THE PATERNITY SUIT (a true story)
He never did anything against her. He always tried to help. She’d call him up in the middle of the night, he knew how messed up she was with drink and drugs, but he always went, told her it wasn’t her fault.
There was no limit to what he would do for her. She was the only woman in his life, he said, she still is. There wasn’t any other woman in his life, so he figured it must be love, if she’s the only one, what else should he call it?
He wanted to marry her when she got pregnant, he didn’t have any doubts, he wanted it. But she wouldn’t. She laughed at him, insisted he’d used her and she wouldn’t marry him if he was the last man on earth!
She wanted to get rid of the baby, but her parents wouldn’t let her. They made her take him to court. All they wanted was his money.
It didn’t seem right he should be made to pay for something they wouldn’t even let belong to him. Even if it wasn’t his, he said, he didn’t care if it was his or not, it might just as well have been, none of them other clowns wanted it, they all took precautions.
He brought two witnesses with him, she’d slept with a lot of men. I went with him for moral support. She was there, all tidied-up, her hair in a bun, she looked like a nurse or a school-teacher. Micki looked like an idiot. He was overweight and he had long hair then which he’d tucked down inside his shirt-collar. He’d borrowed a suit too small for him and a pair of shoes that were too tight, he had to leave the laces untied. It was obvious he didn’t stand a chance. Besides, he was the only one admitting he didn’t take precautions.
We listened to the judge telling him how he was avoiding his responsibilities. Like he was an ass-hole. All the time I knew he just wanted to stand up and scream YES IT’S MINE IT’S MY BABY I’M THE FATHER IT’S MINE I WANT IT I WANT MY BABY I LIKE BABIES I LOVE BABIES I LOVE HER BUT SHE WON’T HAVE ME SHE’LL HAVE MY BABY SHE’LL HAVE MY MONEY BUT SHE WON’T HAVE ME IT JUST DOESN’T SEEM RIGHT!!
It was like the truth didn’t have anything to do with it, it was all just winning or losing, being a judge or being an ass-hole! And he was the ass-hole! He never even got the satisfaction of speaking. It was all over in ten minutes. And he was the villain, the accused, the defendant, the preying mantis, the fucking father! He was the one who’d made a mistake and would have to pay for it the rest of his life.
After the trial she let him visit the kid. I know even then he was still thinking.. ?? He invited her to a party with us that night, she said “why not?” Even then I knew he was still thinking..?? Till he found her in bed later with one of his witnesses, who looked like he was still taking precautions….
Illustration by NANCY MELILLO