I have been NC with XH since two weeks before Xmas.
Yesterday was D17's 18th birthday - a 'big' event as it signals drinking/voting/general adult rights.
Kids and i were all pretty sad leading up to the day - D17 especially, as she hadn't heard from her dad for so long.
He texted her on the day and asked her to call back to tell him when he could see her. I had organised to take the kids out to dinner at a local cafe on the beach and so told her she could ask him to come if she wanted.
I expected him to refuse but, at the last minute, he texted her he was coming but would be late, and to start without him.
He turned up 20 mins late and said he had to work and could not stay to eat dinner with us.
He sat and ordered a drink and paid for our meals, and ended up not leaving until we had all finished.
Before he left, he asked her to open an envelope, as he wanted her to sign something.
His present to her on her 18th birthday - the registration papers for our clapped-out family car - the one he left us with when he took our good car with him.
He crashed it just before he left it, and it broke down about a month later. It has been sitting immobile in our garage for 2 and a half years.
Judge ordered that he get it repaired 12 months ago, and also ordered that he could not sell or otherwise dispose of any marital property.
It is old and broken and probably only worth scrap value if anyone would want to take it away.
And this is what he proudly 'gave' to our D on her special day.
