An old day, a new day

Philip’s head protrudes from the tent flap. He lies on his stomach and looks West. In that moment of escape, his eyes narrow as he enjoys the red-painted sky of another spectacular sunset. The tent, which he took from the kids’ section in the garage, is hidden from the expensive houses behind him by miniature grassy dunes, that protect the properties from the preponderance of beach walkers.

When Julia, had moved her boyfriend in, he had gone berserk. Consequently, the boyfriend and his oversized pals had ejected him from his own house. That was the night when he drank a bottle of vodka, which had caused him to lose his concentration and to crash his car into the barrier on the Freeway. The smash had jolted him into a state of awareness, and he had scarpered, to avoid being arrested and convicted of ‘driving under the influence’. Those events were followed by him reacting to his supervisor at the cement works by confronting him and being fired for aggressive behaviour.

Now he is here, lying on the beach in a kid’s tent, with no job, no car, no wife, and no home – he is on his belly, literally. He would still be drinking vodka if his cash were not running out. He had obtained six hundred dollars from the cash machine before his debit card had gotten swallowed up. Today, when he had tried to use his credit card, he discovered that it had been put on stop. When he contacted the credit card company, they told him that the card had been reported lost. Julia had somehow turned everyone and everything against him. Tomorrow he will visit an attorney and institute divorce proceedings. He knows that here in Florida each party in a divorce is entitled to fifty percent of their joint net worth. Despite that, he is sure that Julia’s new boyfriend will be advising her of ways to prevent him from receiving his appropriate share.

The last red rim of the sun’s corona is slipping away on the horizon and even though it is early evening, Philip zips down the flap of the tent, snuggles into his sleeping bag and closes his eyes. His mind is active, and he cannot go to sleep. He always provided for Julia and his son, and he cannot see why life has given him such a kick in the teeth. Goodness knows what they will have told Jason, his son. He breathes deeply as he identifies all the things he will say to the attorney.

“What is the house worth?”

“On and a half million compared with other houses that have sold close by!”

Philip looks across the grimy surface of the desk as he answers the questions. The office is grubby, and the man questioning him seems sleazy.  His shirt has not been ironed and his hair is greasy. Philip cringes inside that he has found it necessary to engage such a person. The attorney looks up from writing down his answer and asks his next question; “What is the mortgage and who are the signatories?”

” There is a Two Hundred Thousand mortgage with American Life, and my wife Julia, and I are joint signatories. I suspect that her new boyfriend is a money gabber and that she might have gone back to them to increase it since I left. He could easily impersonate me and sign for it.”

“Have you contacted American Life?

“No, I have not!”

“I suggest that you do that immediately! That will prevent them doing what you suspect. What other assets are there?”

Philip breathes in deeply and looks back at Rylan Jenkins, who is making notes on a yellow pad. They have not discussed terms yet but had been told by Jake, the man he had met at Doc’s, that Jenkins would take him on, for a percentage of what he recovers. After several seconds Jenkins looks up at him over his half glasses, provoking Philip to answer; “Furnishings that she persuaded me to pay Fifty to One Hundred thousand for, and two cars, one operated by me and one by Julia.”

“Any investments; Funds, Equity or the like?”

“None, that I know of.”

Jenkins puts his pad down and sits forward to rest on his elbows and inspect Philip; “Where are you living?” he asks, and he squints his eyes that search his prospective client’s face for a reaction.

Philip looks back at him and lies; “Julia’s new man and his heavyweight pals ejected me from the family home. I have been staying with a friend. You can contact me on my cell phone.”

Jenkins waits a moment before he responds, “Okay! I will take your case. My fee will be Twenty Five percent of my net recovery.”

Philip smiles. Jake had already told him Jenkins’s fee structure, so he is not surprised. “How quickly will it happen? When will I be paid out?”

“Provided they can come up with the funds, you may come back here in three weeks, and I will give you a check. The attorney is surprised by Philip’s final response; “Will yours and the court’s expenses be taken into account, when the court calculates what my wife and I am due?”

Philip sits on his east facing porch, waiting for the sun to come up. He had found an inexpensive property, six miles inland from the beach and it had completed quickly. After his costs, Jenkins had given him a check for Five Hundred and Twenty-Five thousand, which had been less than he expected, but he was glad to have the funds.  After the purchase of the house, a second-hand motor bike and some cheap furniture he had purchased at the auction house, he had Four Hundred thousand in the bank. His only gripe with Jenkins was that he had not gotten him access to his son, Jason. That is going to be the next battle.

The light brightens behind the palm trees, that climb high out of the undergrowth that is now his yard. Philip smiles as the sun’s rays shoot through the vegetation, to illuminate what will be a new day.