“I do and part of what I know is your woman knew you had to scrape off your wife before she got her own ring from you so she doesn’t have a leg to stand on either,” Mickey returned. “Now, again, get past it and if you got somethin’ to say, say it and then get the fuck outta here.”

Conrad looked back to me. “This man doesn’t know me, he has no call to curse at me.”

“Man, you’re here at ten at night uninvited and unwanted and you rang the bell the minute we got in, so you been layin’ in wait for your attack,” Mickey shot back. “I opened the door and you brought it. You brought it and blew any respect you might have gotten from me. This isn’t your home. You got no rights in this situation. And advice. Fuckin’ grow a pair. No call to curse at you?” he taunted. “Fuckin’ sissy.”

Conrad’s face was hard and his fury was palpable when he turned that to me.

“I’ll thank you to adhere to the custody agreement ordered by the judge,” he stated.

“I’m not kidnapping the kids and forcing them to watch TV here, Conrad,” I replied. “They ask to come. This is their home. They can come anytime they please.”

“If they’re asking to come, as ordered by the court, you should explain you’ve got them one weekend a month and you’ll see them then.”

What a pompous ass.

And further, it could not be believed that he actually wanted to keep our children away from their mother when they wanted to spend time with me.

God! How had I ever been in love with this man?

“I can’t say I read every word, Conrad,” I retorted. “But I don’t think it says anywhere in the court documents that if the children wish to spend additional time with me, I’m not allowed to let them do that.”

“I’ll have my attorneys scour them and if that’s not the case, perhaps I’ll move to see them amended,” Conrad volleyed.

“You do that,” I invited.

“You don’t want to go in front of the judge again, Amelia,” he warned.

“You’re wrong,” I told him. “I so do. I really, really do.”

“You have a very short memory,” he sneered.

“I could say the same thing,” I returned.

“What? A few months of behaving yourself? That won’t go very far,” he scoffed.

“I’m sorry, my mistake. I’ll take one moment to mention that it actually hasn’t been a few months, but over a year. But to the point, it isn’t just your short-term memory that’s lacking. It’s your long-term.”

“My relationship with Martine is no longer a weapon you can use against me,” he declared.

“Perhaps. Though, her and Gail Conway might get me somewhere.”