reassured his son.
They spent the rest of the afternoon catching up and preparing for the confrontation with Helena and Ramon. Chris promised his father that if the discussion became too intense, he’d excuse himself and go into the kitchen for a break.
The afternoon flew by and before they knew it, the doorbell rang. Helena and Ramon had arrived.
As soon as Helena saw Eddie and Buck in the living room, she demanded, “What are you doing here?”
“We’re here to pick up Chris and take him back to LA,” Eddie nonchalantly replied.
Eddie could see his mom gearing up for a retort about how much Chris hated him. But before she could get the words out, Chris walked up and affectionately leaned into his father before saying, “Despite your best efforts to sabotage our relationship. Dad and I have reconciled.”
“I’ve done no such thing!” Helena indignantly replied.
Chris scoffed. “Liar! I saw the nasty text messages you sent from my phone.”
“You’re the one who’s lying. You probably sent those messages and are just too embarrassed to admit it,” Helena retorted.
“Wow, I didn’t realize I was a superhero!” Chris exclaimed.
“What on earth are you talking about?” Ramon asked.
“Well, since most of those messages were sent when I was at Pool Club. I’d have to be some sort of a superhero to access my phone from the pool deck when it was locked in a cabinet in your house. Which is over 3 miles away!”
Helene had no response. She just hmphed before turning to Sophia, “What can we do to help with dinner? And where’s my adorable granddaughter?” Before Sophia could even reply, Helena turned to her son and dismissively said, “I’m sure you and your friend have somewhere else to be.”
Sophia said, “There is no dinner. That was just a ruse to get you and dad over here so that Eddie could tell you that he’s taking Chris back to LA. And Nick took Maria out so that she wouldn’t be subjected to this conversation.”
“Eddie, you’re not taking Chris back to LA. I forbid it!”, Helena declared.
“Well, since I’m Chris’s father. And have sole legal custody of him. You have no right to forbid anything.”
“You won’t have custody of him for long. Ramon and I saw our lawyer earlier today. He’s drafting up papers to give us custody,” Helena snidely replied.
“Are you stupid, abuela?” Chris sarcastically asked.
“Christopher! You can speak your mind, but you’re not allowed to be rude,” Eddie cautioned his son.
“Sorry, dad,” Chris mumbled before turning his attention back to his grandparents. “Are you ignorant? Or just ill informed? You can’t just go to a lawyer and have him draft up papers giving you custody. That’s little better than taking one of Maria’s crayons and scribbling ‘I have custody of Chris’ on a piece of construction paper!”
“Chris is right. You can’t just unilaterally create a document giving you custody. You’d have to actually sue me for custody, and the case would go before a family court judge.”
“Not a problem. We know a lot of judges here in El Paso. I’m sure we can easily get one of them to sign off on us having custody,” Ramon confidently said.
“That’s nice. But I’m still a California resident. So, you’d have to sue for custody in LA. Right dad?”
“That’s right, Chris,” confirmed Eddie.
“Nonsense,” Helena retorted. “We live in El Paso and you’re here right now. So, we can bring suit in El Paso.”
“Wow, Chris is right. You really are clueless,” Eddie told his parents. “Under the law, Chris remains a California resident until he’s been here for six months. He hasn’t even been in El Paso for sixteen days. So, he’s clearly still a California resident and any custody suit must be brought there.”
“And in case you’re curious. The specific law is The Uniform Child-Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act,” interjected Buck, who was speaking up for the first time since Ramon and Helena had arrived.
“Well, even if you’re right. It won’t be too hard for us to hire an attorney who’s licensed to practice in California. Unlike you who probably can’t afford to hire a decent lawyer.” Ramon boasted to his son.
“Your father’s correct. We’re just trying to spare you the hassle and expense of a custody suit. Since I’m sure you don’t even have a lawyer,” added Helena is a sugary sweet voice. “All you have to do is sign the custody documents drawn up by our lawyer. Then you and Buck can go happily back to LA.”
Eddie exchanged a smirk with Buck before replying, “You’re right. I don’t have a lawyer.” He paused to see his mom smile. He knew that he’d shortly be wiping that grin off her face. “We have a legal team.”
“Honey, I know you’re close with your co-workers. But a ragtag group of first responders doesn’t make an effective legal team,” Helena said with a clearly false note of sympathy.
“You’re right. We are close to our first responder family,” replied Eddie, before continuing on to burst his mother’s bubble. “But that’s not who I was referring to. I was talking about our 8-person legal team at the top family law practice in California.”
“It’s also one of the top five family law practices in the country,” added Buck. “And our team consists of not one, not two, not three, but four lawyers. The managing director of the family law practice. A senior partner within the practice. And two associates.”
“Plus two paralegals. And two private investigators. Who’ve spent the past five years digging into every aspect of your lives. By the way, just because your misdeeds were buried. Doesn’t mean they couldn’t be dug up with enough time and money. Which our private investigators have been extremely successful in doing,” Eddie cautioned his parents.
“We’ve already spent over a million dollars preparing for a potential custody battle. And of course, that amount will be increased when Eddie actually gets served papers. We’re willing to easily drop over 10 million dollars in legal fees if and when you sue for custody,” Buck explained.
Helena and Ramon looked gobsmacked. “That’s impossible,” Ramon stammered. “You don’t have anywhere near that type of money. Unless you’ve done something illegal.”
Buck smiled with what Eddie called his shit-eating grin. “You know nothing about my finances. All I’ll say is that I’m rich enough to live in obscene luxury without having to work another day in my life. Same with any children or grandchildren that I might have. And it was all gained through entirely legal means.”
“But you still work as a firefighter,” Ramon observed.
“Of course. I hate the ‘idle rich’. That’s not who I am. I still believe in living a life of service,” replied Buck. Eddie noted a brief look of respect flash through Ramon’s eyes at Buck’s explanation.
“So, let me play this out for you. I could easily retain custody with just an average lawyer. I’m a highly decorated military veteran and first responder. I have numerous credible people who will testify to my character and how Chris is thriving under my care. Plus Chris will testify that he wants to live with me.”
“If you’re such a great father, why did Chris call and ask us to take him to El Paso?” Helena snidely asked.
“Wow, newsflash! Teenager has fight with his father and runs away to his grandparents. I’m shocked that story didn’t break the internet!” Chris sarcastically said.
“It was more than just a father/son argument,” Helena insisted. “Eddie, you were having a mental health crisis.”
“You’re right. But I’m in therapy to put it behind me. Which will be looked upon favorably by a family court judge,” Eddie calmly replied. “But what won’t be looked upon favorably is the fact that you coldly turned you back on your son when he was in crisis. Makes you both look like horrible parents.”
Eddie ignored his parents’ gasps of indignation and continued, “As I said, I would very likely retain custody with just an average lawyer. But with our high-priced legal team and everything they’ve dug up about you. It’s unlikely that any judge would even grant you custody of a hamster!”
Before Eddie’s parents could even react, Buck said, “And of course, there’s the counter offensives that we’ll launch the instant you sue for custody.”
“What are you talking about?” demanded Ramon.
“Some of what we’ve dug up aren’t just examples of bad parenting. They also include criminal activities. Such as multiple instances of child abuse. For which there’s no statute of limitations,” Buck explained.
“We didn’t abuse anyone!” retorted Ramon.
“You abused me,” Eddie quietly said. “All of those beatings you gave me. Went way beyond discipline. They’d be considered abuse. Even in Texas. And in case you’re wondering, I have evidence including pictures that I’ve shared with our lawyers.”
Eddie took a deep breath before continuing. “And then there’s the conversion camp you sent me to when I was 12 years old. When you thought I was too friendly with the boy next door.”
“So we sent you to a camp that was a tiny bit rough. You must really be a wimp if you’re still complaining about it” Ramon derogatorily said.
“A tiny bit rough? You’ve got to be kidding me!” Eddie took a deep breath, steeling himself to share very painful memories. “When I was deployed in Afghanistan, I unfortunately spent a week as a ‘guest’ of the Taliban. Where I was brutalized and tortured on a daily basis. Yet, that conversion ‘camp’ that you sent me to. It was nearly as bad the one run by the Taliban. And I was an innocent 12-year-old boy. Not an adult soldier and enemy combatant!”
“You’d be interested in knowing that multiple children died in that camp due to the barbaric treatment and horrific conditions. But I guess your motto is better dead than gay!” added Buck.
“I swear that we didn’t know about how bad it was. We thought it was a regular camp. Just with a bit more discipline and bible studies,” Helena desperately claimed.
“I wish that was true,” Eddie sadly said before adding in a firm voice. “But we have proof that you knew exactly what you were signing me up for when you enrolled me in that camp. And that proof has been assembled into a nice package to send to the DA, the instant you sue for custody. You should be aware that dozens if not hundreds of parents are already serving jail sentences for sending their children to those types of camps.”
“Then there’s the parental alienation,” added Buck. “Which I understand from Eddie that you’ve been engaging in since practically the day Chris was born. Our lawyers have informed us that not only will this be a major strike against you in any custody suit. Our evidence is so strong and compelling that they believe we’d win millions by suing you for emotional damages”
“What evidence are you talking about? We’ve done no such thing!” said Helena.
“For starters, there’s those nasty text messages sent over the past few weeks. Which we can prove didn’t come from Chris. Then there’s all the emails and texts you’ve sent to Chris. Starting back from when he got his first phone and first email account. Messages in which you consistently stated that I’m a lousy father and that he should ask to come and live with you in El Paso. Plus there’s the recordings of all the video calls you’ve had with Chris over the years. Where you repeated the same message. And before you object, we’d only enter into evidence those recordings where both of you can be clearly heard giving your consent.”
“Not to pile on,” offered Sophia. “But in addition to all the consequences described by Eddie and Buck. Adrianna and I will both cut contact with you if you proceed in suing for custody of Chris.”
Helena’s eyes teared up. “Sophia, you can’t mean that. Plus, you need our help with Maria. And how would that even work given that we live so close to each other?”
“Don’t confuse me letting you spend time with my daughter with me needing your help. And Nick’s architectural firm is opening an office in LA, and he’s been offered a position there. Since I work remotely, I can work from anywhere. So it will be very easy to cut contact with you. And Adrianna felt bad that she couldn’t be here today to support our brother. But she will cut contact as well if you sue Eddie for custody. And since she lives in New York with no intention of ever moving back to El Paso, it will also be easy for her to do so.”
“Helena, Ramon. You have a choice,” Eddie calmly stated with an undercurrent of steel in his voice. “You can proceed with suing me for custody of Chris. And you will lose. Not just the suit. But also your family. Your money. Your reputation. And maybe even your freedom. Or you can do the right thing and not interfere with Chris going back to LA and resuming his life there. The choice is yours.”
“If we agree not to sue, will you keep contact with us? Let Chris visit us?” Helena eagerly asked.
“No,” Eddie emphatically replied. “That ship sailed when you came to LA without warning to steal my son. That ship sank with your lies and manipulations to prevent Chris and I from reconciling. But, if you don’t sue, I won’t ruin your life by using the evidence our legal team dug up. And I’ll be polite and cordial if and when we see each other at extended family gatherings like Cousin Mateo’s wedding later this summer. That’s all that I can offer you. And frankly, that’s more than you deserve.”
“Same here,” said Sophia to her parents. “Polite and cordial is all you can expect from me as well. And I know Adri feels the same. Now not to be rude, but I’m sure you have things to do. Apologies for misleading you about dinner but you have plenty of time to get your own meal. After Eddie, Chris and Buck stop by to pick up Chris’s stuff. Including the electronics you locked away.”
“What if we don’t want to return them?” Ramon snidely asked.
“Well then, we’ll have you arrested for theft. Since their aggregate value is over $1,000,” Buck retorted. “And before you start bragging about your connections on the police force. You should know that I gave the largest donation in El Paso history to the Police Benevolent Association. In appreciation, I have the personal numbers of both the mayor and chief of police on speed dial.”
Ramon wisely remained silent.
---------
Epilogue – One Year Later
Buck let his mind wonder as he sat in a bumper-to-bumper traffic jam. He was surprised to realize that it was one year to the day since he, Eddie and Chris had returned to LA, after the confrontation with Helena and Ramon. It’d been a challenging year on many levels.
Surprisingly, none of the challenges came from Helena or Ramon. All was quiet on the El Paso front. When Buck expressed his concern about waiting for the other shoe to drop, Eddie said that he wasn’t worried. Eddie explained that while his father enabled his mother to an unhealthy degree, he was also extremely pragmatic. Ramon may not have fully believed Eddie and Buck about the evidence they’d accumulated. But Eddie felt Ramon was sufficiently convinced to be deterred from pursuing what would be a very costly and arduous legal battle. Of course, Buck remained vigilant in having their PIs keep a close eye on Helena and Ramon.
No, the challenges came from Eddie. And his disregard for his own mental health. Which eventually blew up in his face.
As planned, after they arrived back from El Paso, Chris and Buck stayed in the house and Eddie lived in the loft while they continued family therapy. After about two weeks, Chris felt sufficiently comfortable having his dad move back in, although he asked Buck to remain as a buffer. Finally, about five weeks after arriving back in LA, Buck went back to his loft, and Eddie and Chris resumed living together on their own.
It was at that point that Eddie stopped going to therapy, probably feeling that it was no longer needed since everything was back to normal. Of course, he didn’t tell either Buck or Chris about his decision. Given Chris’s busy schedule, and the fact that Buck was no longer living with them, they didn’t find out until several months later. When Eddie had another mental breakdown.
All the individual and family therapy over the summer had brought Eddie’s emotions closer to the surface. Thus, it was more challenging to push them down and ignore them. Which Eddie tried to do. Until he couldn’t. And they boiled over into a massive explosion.
This was unlike his mental health crisis three years ago which had been triggered by Eddie finding out that the army colleagues he’d rescued had all died. This explosion was caused by a multitude of stressors hitting simultaneously. A rough call at work in which a disabled teenager had died. Well-intentioned but intrusive pressure from his aunt to start dating with introductions to suitable Latina women. A series of emotional fights with Chris over weekend curfews. Individually, none of these stressors were overwhelming. In combination, they were enough to push Eddie over the edge.
Like three years earlier, Buck received a panicked call from Chris and rushed over to their house. After first checking to see that Chris was okay, he pushed into Eddie’s bedroom to find him hysterically crying amidst the mess he’d made of the room. He was able to coax Eddie out into the living room, where he attempted to calm him down.
As he led Eddie through a series of breathing exercises, Buck realized that he needed to convince Eddie to get extended inpatient therapy. Otherwise, Eddie would never really get better. He’d continue to do therapy just long enough to solve an immediate crisis. Then stop going once the crisis was over. Buck knew he might have to 5150 him if he couldn’t convince Eddie to go voluntarily.
Fortunately, Eddie didn’t fight him on the need for inpatient therapy. The only sticking point was Chris’s guardianship. They agreed that Buck would be Chris’s legal guardian and have full custody while Eddie was away. Eddie was just obsessed with the fear that once his parents heard that he was doing inpatient therapy, they’d use it as a justification to steal his son.
Buck recalled their impassioned conversation...
“Buck, if my parents find out that I’m in inpatient therapy. They’ll come to LA and take Chris so fast your head will spin!” Eddie lamented. “I can’t risk it!”
“Eds, less than six weeks ago, you said that your dad was too pragmatic to let your mom sue for custody.”
“That’s different. Me going to inpatient therapy would give them an opening to take Chris!”
“I don’t see how. Our lawyers have assured us that taking care of your mental health won’t jeopardize retaining custody. Instead, it will only help your case. Plus, they’ve ensured that the paperwork granting me temporary legal custody is rock solid and unimpeachable. So I don’t understand why you’re so concerned.”
“I can’t explain it! But I’m freaked out. And I can’t go into the therapy program until I know Chris is safe!”
Buck tried to keep calm and not further spook Eddie. “So, what would make you feel safe?”
“You adopting Chris. Which I understand would require us to get married.”
Buck tried to keep his jaw from dropping. That was certainly not what he was expecting to hear. “Say what?”
“If you adopted Chris, they’d be unable to take him from us. Even if my inpatient therapy gave them grounds. And yes, logically I know it doesn’t. But fear isn’t rational. And I know I’m asking too much. I’m sorry. Just ignore what I said. I’m sorry,” Eddie rambled.
“Yes.”
“Yes what?”
“Yes, Eds. I’ll marry you and adopt Chris. If that’ll give you peace of mind before going into therapy.”
After gaining Chris’s approval for their plan, Eddie and Buck had a quick courthouse wedding, then immediately filed adoption papers. The only individuals they informed were Bobby and Athena. Bobby was necessary to ensure that the paperwork was in order for the LAFD, including arranging Eddie’s leave of absence. And they couldn’t ask Bobby to keep it from his wife. Bobby and Athena swore they wouldn’t tell anyone else. Neither Buck nor Eddie wanted to be bothered with well-meaning but intrusive questions about their relationship from their friends and family.
Buck himself didn’t know what their marriage meant. He wasn’t ruling out his relationship with Eddie eventually turning romantic. But he wasn’t counting on it either. Figuring out what he and Eddie wanted from their relationship simply hadn’t been a priority. All he knew was that Eddie and Chris were his family. No matter what that looked like in the future. Hopefully, they’d have plenty of time to figure it out. Especially since he knew that he and Eddie loved each other. No matter how that love was defined or would evolve.
Buck sighed in relief when the traffic eventually eased, and he was able to pull into the Charlton Oaks parking lot. Buck had done a lot of research into therapy programs and settled on Charlton Oaks as the best suited for Eddie’s needs. It was a top-notch private program that specialized in treating both PTSD and childhood traumas.
Both Buck and Chris had visited Eddie numerous times during the nine months that he’d been in Charlton Oaks. Buck was amazed by the transformation in Eddie. He appeared significantly lighter, happier and more comfortable in his own skin.
Eddie was being released today, although he’d continue outpatient therapy at least three times a week. Buck, Chris and their extended LA family were going to ensure that Eddie diligently kept up with his appointments. Their LA family had expanded to include Sophia, Nick and Maria, who’d moved to California about six months ago. Now that both her siblings were in LA and had cut contact with their parents, Adrianna also became a more frequent visitor.
Through frequent therapy sessions, Buck had been careful to preserve his own mental health while Eddie was away. Chris was a great kid whom Buck loved with all his heart. However, he was also a hormonal teenager who delighted in testing boundaries, especially since Buck now had to play both good cop and bad cop.
Dr. Copeland helped him see that it wasn’t the end of the world when Chris lashed out at him. And if he remained patient but firm, Chris would eventually give a sincere apology and accept the consequences of his actions. Dr. Copeland also encouraged him to accept help from their extended family. Whether it was Bobby and Athena continuously stocking their fridge. Or Hen and Karen taking Chris for frequent sleepovers. Or Sophia or Maddie stealing Chris away to help take care of his younger cousins.
While Buck was thrilled to have Eddie return home, he knew it would be a huge adjustment for all three of them. This would be the first time that Chris would be living with his two dads, each of whom had equal parental rights. While there was bound to be conflicts, Buck was hopeful that with transparent communication and continued therapy, any conflicts could be easily resolved.
As Buck got out of his car and walked into the facility to pick up Eddie, he was finally feeling at peace and confident about his family and their future.