Doctor Carlo and Brandon - 6. Updates on Jason, Bart, and Other Patients

Jason lasted a week before he felt too lonely. He spoke with his managing partner, apologizing profusely that he needed to leave sooner. They agreed he'd stay one more week. Jason found a place in Titusville that would work quite well for him. He'd be about two hours away from us and from Mason. Knowing he'd be closer to two of his kids helped his mood immensely. He arranged for movers to take the bulk of his items, put the condo on the market, and settled into the new place. We had him over for dinner the Sunday after his move. Mason arranged for a few days off the following week to help Jason move the rest of what he was taking.

Since Jason was now close enough to both his sons, he invited us all over for Christmas Eve dinner. He told us ahead of time where he'd be ordering the food from, so we could all order what we wanted. He got an unexpected present the day before the dinner party: an extremely generous offer on the condo. Things were moving along well for him. Brandon and I were happy.

Things remained steady until after the new year. One interim highlight was that Steve's friend Mia was able to record Brad harassing Steve. The threat of the video being shared with his homophobic gang ended the harassment. Steve didn't know what Brad told his fellow haters, but whatever it was, it kept them from harassing Steve as well. He and Aaron were comfortable being themselves in school. Not necessarily having constant PDAs, but they didn't hide their feelings for each other any longer. I still expected to see Steve every three months. I was happy, things worked out for him. Of course, that's a wish I hold for all my patients.

Simon's father was sentenced to three to five years for his assault on Duncan. Simon was disappointed, but also realized it could have been longer. He was progressing well in his therapy also. I probably wouldn’t be seeing him much longer.

It took a few more visits with Bart, but he told me the first week of January that he'd been able to make the ultimate connection to Noah. An odd way to phrase it, but that’s what he told me. Another patient success.

Mid-January brought mixed emotions into my world. Fortunately, nobody died this time around, but a marriage did start falling apart. Monday, January fifteenth arrived with a questionnaire that would bring a new patient into my practice. I normally don’t see heterosexual adults, but I made an exception for my best friend Karl Marlow. Being a sports agent, Karl was on the road a lot, having clients all over the U.S. His wife Stephanie finally couldn't take it. She admitted having had an affair and wanted a divorce. Karl arranged for meetings with two of his clients based in Jacksonville and made an appointment with me for that Thursday.

Thursday

I welcomed Karl into my office with a big hug. We obviously don't see each other as much as back in high school, but we try to keep in touch and he looks me up when he's in town, visiting his dad or a client.

"Damn, get in here, take a seat. I'd ask you how you're doing, but if the answer was great, you wouldn't be here."

"Yeah. But I can ask. How have you been?"

"Very recently, good. Late October through Thanksgiving was a whirlwind. We can talk about that later. So, Stephanie wants a divorce?"

"Yeah. But after she admitted to cheating on me, I guess, both of us do now. I can't believe she would do that to me, but I guess people change."

"That they do. Although, I'll caution you to keep in mind that maybe this isn't the first time. Someone who cheats once is more likely to do it again. If she’s done it before, perhaps, her affair got more serious this time around."

"I guess, that's possible. I'm away from home maybe forty percent of the time, so she'd have enough opportunity. It's just that now is an awful time. Janet's been going through a tough time. Dad has been trying to help her out, but he's on a fixed income, so he can't do enough. I try to help, but Stephanie, well, she never liked my parents or sister. The Puritan values she was brought up with don't meld too well with their liberal ideas. I was flexible enough, I guess."

"Caught in the middle. What's up with your sister?"

"She got laid off a couple months ago. She found a new job, but it doesn't pay as well, so things are tight. Becky is eight, but acts like she is going on twenty-five, and Cal is six. They can't understand why mommy can't buy everything she used to. Granted, I'd be able to send Janet more with Stephanie out of the picture, but after alimony and potentially child support, I won't have as much, if any, spare change."

"Caught in the middle and the walls are closing in."

"Exactly. I'm not despondent or anything, I've just never had too much to worry about, you know? Smooth sailing almost my whole adult life. I've always been the one to provide the help, asking for it is not in my nature. And not being able to help Janet is tearing me up."

"Did Janet ever apply for Veteran's benefits?"

"No. She thinks it's taking a handout. I try to tell her, she's entitled to it, with Jack getting killed in action five years ago. She's as stubborn as any Marlow has ever been."

"Will she listen to your dad more?"

"Maybe. I suppose we could gang up on her and try to get her to see the light."

"Well, you don't want to gang up on her—I know you really didn't mean it that way—but you need to be firm. She's entitled to the benefit, she needs it. Reason with her that it's not just a handout. I can come by and help if you want."

"Maybe. She always thought, you were the smart one of the two of us. That may just do the trick."

"How long are you in town for?"

"I can stay for another three days, maybe five. I drove down, so it's flexible."

"Plenty of time for us to get together. Have your dad invite her over for dinner with you and I'll crash the party."

"Heh. Yeah, that'll work. Bring Brandon and the kids too."

"I don't want to burden you or your dad with a big expense for dinner."

"I can pick up a few pizzas. I don't have to pay alimony just yet."

"Do you have a good lawyer? She's the one who cheated, that should count for something."

"I haven't looked for one yet. She hit me with the divorce idea last Friday."

"I'll talk to Brandon. Maybe Jason would help you out."

"Wow. Yeah, that would scare the shit out of just about any lawyer she would get."

Brandon's Dad may be retired now, but he still has his license and reputation. Senior partner at Florida's third-largest law firm carries a lot of weight. Over the years, he got himself licensed from Mississippi to North Carolina, so Karl being in SC won't be a problem.

"So, everything else, okay? Happy with the job?"

"Yeah. I have enough clients to keep my head above water. None of them make a bundle. I'm trying to get a kid graduating from Clemson this year that has been predicted to go early in the first round of the NFL draft. If I can hook him, it will be a nice payday."

"How about your kids and the divorce?"

"They don't know anything yet. I'm making Stephanie tell them, since she's the one driving the divorce. That's another thing: I don’t think she wants custody. I tell ya, in high school, she was this meek, quiet, and friendly girl. Lately, she's turned into a royal bitch."

"How will you handle that, if you get full custody?"

"Daycare when I'm around, relying on friends when I'm not. Like I said, if I sign this kid Travis, I can cut my travel way back. Especially if he gets drafted by a southeastern team. The guy I have who's furthest away, a basketball player, just announced he will be retiring at the end of the season. No more trips to LA. The furthest I need to go now is St. Louis."

"Good luck getting Travis, then."

"Yeah, when I head back home, he's my first stop. I'm pretty sure he'll sign on. He likes the fact I'm a Clemson alumnus. Fingers crossed."

"Keep me up to date. I'll have to follow his career if he makes it."

"Oh, he'll make it. The season's over and he didn't get injured like I did. Like I said, expected to go first round. Quite a few of those picks make it. If they do and sign a contract, it's a guaranteed twenty million a year for four years. Top fifteen, where he's projected, twenty-five or more. I'm not among the top agents, so I can't take as big a cut, but one and a half percent of twenty million is a healthy payday."

"Wow. You ain't kidding. Good luck."

"Thanks."

"Have any plans before you skip town?"

"Aside from visiting Dad and trying to convince Janet to go to the VA, not really."

"I'll talk to Brandon tonight; you can come for dinner a few times before you head back home. Hell, come over tonight if you don't already have plans. He won't mind."

"Yeah, I can do that."

"Great. I guess we don't need to set up another appointment. But if you need to talk, you can always call."

"Yeah, we'll see. I'm not sure, I want to stay in South Carolina after the divorce. New start and all but pulling up stakes would be hard on the kids."

I chuckled, "Move back to Jacksonville and I'll be happy to take them on as patients."

"Be careful what you wish for. I don't think Karl the third is going to take the news about the divorce well at all."

Karl the third was a surprise. Stephanie got pregnant right after Karl graduated from Clemson. He was almost ten. Barry came along three years later.

"Even if we do it via Skype, keep me in mind."

"Will do. I guess I'll see you later then."

"Sounds good."

Brandon was happy to hear, I invited Karl for dinner. We were like The Three Musketeers in high school. No, scratch that, Three Stooges would be more accurate. Karl got there just after Brandon got home from work. After filling him in on our troubles toward the end of last year, he shared more about his post-divorce ideas.

"So, I know you mentioned earlier about taking the kids on as patients if we move back here; I really am thinking about making that move. I know, it would be asking a lot, but I wonder if you would consider watching them part of the time when I'm out of town. Dad would be willing to do it, but he's aged fast since Mom died, so I wouldn't want him to watch them all the time."

I looked at Brandon, "We can discuss it."

"All I can ask. It'll be a few tight months, but if I can sign on Travis, July and later, I could even hire a nanny. Then I could return the favor whenever you needed."

We had Karl over for dinner once more before he went back to South Carolina. As I suggested, we joined his family for pizza another night. Using all my powers of persuasion, if not a couple of psychological tricks, I convinced Janet to go to the VA. However, she made me promise to go with her, since Karl was heading back home. I had no problem with that condition. It took a couple months, but she finally started receiving a deposit every month. It more than made up for the difference in her salary.

As it is wont to do, time passed quickly. Jason handled Karl's divorce. Stephanie didn't get anywhere near everything she wanted. The alimony was a token payment. Karl only had to make one payment. She married her beau a month after the divorce was final. She did as Karl suspected and gave him full custody. The downside of that gained me two new patients. It's been three months since young Karl and Barry have seen their mother. Aunt Janet has filled in as best she can, but obviously, the boys miss their mother. Karl limits his trips out of town to one or two nights. We've had his boys stay with us a couple times already. That's what friends are for, right?

Travis Beckle was drafted eighth by the Jaguars. Karl had him on board before the draft. Between the NIL (name, image, and likeness) license, and his thirty-two-million-dollar salary, Karl more than quadrupled his commissions. He'd be a millionaire himself well before the end of Travis' first contract in four years. Personally, I was looking forward to Travis running roughshod over the rest of the AFC come September. He was third overall in rushing in the NCAA his senior year.

After the draft, Karl did hire a nanny, and true to his word, she watched Billy and Carla a couple times so Brandon and I could get a night away. We needed it. August rolled around and I thought, it was the previous October all over again.

Next up - "Crisis, Trouble, and More"