Jane's ex's are all in this state, they were all divorced in the same county, however, I live in a different county hours away. I once tried to hire the same lawyer they have, but he wanted $5000 up front, which I still can't afford to this day.
Dick, his Attorney and the Judge all attended the same High School together, have a prior history and in anywhere else besides podunk KS, this would have been enough for a change of venue.... but since this is so small town, people have grown accustomed to this type of politics, and it's accepted as a way of life.
People here don't like Yankees, and yes, I've heard this term actually still used, been called it so often, that I've retorted, "Hey, if you traveled to Europe, you'd find we all are considered damned yankees!" Of course this hasn't won me any friends, but it certainly gets my point across.
When we initially moved here, I felt like I had stepped back into the 1950s... people here were so different, the girls still wore ribbons in their hair even in high school, the boys wore their pants over their butts, with belts, we learned we could leave our keys in the car, and our doors and windows unlocked to our home. We had a farm, and it seemed like a great place to raise children.
Prior to the divorce, I had a few (very) minor traffic violations, lived a rather obvious boring life for hadn't seen the inside of a courtroom before the divorce began. I had no idea how far Dick would go, how much he'd lie to protect his fragile ego, or prevent him from taking any responsibility for what had happened. To this day, it's still my fault he had to have his affair(s). It's still all my fault, everything.... well, if you were to ask him anyway.
The other stupid thing I did, was to expect everyone else to be able to see through Dick's lies, realize how silly most of his justifications were, to be able to see what truly transpired because Dick and his reasonings were so childlike. I didn't know that a high priced attorney could or would make snowball freeze in hell.
Ahh, well, it's all been a learning experience for me, so to say the least. Unfortunately, my children have suffered because of it. Although, seeing things through their eyes, I've been able to deduce that no one really makes it through childhood unscathed, yet, there is a reason, and that is so we can acquire the necessary (emotional) tools to survive life and learned to handle most anything that comes our way.
I've become a better person, a better parent, have learned to listen better because of all that has gone on. This is something I am grateful for, and will hold on to for the rest of my life.
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you.........
