“What are those people here for?” she asked, looking at a separate line off to the side.

“They’re here to register, I had to do the same thing,” I said, glancing over at the line.

An old woman sat in the chair at the counter, and the woman behind the glass began questioning her. “Ma’am, what are you being placed on probation for?” the woman behind the glass asked.

“DUI,” the old woman stated. Sophia watched in fascination as the two women carried on a conversation.

“I can’t believe that. The poor woman, she looks harmless—how embarrassing,” Sophia said as she squeezed my arm.

The door opened next to the receptionist area, my blood turning icy as Mr. Haas stepped into the waiting area. He approached the clipboard, running his finger down the page before stopping. He turned around looking through the crowd.

“Mr. Michaels,” he stated.

“Here,” I said before standing.

“Follow me.” Mr. Haas turned around to head for the door.

“May I bring my girlfriend Sophia back to your office? I don’t want to leave her out here.”

“Yes,” he said before disappearing behind the door.

I held Sophia’s hand giving it a squeeze as I opened the door for us. I needed her with me; she was my strength and courage. Mr. Haas waited for us just inside, another man by his side. They turned in our direction as we approached.

“This is Mr. Michaels,” he said pointing at me “This is Mr. Ramirez—he’s the supervisor of this office,” Haas said.

“Good, are you here to pay your restitution? Ms. Jackson has been calling my office non-stop, complaining about you, and wanting you arrested immediately,” he said. Either one of them could issue an arrest warrant at any time; it had been months since I paid a restitution payment. I felt ill about the entire situation, sweat forming on my face. I balled my hand in a fist, squeezing to release my tension.

“Not exactly. I’m here to talk to Mr. Haas about Ms. Jackson. She’s been harassing Sophia, my mother, and me for months,” I said.

“Let’s go to his office, so that we can talk in private,” Mr. Ramirez stated. We walked behind the two men, Sophia giving me a look of hope, as we sat down.

“What’s going on Kayden?” Mr. Haas asked.

“Lisa—she just won’t stop. She’s been sending messages to all of us. She’s threatening Sophia and me. We printed out the messages and brought along the letter she sent to me in New Orleans. I’ve never given her my address, yet she tracked me down,” I told the men as I removed the papers from a folder. “Here is everything she’s sent us, but some are from a person using the name Tammy, but it’s Lisa. I blocked her account and her ability to contact me, but she found a way around it.”

I placed the papers on the desk with shaky hands, spreading them out to show the large number of messages. “Wow, there’s a lot here,” Haas said as he grabbed the stack, handing some pieces to Ramirez.

“Sophia, did you know Ms. Jackson before Kayden?” Ramirez asked.

“No, Kayden told me about her and what happened, though. She sent this message to my phone months ago. It was my first contact with her,” she stated picking up the piece of paper that held a picture of Lisa and I. She fidgeted with the hem of her skirt and I placed my hand over them to calm her.

“When was this photo taken Kayden?” Haas asked.

“It was taken years ago when Lisa and I were a couple.” I replied.

I watched intently, studying their faces as they read her words. I swallowed hard knowing that I had responded to her messages and could’ve just opened a massive fucking shit storm that wouldn’t turn out good for me. They looked at each other conveying some silent message I couldn’t decipher. “Could you both step outside and give us a moment to talk, please?” Ramirez asked.

“Yes, sir,” I said, squeezing Sophia’s hand motioning towards the door with my head. I leaned up against the wall across from the door, holding out my hand for Sophia. I wrapped her in my arms

“Maybe they’ll help you, Kayden, they have to see how crazy she is,” Sophia said nuzzling her face in my neck. I felt more hopeful than I did when we walked in the building, they didn’t say no yet.

“Maybe, baby doll. I don’t want to get my hopes up though. We’ll find out soon enough,” I told her squeezing her tighter against me. We stood there in silence, holding each other.

A few moments later, the door opened and Mr. Ramirez stood in the doorway.

The door creaked open drawing our attention away from each other. “Please come back inside,” Ramirez asked.

As we sat down he began to speak. “Mr. Haas and I have reviewed all of the messages and discussed the next course of action. First, you both need to go downstairs and apply for a restraining order against Ms. Jackson,” he said holding the papers in his hand. “We’re going to make copies of the messages, and you need to bring them with you as proof of her harassment.”

“Okay. We’ll do that as soon as we leave here,” I said, my hope increasing that this fucking nightmare may end soon.

“We’ll be sharing this information with the judge that handled your case. It’ll be up to her now to proceed with your case. She’ll find it very interesting that Ms. Jackson said she was willing to forgive your payments if not for Sophia. We have confirmation that you lost your job months ago and are unable to pay the remaining restitution. All other aspects of your probation have been completed. When we hear from the judge we’ll contact you with her decision,” Mr. Ramirez stated.

“What are the possible outcomes?” Sophia asked, sitting forward in her seat.

“Well, the judge can violate Kayden due to non-payment of restitution or the violation of the no-contact order. There are a few messages where you responded to the defendant, but she did initiate the contact. Second, she can end the probation due to unemployment and financial hardship. It’ll all be up to her,” he replied.

“I’ll be waiting for the call, and we’ll go file the restraining order immediately,” I said reaching out to shake their hands.

“One more question, gentleman,” Sophia said rising from her seat. “How long will this process take? Kayden has a pending background check and this is his first real shot of employment. It’s vital that it’s dealt with in a timely manner.” She was always confident and comfortable when talking to others.

“Mr. Haas will walk the paperwork to the judge’s office immediately and speak with her, he’ll let her know the importance of this being handled in a timely manner.”

“Can’t I ask Janet to do it for me?” Haas asked looking over at Ramirez obviously annoyed.

“You have a report with the judge, Haas, I would like you to do it. Explain the situation and you have an in-depth knowledge of both Ms. Jackson and Mr. Michaels.” Ramirez stated firmly.

“We will speak soon, Mr. Michaels,” Mr. Ramirez reaching out to shake my hand. I felt as if a giant weight lifted off my shoulders as I walked out the door to the probation office.

For a moment I felt hopeful, but not overly excited. The judge could still find me in violation and order my arrest immediately. I didn’t know what I’d do if I were arrested. Would Sophia leave me? She didn’t deserve this mess in her life, my mess. She’s good and innocent and didn’t understand how unforgiving the court system could be.

We filed for the temporary restraining order, giving the original printouts of the messages that Lisa had sent. She’d be served with the papers in the next couple of days and would have to stop or face being arrested. This might send her over the edge and a lump formed in my throat. I wanted to be free of her, but didn’t want her to go fucking whacko.

I fidgeted with my phone, keeping it in my hands, making sure I didn’t miss a call as Sophia drove towards home. “You’re going to make yourself nuts. Stop looking at it,” Sophia said.

“I’m so nervous, Sophia. What if I’m arrested... What would happen to us?” asked.

“That’s not going to happen, silly. The judge will see her for what she really is,” she reassured me.

My phone began to ring and I stared at it—afraid of the news I might hear.

“Pick it up, Kayden,” Sophia said as she smacked my arm to snap me out of my thoughts.

“Hello,” I said as I switched the phone to speaker.

“Kayden, I just heard back from the judge,” Haas stated.

“Okay … and?” I asked… why couldn’t he just blurt it out for shit’s sake?

“The judge has decided to end your probation due to financial hardship. She also took into consideration the harassment and statements made by Ms. Jackson… her willingness to forgive the remaining monies owed,” he stated.

“Wow, I can’t believe it. Thank you, Mr. Haas,” I said in disbelief.

“Your probation is officially over. The original ruling in your case was Adjudication of Guilt withheld until the terms of your probation were satisfied. It’s been converted to not guilty and you’re now free and clear,” Mr. Haas stated.

“I don’t know how to repay you,” I told him as tears formed in my eyes.

“You can repay me by never being placed on my caseload again, Mr. Michaels,” Mr. Haas said with a chuckle.

“I can do that, sir. Thank you, again,” I said wiping away a tear as it trickled down my cheek.

“Oh my God, Kayden, that’s amazing news. What a fucking relief,” Sophia said, her eyes glistening with emotion.

“Thank you for convincing me to talk with Mr. Haas. I might’ve been sitting in jail if it weren’t for you,” I told her as I kissing her fingers. I felt like I could breathe again. The black cloud had finally moved on. I was finally free of my past and the bitch.