Saturday Story - Nate is Fired - part II - conclusion

 SATURDAY STORY - NATE GETS FIRED - PART II

Last week, Nate Moore, a lawyer, got laid off from his job.  “Fired” is how Nate viewed it - ‘kicked to the curb’ - not wanted anymore.  In today’s world of COVID-19, there might be differences between fired and laid off.  One might imply a chance of returning and the other as no chance to be employed at that location again.

Nate got “stinking” drunk - he wasn’t home to pick up the kids, and was on his way “to the bottom”.  It became so hard for Alisha.  She felt like she was walking on eggshells and trying not to crack them.  

*****  Part II

For a few days, everything was good.  Alisha tried to stay out of Nate’s way.  Nate was definitely a changed (and very unhappy man).  For the first few days, he would buy a six-pack of beer, but that wasn’t enough - a twelve-pack was the norm.  In the first days, he might want a particular brand of beer, but after a few days, the cheapest was the best to get his buzz back on again.

Alisha once tried to say something to Nate about the beer cans on the coffee table, but he snapped “I’ll get them, woman, leave me alone”.

The family room became a ‘no-go’ zone for Alisha, Josh, and Talin.  

But, that was soon to come to an end.  

Josh, as an eight-year-old boy, wanted, needed, his dad to pay attention to him.  Today, the boys were playing football at lunch at school and he needed to know how to throw a spiral.  

Josh came into the family room and asked “Dad, can you play catch with me in the backyard”. 

But, Nate was kind of watching a sports talk show on ESPN - and Josh was standing between his Dad and the TV.  

“No son, I’m watching this program”.  Nate said.

Josh said (not reading his dad’s body language), “Please Dad, just a few minutes?”

Nate jumped off the sofa and slapped Josh so hard he fell down.  

Josh, said, “But Dad, I just “.  But he didn’t get to finish as Nate backhanded his son again.

Josh started to cry.  That really got to Nate

“Quit crying you wimpy crybaby”, and another slap.  “Leave me alone” and another slap. “Big boys don’t cry” with another harder slap.  “Don’t interrupt me when I’m watching TV” and another slap.  

Josh had managed to crawl a little farther away to avoid another slap.  But, his crying was even louder.  His beloved Dad had slapped him as he was just asking to play catch for a few minutes.

Alisha was with Talin in the laundry room and had heard the ruckus.  As she came into the family room, she saw Nate towering over their son, and Josh crying “Don’t Daddy”, “Stop Daddy”, “I’m sorry Daddy”, and Nate glowering and swinging harder and harder and kicking at Josh.

Alisha quickly texted Janine from next door (‘COME OVER NOW) and stepped into the family room between Nate and Josh.  

Josh was screaming “Stop Daddy”, but Nate didn’t stop.  Nate was yelling “You wimpy boy, you crybaby” and was trying harder to get to Josh - and occasionally landed a blow on the boy’s back or side.  

Alisha got in-between Nate and Josh and yelled at him “STOP”.  He is bleeding (and Josh was bleeding from a cut on his face).  

But, Nate’s anger rose even higher.  “Stay out of this bitch”.  He took a swipe at Alisha which missed - but it was just as Janine and her husband Dan quietly opened the front door.  

Alisha tried to quiet Nate “Honey, that’s enough.  Stop”. 

It is hard to stop a charging bull when angry.  Nate’s long-arm slashed across Alisha’s face and sent her to the floor.  “NO” she yelled.

Josh was really crying now, plus six-year-old Talin, seeing her Dad hit her Mom so hard also started to cry.  

Alisha was yelling “Don’t do this, Nate.”; “We love you Nate”; “Stop Nate before you hurt her family”.

But, Alisha’s yells seemed like pouring gasoline on to a blazing fire. Janine rushed in to help Alisha get up.  Dan was calling 911 to report a domestic violence situation.  

Nate had knocked Alisha into a chair which collapsed into a broken heap and that had cut into her flesh and blood started to come out of her leg wound.  Janine pulled Alisha back away from the broken chair - and Nate seeing another woman was yelling “Bitch, you stay out of this”.

Dan, Janine’s husband had been a marine in Afghanistan, but in the intervening years had put on some pounds, came with his hands up toward Nate.

Dan said, “Nate, simmer down before somebody gets hurt” (even though he could see the blood from Alisha and Josh).  

Nate yelled again - “Get back F***er.  Get out of my house.  I can do what I want to do.”

And then Nate swung at Dan.  But, Dan’s marine training was still somewhat good, although a little rusty.  Dan stepped back and grabbed Nate’s arm as it passed him, and quickly thrust it behind Nate’s back.  Nate was still yelling and trying to hit Dan with his other arm.

Dan with his Marine training was raising Nate’s arm until it hurt so much that it subdued Nate.  

The sound of a police siren coming into their driveway finally sunk into Nate’s alcohol-soaked brain.  Two uniformed cops rushed in.

The first joined with Dan in subduing Nate - who was still cursing and yelling.  The second helped Alisha up off the floor as Janine got some paper towels from the kitchen.  Josh, seeing the policemen, crawled out of his spot behind a chair - the tears mostly were gone but, the blood still seeping out of the cut on his face.

Nate was now yelling alternately at Alisha and Janine and the cops, and Dan.  The second cop took his handcuffs off his belt and belted Nate’s hands.  

*****

The cops took Nate, still angry but with his anger on subsiding with his hands in the cuffs.

Dan took Alisha and Josh to the nearby emergency room to get patched up.  Janine took Talin to her house where she could play with Dawn, Janine, and Dan’s five-year-old daughter.  

****

The Emergency Room quickly cared for Alisha and Josh - that is, they took care of the things that could be fixed.  Josh would have nightmares for years as he thought of his father screaming at him and hitting in.  

Josh would have a small scar.  But, Alisha’s cuts did heal in a few weeks.

*****

Life wasn’t quite as nice for Nate.

The next morning, he was taken to care for his plea for Domestic Abuse.  The night had sobered him.  As a lawyer, he could have called any of 100 lawyer colleagues to defend him and get him off as a first time offender.  

But, deep inside this lawyer’s brain, Nate did what he thought was the right thing.  He pled guilty to the charge.  

Nate, in his orange jail jumpsuit, knew that he was guilty.  

The judge seemed to want to give Nate a break.  But, somehow Nate shook his head ‘no’ as the judge proposed a five-day jail stay, but that would be excused for his standing in the community.  

The judge paused and looked at Nate and asked “Counselor, you seem to have something on your mind.  Can you help me?”

Nate stood tall and silent, with the growth of beard from the past several days.

Nate hesitated. After a minute Judge Thompson asked “Counselor”? 

Nate started slowly.  “Sir, I got fired about three weeks ago.  I was mad at the world.”

Nate choked up - Judge Thompson waited.  Nate coughed.  

“Throw the book at me judge!!  I’m guilty.  I am a real a**hole.  I don’t deserve any leniency.”

He stopped again.  Judge Thompson waited again.

Finally, Judge Thompson cleared his throat.  Nate looked up.

“Judge”, he stated, “I’ve seen some of these cases over the years.  I don’t want to tell you how to do your job.  But.”

Nate paused again.  “Could you require completion of an anger management course?  Could you assign me to free public defense for a month” and he added in a low voice, “and who can’t pay for a high priced lawyer like I once was”.  Issue a “no contact” for me, but allow my family to visit me if they want to.” and again, in a low voice, “if they ever want to see me again”.  Keep me in a minimum-security half-way house.

 *****

Nate did follow the judge's orders to a tee.  Alisha came to visit after five days.  A policeman watched them for a while until he was sure there was not going to be any additional domestic violence. 

The month of working for the free defense of the poor was good for him. After two weeks, Alisha visited Nate every day - and Josh and Talin as well and Janine and Dan.  Alisha brought picnic lunches on Sundays as that was her day off from Kohls. 

A mental health counselor met with Nate on the anger management issue.  Then the counselor met two times with Nate and Alisha; and then a final time with Nate, Alisha, Josh, and Talin.

He was allowed back in his family on one condition - no alcohol.  But, he hadn’t touched alcohol since that brutal night. The arrest had really reset his brain with what was important - and the sports talk show on ESPN was NOT anywhere near as important as playing catch with his son; or spending time with his wife and daughter.  

Time went by and his time as a volunteer lawyer ended, but he continued.  His three months of severance pay from Sanderson, Johnson, Jones, and Diaz ended. 

Word of his severance pay ending reached Judge Thompson’s desk.  He pondered it for a while and approached the county commission for the court system’s need for a public defender.  Behind the scenes, the judge and the commission had been discussing hiring Nate Moore as a permanent public defender.  The motion passed and Nate Moore agreed.

Two months later as the business started up again, Robert Sanderson called Nate to invite him back to Sanderson, Johnson, Jones, and Diaz.  Nate declined the offer, even though he was making about ½ the salary as a public defender - and without the paralegal support the SJJ&D had.  He was working locally.  He was happy.  He got to see his wife and family.

*****

So, the end of the story.  We can change, but like Nate Moore, we need to be honest with ourselves.

What defines “success” to you?  Money? Position?  Fame?  Family? Faith? Happiness? Time doing fun activities?

Aside.  In a couple of my stories, I have used alcohol as something that distorts our judgment.  I have a social drink on occasion.  (With playing for Oktoberfest in the Brushy Creek Brass Band, I’ve had generally two beers during the evening).  I read an article that suggested if alcohol was invented today, it probably would be banned.  But, we know what happened with prohibition - alcohol was banned, and (if anything) flourished more!!  Some people can handle small (aka “reasonable” amounts of alcohol); and some people cannot.  In this story, Nate Moore takes to alcohol as a “savior” from his feelings of inadequacy from being fired (laid-off).  Coping with adversity is better without alcohol.  

A year ago, when I was in the Mental Hospital for four days, I was the only transgender person there fighting depression.  My unit-mates were mostly from addictions - alcohol or drugs.  For some (many?) it wasn’t their first time to be hospitalized for addictions.  

I wasn’t condemning alcohol as much as condemning the use of alcohol (or other) as a way to handle a bad situation (like losing your job).  

LOVE WINS!!!

HUGS!!!

Karen