The Road to Hell

It amazes me that so many men would take back some bitch after she dumped them to trade up and it didn't work out. In so many stories, writers have characters who will stay in bad marriages for years for their kids sake while their own lives suck. Just so you know: it's just a fucking story.

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There is a saying that, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." I believe it's true. I have always tried to do what is right. I have always lived by the Golden Rule: treat people how you want to be treated. Those are my words to live by, so I have tried my best to live that way.

So why is living a good life so fucking hard? I have never messed anyone over; I never say a mean word to anyone. If they're wrong, I present the facts to them in a pleasant way. When I'm wrong, I admit I'm wrong. In other words, when I'm presented with a problem I take the high road.

I was just living my life, oblivious to any warning signs, when it happened; it was a life changing event.

I had just came home from a two day conference in Texas when I was blindsided by my wife. Casey (the aforementioned 'wife') and our kids were sitting around the kitchen table. They were laughing and joking around.

When I asked, "What's so funny?" the mood changed.

Casey didn't ask, she told me: "Billy, why don't you take a seat." I sat down and she waved a set of papers around in my face.

"Billy, take these and read them. I'm not asking for anything but the house. There are also adoption paper in there. I want Jeff to adopt the kids. I know you'll want the best for them, so just sign it and we'll move on," Casey informed me, cool as a cucumber.

My wife of twelve years had just presented me with the paperwork for a divorce, and adoption forms for my three kids!

My son Devin looked at me with this little smirk on his face. Devin was ten years old. Joy, my daughter, didn't even bother to look at me. She was nine and was too busy listening to her Ipod to feel anything about losing her father. Patrick, my seven-year-old, was the only one who had anything to say.

"Daddy, Jeff has a big house and we like him," Patrick explained, as if that would somehow make everything 'all better.'

I just sat there looking at Casey and the kids as if they were fucking crazy. Maybe it's PMS or early menopause, I thought. Maybe this bitch is bipolar. Maybe she's high or drunk? Nah — I don't smell any alcohol on her breath. So where is this divorce shit coming from?

Casey finally dropped the papers on the counter, and handed me a check for half of the money in our bank accounts.

"Kids, take your dad's bags to his truck," demanded Casey. Un-fucking-believable! They had packed my bags before I got home and then laid in wait before they moved in for the kill.

"Casey, do you think I'm going someplace?" I asked with a slightly menacing tone.

"You're moving out Bill, haven't you been listening?" replied Casey.

"Casey, this is my family's house. My parents told me I could live here long before we got married. I don't recall your name being on anything tied to this house. I don't know what has happened to make you want a divorce, but you're never going to take my parent's house. You can leave, but I'm staying in this house!" I shouted.

Casey rolled her eye's and realizing that she couldn't win that one, changed her orders and yelled at the kids to pack their bags. They would have to change their plans and go to Jeff's house.

"Casey, who in the fuck is Jeff?" I finally had the chance to ask.

"Billy, you're a fucking moron; Jeff is the man who has been fucking the shit out of me while your dumb ass is at work," said Casey. Casey wasn't guilty or remorseful; she showed nothing but disrespect and contempt for me. I looked at my kids for their support. My daughter just told her brothers to hurry up.

"Dad," said my daughter, "Jeff can give us a better life. Besides Mom loves him and so do we." My sons nodded their heads in agreement. I stood up and walked to the door and opened it. They all headed towards Casey's car.

"Casey, don't fucking touch that car. I pay for it and it's in my name. Fuck you and your brats; call your asshole and tell him to pick all you sorry fuckers up."

Casey and the kids looked back at me and all of them — the kids as well as Casey — flipped me the bird.

I was beyond pissed; I had worked my ass off for this family and they dump me for some asshole with money? I did what any normal man would do, I got stinking drunk. I ended up passed out face down on the laundry room floor.

For the first time in my life, I hated somebody. I hated this 'Jeff' guy with a passion. But more than him, I hated my family. I realized that it wasn't all him; my so-called family had chosen to betray me.

Once I had sobered up the next morning, I cleaned myself up and went online and found a lawyer. I made a appointment for the next day at noon.

They love him so much, I figured, I'll give them what they asked for. My attorney looked over the agreement and told me to sign it before Casey changed her mind. I signed it and my lawyer sent it back. Casey didn't even ask for child support.

In the blink of an eye, with the stroke of a pen, I no longer had a wife or kids. My family threw me away like some day-old bread. So much for staying together until the kids leave or dreams of growing old together.

Six months later the divorce became final.

Everything changes with time and so did I. I threw myself into my work. I went back to college and got my Masters degree, then a PhD. I was now Dr. William Capps, Ph.D, CPA.

I know most people find accounting to be boring but then again, so was my life. Somehow accounting was just my style.

I decided to open up my own office. It was a boutique operation that provided personalized attention to high-net-worth clients. My client base started to grow by word-of-mouth. By the end of my second year in practice, I was building a very nice nest egg. I also met a nice woman named Pattie. Pattie was everything I looked for in a woman. She was a hard worker, liked the same things I did, and was a home body. Pattie was a little taller than Casey, but she had curves in all the right places.

By the end of the fourth year, my firm had grown to the point where we needed more space. Rather than continuing to rent space from someone else, I bought a five story office building.

Pattie and I liked our new building so much, we got married on the fourth floor! It was a small yet festive event. I must have enjoyed myself a little too much because a few months later Pattie turned up pregnant. I would have loved a little more 'alone' time with my wife, but you have to roll with the punches. My life had really been looking up over the last six or so years.

Needless to say, it was a surprise — no, a shock — when I was served with child support papers. Casey was asking for $3,000.00 a month and $432,000 in back child support. I started laughing; I hadn't seen or heard from them in seven years, and the first thing they want is money. I gave the papers to my attorney. He looked at them, and when he finished laughing, he picked up the phone and called Casey's attorney.

Casey, it seems, was broke and alone; she had heard through the grapevine that I had become a very successful (read: financially well off) business owner. To her great disappointment, she had also found out that I had remarried, and that my wife and I had a child and another on the way.

Casey's husband Jeff didn't mind screwing Casey, buy he was less enthusiastic about 'the family life', and one day he simply disappeared. A week later Casey was served with divorce papers. Jeff refused to pay child support. He found a way to get the adoptions declared void. He convinced a judge that he was coerced into signing them by Casey. Jeff told the judge that Casey gave him an ultimatum: sign the adoption forms or lose everything; so he signed them.

With their divorce final and all of the money gone, it seems that I was Casey's next option.

Casey's approach was to get my parent's involved. Casey had stayed in touch with my parents ever since she left me. My parents wanted to be part of Casey's kids lives. They never told me anything about their staying in contact.

Casey played the part of the broken wife who had made a stupid mistake. My parents ate it up, hook, line and sinker. They sided with her on all accounts.

My dad was the first one to come see me. He talked to me about forgiveness and doing the right thing. How if it we're him, he would try and find away to put the family back together. Somewhere in all of his ranting I pointed out that I had remarried and had my own family. I tried to remind him how Casey and the kids had left me. My father told me to man up and fix my marriage to Casey.

"Pattie will be fine, she can start over. You'll just have to take care of the kids and pay your child support."

I looked at my dad like he was crazy. For the first time in my life I lost respect for him. I asked him to leave.

My mom was next; she came in with both guns blazing. If I didn't take Casey back, then I could move out of the house and they would give it to Casey. I couldn't believe that these were my parents.

My firm was doing great, so I went out and bought my own house. It was a week after my parent's rant that I received an eviction notice giving me thirty days to move out. I didn't mind because the sale on my new house was closing the next day. Amazingly, when you pay cash, people will bend over backwards to get things done.

My parent came to the house the next week only to find it empty. Casey and her kids moved in the next day.

It's been two years since then, and I haven't spoken to my parents, Casey or her kids during that time. Pattie and I have four kids and our firm is doing great.

This year I won the businessman of the year for our area. There was a really nice picture of me and my family in the paper. I accepted the award with pride and gave most of the credit to Pattie.

"Without my wife Pattie," I told the audience, "there would be no award for me; my wife is my rock!"

While I was giving my speech, in walked my parents with Casey. Casey walked right up to the stage and called me a deadbeat dad. She told everyone that I ran out on my kids and her. Casey claimed that it was Pattie who ruined our marriage!

I think my attorney must have prepared for this. Somehow he had an inkling that Casey was going to use this occasion to strike at me while getting her phony story some publicity. He aimed a remote at a projector located at the side of the hall.

Private investigators can be really resourceful at getting the dirt on scumbags. And the technology they use! It's amazing. What started showing on the blank wall was a film of Casey and her attorney talking in the parking lot outside his office about getting the adoption papers that I'd signed revoked. She was telling her lawyer that if he got the court to void them, that the fucking she had given him that afternoon wouldn't even compare to what he would get when they were thrown out.

They also discussed how to arrange for Pattie to be drugged and raped. How they would send me the video to show me that Pattie was cheating on me, and then Casey would come in and put my heart back together. She also told him how she manipulated my parents to be her puppets or they wouldn't get to see the grandkids.

When the short video finshed, Casey's attorney tried to quietly leave out a side door. He was stopped by the Chief of Police. It seems that a few judges in the audience took a little interest in the tape.

I looked at my parents, then I walked over to my wife and kids, helped them with their coats and left. Outside I kissed Pattie and we headed for the car. Just as I finish putting the kids in the car, my parents called my name. I got in my car without looking back and drove away. I didn't see them again until I was called to court to testify against Casey and her lawyer. I gave my testimony and headed out of the court room. My father was waiting outside.

"Billy, I can't begin to tell how sorry your mother and I are, but please son, give us a chance to try and make this up. You have three kids who miss you and are hurting. We have four grandkids we have never met. Son, you have to find in your heart to forgive us and put this family back together!"

I just looked and turned away; then I stopped and told him I would think about it.

Casey was given three months jail time and four years probation. Her attorney was disbarred for conspirasy to commit fraud against the court and me.

The Department of Child Welfare informed me that the kids would be sent to foster care if my parents or I didn't take them. I told my parents to take them.

My dad told me I would have to forgive them all some day. My dad asked if wanting to be part of the grandkids lives was so bad.

"We're old son, we were going to miss most of their lives. You just gave up and moved on. What about us Billy? Are you so heartless that you can't see she made a mistake?" asked my father.

"No," I explained, "There's nothing wrong with wanting to be in their lives. But Casey didn't make a mistake. Casey was a cold-hearted bitch who got what she deserved; as for the kids, they chose him.

"You used to tell me that there are some things in life that can't be forgiven, remember that? You also told the me that the road to hell was paved with good intentions; then you turned your back on me.

"The thing is, Casey lied, cheated and turned the kids against me. And after all that, you still sided with her against me. Now you want me to acted if nothing has changed. You're old enough to know you made the wrong choice and now you have to live with the consequences."

That was ten years ago.

Casey never learned her lesson. She got married again and she tried two-timing her husband the way she had done to me. That didn't turn out so well. He caught Casey with her lover and killed them both. Her husband tied them to the bed they were in, poured gas on them, lit a match and walked out. Casey had to be identified through dental records.

My kids with Casey are grown and living as they were raised. Devin and Patrick are in prison. As for Joy — well, before anything bad happened, she came to our house and begged to be part of our family. Pattie insisted that Joy had been misled by her mother, and we should take her in and help her to lead a moral and productive life.

My parent did get to meet my kids before they died. They left everything to my judgement, but asked me to make a fair allocation of their assets to all seven of their grandchildren in my will.

As for Pattie and me, we'll be empty nesters soon and I'll love every minute of having my wife back all for myself.

For some of you Billy is an asshole for not fighting to keep his family or because he just walked away. Some things aren't worth fighting over.