I frowned, shaking my head in confusion.

“Unpaid child support? I wasn’t aware of that.”

“Okay, is Bella Walters a relative of yours?”

I nodded, “Yes, she is… was, my sister.”

The attorney paused for a moment. “I see. Is she deceased?”

“Yes she died several years ago. I’m sorry, but what does this have to do with my sister?”

“Um, according to state records, Mr. Philo was ordered to pay child support to your sister after she won a judgment in her favor. There are no records of any payments ever being made.”

I sat down on the edge of the bed. “Knowing Gene, that doesn’t surprise me.”

“Well, be that as it may, as the legal guardian, you are entitled to receive these funds from Mr. Philo.”

Nothing would have given me more pleasure than to take Gene’s money from him and give it to his son, but there were people sleeping under bridges who had more cash than he did. I did my best to explain that to Ed so that he would understand what a useless exercise it would be.

“Sadly, that’s a very common outcome in situations like this,” he said.

Just out of sheer curiosity, I asked, “What’s going to happen to Gene? I’m assuming he’s still in jail.”

“Well, I’d venture a guess he’s looking at three to five years, especially considering his numerous prior offenses.”

I sighed into the receiver.

Just then, Dyson appeared in my peripheral vision and walked in my direction. He leaned against the dresser across from me while the attorney spoke once again.

“I’m sorry this wasn’t a more helpful call,” he began. “These kinds of situations can be frustrating.”

I looked up at Dyson. He stared down at me with a concerned expression on his face.

“It’s just that, nothing ever seems to happen to Gene. He got my sister pregnant and then disappeared. Meanwhile, because of the state’s stupid adoption laws, I can’t be anything other than a temporary guardian for my nephew. It’s just frustrating to no end and frankly, completely unfair.”

Ed remained silent for a few seconds.

“Yes, I’m sure it is. If you don’t mind, I’m assuming, based on the temporary custody in place, that Mr. Philo hasn’t waived his parental rights. Is that correct?”

I closed my eyes, rubbing my forehead with my free hand. “Yes.”

“Mmm hmm,” the attorney muttered. “Would you mind if I placed you on hold for a few minutes? I have something I need to discuss with one of my colleagues.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

After he placed me on hold. I looked up at Dyson once more. Nodding with his chin in the direction of the phone, he asked, “What’s going on?”

He’d managed to hear bits and pieces of the conversation, so while I waited for Ed to return, I filled in the gaps for him.

“What’s he doing? The attorney?”

I shrugged. “He said he was going to talk to someone else. I don’t know about what.”

Dyson eased himself off the dresser and sat down next to me on the bed. Without saying a word, he leaned in towards me and kissed me on the cheek. Smiling, I glanced at him.

Just then, the attorney came back on the line.

AVA

“Ava?” he said. “Are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m still here.”

Ed exhaled into the receiver. It was the kind of sound you’d associate with bad news. Truthfully, I didn’t know how much worse it could possibly get. Before he spoke, I reached towards Dyson. He took my hand in his and squeezed it.

“I apologize for the short delay,” he began, once again shuffling paper in the background while he spoke. “As I mentioned, I consulted with one of my associates here who’s a bit more informed than I am with regard to some of these issues. In any case, he was able to confirm my suspicion.”

Ed paused for a moment. I jumped in to fill the silence.

“Suspicion about what?”

“I think there may be a way to force Mr. Philo to waive his parental rights in this case.”

I wrinkled my brow, thinking I must’ve misunderstood what he meant.

“What do you mean? Force him? How?”

“Well, as it relates to his DUI offense, what I’m proposing wouldn’t affect the outcome there, but unless he’s able to find a way to repay all of his back child support, the state would be willing to reduce its portion of his jail sentence mandated by deadbeat dad laws. That is, of course, assuming he would do what we asked of him.”

Ed paused once more. I squeezed Dyson’s hand hard.

“What is that?”

“Well, it’s quite simple. All he has to do is waive his parental rights, and this office would skip enforcement.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I shook my head.

“Wait, are you telling me that you think Gene will give up his rights and clear the way for me to adopt Simon?”

“Oh yes, quite. In fact, I don’t see what alternative he has.”

I looked at Dyson. He’d heard enough of the conversation to know what was going on. I had to take a breath to keep myself from getting too excited. The last thing I needed right now was another huge letdown.

“I-I don’t understand why the state would do that?”

“That’s a matter of simple economics, Ava. By going this route, we can save considerable expenses in terms of prosecuting Mr. Philo and then putting an administrative framework in place to make sure he repays his back child support, which we both know is highly unlikely. And, from Mr. Philo’s perspective, giving up rights for a child he’s scarcely seen in exchange for having his prison time reduced by, oh, eighty percent or so? I don’t see how even someone of Mr. Philo’s questionable character would pass on a deal like that.”

While he spoke, I released my grip from Dyson’s hand and placed it over my mouth.

Could it be?

“And so,” I began, swallowing hard. “What about my nephew?”

“What do you mean?”

My insides fluttered with nervous energy. I shot to my feet.

“I mean, assuming Gene does this, what does that mean for the state of my temporary custody?”

No sooner had I finished speaking than I heard the familiar rattle of paper through the receiver.

“Well,” Ed began. “I’ve had a chance to examine the paperwork concerning your guardianship. You’ve done an exceptional job in caring for your nephew. Frankly, I see no reason why you wouldn’t be awarded full custody of him as soon as Mr. Philo executes the required signatures. Further, I…”

Without thinking, I shrieked, screaming at the top of my lungs. Dyson jumped up and looked at me like I’d lost my mind. I snapped myself back into reality, apologizing to the attorney.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry I just did that.”

By the time I said those words, Ed was already laughing.

“Very well then,” he began, his chuckle starting to fade away. “I’ll take it by your reaction that you’d like me to proceed with things on my end?”

I nodded, caught between sheer joy and disbelief.

“Yes, absolutely yes!”

“Okay, I’ll get to work on this right away. It will probably take a day or two to put everything into motion. But unless I’ve severely misjudged Mr. Philo, which I don’t think that I have, I’d expect him to accept this offer very soon.”

Shaking, I did my best to piece together a coherent response, “I don’t know how to thank you, Ed. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Ava,” he replied. “I know exactly how important it is, not only for you but also for your nephew. I’m just glad we were able to help.”

A few seconds later, we said our goodbyes.

Ed told me that as soon as he got word, he’d call me and let me know. I hung up, looking in Dyson’s direction, my mouth drifting open. My hand fell away from the side of my head.

The next thing I knew, I’d dropped the phone.

Dyson stood there with his arms out in front of his body, his palms skyward.