Take Two ...

[Train]

Scratch all that. Big new on the homefront, fellas.

H has sought legal counsel and is ready to file.

This all started with a conversation about the tax refund. But forget that crap now. My L told me not to worry about that; it'll all be settled by the courts.

THE COURTS. Ugh. Those are two words I've been trying to AVOID.

H says his L says this D will be "easy." (I've told *my* L that I want it to be PAINFUL.)

Trying to do a little damage-control, I told H (through the urging of my L, who is a mutual friend) to bring me his terms - whatever he thinks is fair and reasonable (i.e. whatever he and his attorney drew-up) - tomorrow, and I will take it to my L (again, our mutual friend). (This is the first time I've informed H that our mutual friend is willing to handle it; I should have done this earlier, but I was trying to buy time.) He just replied: "K." I will not negotiate said terms with H. If my L thinks everything is fair and reasonable, he will draw-up papers that we both can sign.

These would only be S/custody-visitation papers; we have to wait 12 months from our S to D. So next March 3.

I just *thought* I had convinced H to wait until June for me to file. He's been plotting and planning and wasn't going to say anything, apparently, until I was served. I should have assumed that all along.

I don't know how OH's information plays into this; my L says my strategy is the same, apparently even given the new information.

I want to call H a really mean name right now. I actually kind of want to beat my head against a wall. Scream at something (somebody?). Cry my eyeballs out. And curse the day either of those two (H and OW) were born.

I'm going to go practice deep-breathing now.

Any encouraging/supportive words ... jokes ... reminders of how affairs always end in disaster in just 6 months ... would be helpful.