August 21, 2026 - Refusing to Take No For An Answer - Part 1
This is so typical Typhon, and I'm still learning parts of the story.
On the morning of August 21, Typhon and I had a scheduling hearing on one of the many Petitions for a Rule to Show Cause he has filed against me in our divorce case. A Petition for a Rule to Show Cause is essentially a motion to find me in contempt of court for doing something that violates our divorce agreement. I have not done anything that violates our divorce agreement, but he likes to harass me by taking me back to court as much as possible.
Anyway, I had two major ankle surgeries this summer, so I had a handicap tag on that particular day. Thus, I parked in the courthouse's handicap parking lot, which is separate from the main parking lot. As I started to hobble to the courthouse--one of my ankles was still in a boot at that point--I saw Typhon crossing the street ahead of me, coming from the direction of the main parking lot. In an effort to avoid Typhon, I started hobbling even slower.
When you first enter the courthouse, there's a glass wall in front of you with small marble walls on each end. Then, around the side of the left end, there's a small security station like you'd see at the airport. There are usually at least four court deputies in that area, but I still waited a few minutes after arriving at the courthouse entrance before I entered to try and give Typhon extra time to get through security. I didn't want to have to encounter him there, despite the presence of court security. When I finally went in, I still peeked my head around the small marble wall on the left end of the entrance wall just to make sure Typhon had left the area. Good thing I did, because Typhon was still there! Seriously, how long does it take to get your bag through the bag check and walk through the metal detector?!? Especially when you're the only one there?!?
I jumped back behind the wall quickly before he saw me, then waited another 10 minutes or so until I was sure he finished going through security. I mean, how long could it possible take one person to go through a metal detector and get their bag scanned? It was super awkward, though, just standing in the entryway as person after person entered for their own hearings. But I managed to avoid having any confrontations with Typhon, which is the important part. I hate that I've had to resort to sneaking around the courthouse just to avoid Typhon.
Anyway, Typhon had filed three separate Petitions for Rules to Show Cause (remember that whole "drag me back to court as much as possible" thing?). The first one has to do with me "maliciously" (Typhon's favorite word) not returning a pressure washer and extra tubes that he had put on his list of personal property items. A pressure washer, I might add, that I don't have and I'm about 80% certain he took with him to his new house when he first moved in so that he could make it habitable again. The second Petition has to do with me "maliciously" not returning some "loose tools" that were on his list of personal property items. Seriously? First, how am I supposed to return anything if I can't even figure out exactly what it is I supposedly didn't give him? "Loose tools"? That could be anything! Second, none of his tools were left here at all. The only things he left was a set of power tools he told me beforehand he was going to leave me because he didn't like them (and he had 3 sets of power tools) and a bunch of loose nails and screws scattered all over the shelves. That's it. Again, I can't give him what I don't have. The third Petition claims that I "maliciously" (told you - favorite word) didn't give him certain financial information that he's entitled to. Under our divorce agreement, we have to provide the other person with our financials if something happens that increases or decreases our income by more than 10%. I changed jobs earlier this year, and Typhon is convinced that I received a HUGE severance payment, even though I did not. A fact that both Atticus and I have told him. Repeatedly. Each of these three Petitions was set for three different scheduling hearings, which were on three Fridays in a row. Because obviously they couldn't all be heard at the same scheduling hearing.
Atticus was on vacation, so he sent one of his partners to assist me at the scheduling hearing instead. Before our case was called, I asked the substitute if there was any way we could ask the judge to schedule the Petition we were there for that day and the other two Petitions so I didn't have to keep coming in. Or, at the very least, schedule the Petition we were there for that day with the second Petition since they were very similar. The substitute told me that he couldn’t do that because he hadn't run it by Atticus first.
When we were finally called up by the scheduling judge, one of the first things he asked Typhon was, “You filed a number of Rule to Show Cause Petitions against Mrs. ___ all on the same day, isn't that correct?” When Typhon answered yes, the judge followed up by asking why he couldn't schedule some of the other petitions together with the one that we were there for that day. I couldn't help but laugh on the inside. Typhon, of course, hesitated because he wants to inconvenience me as much as possible. In the end, though, he didn't have a valid reason to refuse. After reading all the Petitions, the judge only ended up consolidating the first Petition (pressure washer) with the second Petition (loose tools). At least it was something.
The most interesting thing of the scheduling hearing was actually the increase police presence in the courtroom that day. The substitute told me that there are never that many deputies in the courtroom during a scheduling hearing. I don't know if it was because of Typhon. It could have been - after all, it did take at least 5 deputies to subdue him when he was remanded to custody only 2 weeks earlier. But I won't speculate...
While the increased law enforcement presence inside the courtroom was interesting, the most stressful part of the morning was actually leaving the courtroom. I've drawn a very, very basic sketch of the layout of the floor where the courts are in this particular courthouse (above) to help illustrate what I'm about to tell you. It is definitely not to scale.
So the way the courthouse is set up, there is a waiting area with a few tables set up at the top of the stairs on the floor where the Circuit Court courtrooms are located (Waiting Area 1). The courtrooms are all along one side of the building (Courtrooms 1-5). The waiting area only extends to the first one or two courtrooms, then it narrows to a smaller walkway with an open area overlooking the lower floors. It then opens back up to another waiting area with some more tables in front of the last couple of courtrooms (Waiting Area 2).
The scheduling hearing on August 21 was held in the very last courtroom on the floor (Courtroom 5). When the hearing ended, Typhon didn't linger right outside the courtroom doors like he usually does. Instead, he waited at the corner of the where the Waiting Area 2 narrows into the walkway that crosses back over to Waiting Area 1, the stairs, and the walkway to the elevator. That is, in order to leave the courthouse, I would have had to walk past him. You can't tell me he didn't purposefully do station himself there so that he'd be able to harass me as I walked past.
As soon as I walked out of the courtroom and saw the situation, I froze. The substitute took one look as well, and quietly asked me if I wanted him to take me down the back stairs. I didn't even know there were back stairs! Of course I said yes. Typhon was pretending to be absorbed in some papers and was standing with his side facing Courtroom 5's entrance, so he didn't see the substitute and I sneak out the back.
The back stairs let out right near the security desk on the main floor. I was able to ask for a police escort to my car (which is now my standard MO whenever I'm in court with Typhon) and get back to my vehicle without seeing Typhon at all. At some point he must have either realized I escaped him or given up on his plan to harass me, though, because he was crossing the street to head back to the main parking lot as I pulled out of the handicapped parking lot.
-----
Well, that weekend was Typhon's custodial weekend. The kids and I thought there might be a possibility that Typhon would try to take the kids straight from school since he was already in this area, since he's done that before. We had already come up with a plan -- Ramona and Peter were dead set they weren't going to Typhon's for the weekend so they would get on the bus no matter what. Ramona didn't want to go because, well, she hates him in general. Peter didn't want to go because he's still mad about the incident where Typhon threw him and Ursula out of his house. Huck and Ursula packed what they needed for the weekend, took it to school with them, and would let Typhon pick them up.
Typhon not only tried to take the kids as I expected, but he actually showed up to have lunch with Ramona and Huck at the elementary school. That news shocked me. From what I've heard, Huck wanted nothing to do with him because it "isn't cool" to eat lunch with your dad. It had nothing to do with the fact that his dad is Typhon. (Huck has also said that he wouldn't eat with me if I showed up at his lunch, but he would let Molly sit with him. What's up with that??) Ramona, though, actually let Typhon eat with her. The adults in the room know the situation, so they kept a close eye on the situation. I've heard it appeared to be a normal interaction between a father and daughter, and that they spent most of lunch looking at things on Typhon's phone. According to her later, it was pictures of his dog.
Somehow Typhon convinced Ramona to go to his house that weekend during this lunch conversation. While Molly and I were expecting Huck to have gone with Typhon, we fully expected Ramona to get off the bus that afternoon. When she didn't, I panicked. I called the school, and the principal told me that they verified with Ramona that she wanted to go, she said yes, and so they let her go with Typhon. They were just as shocked as I was, but it was Ramona's choice.
When I met them later in a Harris Teeter parking lot to bring her some things for the weekend, I asked her if she was sure she wanted to go. I asked her if Typhon was bullying her into going, and she said no. I also reminded her she had a birthday party that weekend, and she said that it was okay and she'd miss it. I told her that if she was sure, then she should go and have fun, but to remember she can call me at any time. (Typhon has since accused me of trying to bully Ramona into staying and telling Ramona that she would lose all her friends if she didn't go to the birthday party. Of course, I did no such thing. He has also said that Ramona cried that night because of what I said. I recently asked Ramona about it. Her response: "Well, that's just a lie.")
Like the pick up at the elementary school, Typhon's pick up of Ursula at the high school apparently went smoothly. My money is on the fact that that's because Ursula wanted to go with him, because the middle school was a whole other story.
Like I said, Peter was adamant all week that he wasn't going to Typhon's house, and he texted Typhon several times to tell him that. Peter even told him why -- Typhon threw him out of the house and told him never to come back. Typhon, of course, immediately started trying to convince him that incident didn't happen. (Gaslighting anyone?) Luckily there are witness (me and Ursula) to help Peter remember the truth. Typhon ignored all of Peter's statement during the week that he wasn't going to Typhon's house that weekend, and Typhon still told Peter he was going to pick Peter up at school on Friday. Peter even texted Typhon as late as Friday morning to tell him not to show up at the school.
If your 7th grade son was to tell you repeatedly that he doesn't want to see you over the upcoming weekend, would your first thought be..."I'm going to ignore him and show up anyway because I don't think he actually means it"? Because that must have been what was going through Typhon's head. You know, like any rational person. (sarcasm, if you can't tell)
About an hour, maybe a little more, before dismissal, I received a call from front office at the middle school asking if I had put in a dismissal request. When I told them no and that it must have been Peter's dad, we puzzled over how the middle school should handle the situation given that they knew Peter didn't want to go. One thing we all agreed on from the outset was that we wanted the school involved as little as possible. Our county has a no cell phone policy, so they couldn't just tell Peter about the dismissal and let Peter text or call his dad between classes. Instead, so we weren't really violating the policy, the woman in the office had Peter bring his cell phone into the office so he use it in front of the administrators. While I was still on the phone, Peter typed out a message that he read aloud. I don't remember exactly what the message said, but it was something along the lines of, "Dad, I heard you put in a dismissal request. I told you I don't want to go with you this weekend. Please don't try to pick me up."
You can probably guess what happened…Typhon showed up at the middle school anyway and tried to pick up Peter.
Peter had no idea because he headed straight for his bus and came home like normal. Typhon, though, sat in car line for about 20 minutes with Huck and Ramona. From what I've heard, he started yelling at the teachers in car line. Then, according to the younger two kids, he called the Sheriff's Office on the school when he learned that they let Peter go home by bus.
Once the deputies arrived, they read the Custody Agreement and confirmed that Peter had the right to refuse visitation. If Peter decided to go home by bus, that was his own decision.
About the same time, Huck started texting me to find out if Peter was okay. This is our conversation:
I didn't find out until more than a week later that Huck was showing every message to the Sheriff deputies in real time. I'm so glad I didn't say anything bad about Typhon!!
I did talk to Peter when he arrived home. Unsurprisingly, he decided he still did not want to go to dinner with his father. Plus Typhon never did send him that assurance in writing like I suggested.
Anyway, I had no idea any of that happened at the middle school until I received a call from the middle school principal on August 28. He described the incident vaguely and greatly downplayed it. (I was able to get more details from Ramona and Huck later that evening.) The middle school principal wanted me to try to come up with a plan to avoid situations like this one from occurring again. Like I have any control over Typhon at all!! I told the middle school principal that, but I don't think he gets it. I mean, this was part of the reason I divorced Typhon and ended up with 2 protective orders against him in less than 6 months in 2025. I don't know what he thinks I can do to keep Typhon from acting like an idiot.
So now we're in this awkward situation with the middle school. They don't want to be in the middle, I don't want them put in the middle, and Typhon keeps putting them in the middle. Way to make it a pleasant school year for Peter, Typhon!
Comments