Courage & Resolve
1.7 - Samson
The seasons turned, and soon enough, another spring came. But this spring breeze blew nothing but bad memories back into Amelia’s life, as things she’d long since escaped from and learned to avoid began to rear their ugly heads once again.
For the time being, at least, everything was perfect. She was very well respected at work, and was regularly asked to review newer employee’s work on various cases because of her experience and dedication to the firm. And she didn’t mind. The Beauchamps paid her well. She was one of the highest paid employees across all of the branches of their company.
But she never allowed it to get to her head. Amelia stayed humble, staying in the tiny little house she’d purchased when she first moved. When Jo asked her why, Amelia had one response. For emergencies. Jo understood. If Amelia ever had to move again, if anything ever occurred that forced her out of her home for a second time, this time, she’d be prepared. She'd have enough saved up to afford a house and a quality of life that was the same status as the one she had now. She owed it to both herself and her children. If she ever reached a point where she had enough for both an escape and an increase in quality of life, or if she ever felt completely safe, maybe things would change. But a time like that wouldn't come for Amelia any time soon.
Having spent several years at the company, Amelia knew something was wrong when Genevieve opened her office door and entered without her usual peppy charm. Genevieve shut the door quietly behind her, and took a seat in the spare chair.
“What’s wrong, Genevieve?” Amelia asked nervously.
“We’ve, uh… we’ve recently got in touch with a new client,” Genevieve sighed.
“And…?”
“I shouldn’t be telling you this, especially not as a supposedly impartial law firm… but woman to woman, I think you deserve to know. That new client… goes by the name of Samson Brown.”
Amelia gasped, but Genevieve kept talking.
“Like with all clients, we did our digging, and discovered-“
“You don’t need to explain any more, Genevieve,” Amelia said firmly. “The fact that you’re in here, concerned enough to break company protocol to talk to me, tells me all I need to know.”
Genevieve looked at her with nervous eyes.
“He’s back in town, isn’t he? The man that ruined my life. What does he want? My home? Back into my life? Money? Whatever it is, I can take it. There’s nothing he can do that will beat me back down.”
“Amelia…” Genevieve said quietly. “He wants your children.”
Amelia's blood ran cold.
Of all the things Samson could have asked for, this was by far the worst thing she could have ever imagined. Cory and Jamira were Amelia’s… well, they were her everything. And the fact that Samson would want to be a part of their life now? After letting her be a single mother for years? She couldn’t have it. He'd be a terrible father. Amelia could still vividly remember the fights they'd had.
It had started out casually. Little arguments that Amelia had been able to quell with a few encouraging words.
“Amelia, are you sure that this is the life we should be living right now?” Samson said quietly, as the two stood on their back porch and watched Cory and Jamira crawl around on the grass in their backyard.
“Yes, I’m sure! We brought these two into the world, and now it’s our responsibility to care for them. And we’re going to do an amazing job, I just know it. With the two of us, working together? We’re going to have the perfect children, Samson!”
Samson frowned. “I guess… you’re not wrong there. I just…”
“You what, Samson?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
But Samson’s doubts persisted.
“I don’t think both of us working at the restaurant is going to cut it anymore, Amelia,” Samson said. “We can barely afford groceries. How are we supposed to take vacations, and-“
“Cory and Jamira come before a vacation, Samson,” Amelia sighed.
“I know! But! I dropped out of college for this, and while we used the money we saved from that to buy this house. Why didn't you do the same? Maybe then, we could afford a treat every once in a while. Honestly, Amelia? I’m starting to wonder if sacrificing my career was worth it. Especially when your refused to do the same and ended up working the same stupid job as me.”
“You did that because we wanted the best life possible for our kids, Samson. And I got my degree because we thought at least one of us should go on to enter a high paying career. We decided that together. We’ve just… we’ve just got to find a way to make ends meet. Everything will turn out fine.”
Things got worse and worse, and Samson got increasingly abrasive. There were some days they locked Cory and Jamira in their room just so they couldn’t hear the yelling. At a certain point, Amelia had no choice but to recognizing that the relationship was abusive.
It wasn’t long after that choice that Amelia spent her final night in that house.
“I couldn’t even buy milk! Do you have any idea how fucking insane that is, Amelia? I couldn’t buy fucking milk for my fucking cereal! I don’t know what we were smoking when we decided that this whole mess was better than the both of us getting a college education, because we can’t come back from this. There’s no way!”
“…Samson. The kids… Jamira came up to me crying this morning because she heard us yelling.”
“We had so much more potential,” Samson said bitterly. “But your degree is useless, and now? We’re fucking stuck!”
He let out a guttural yell and tried to slap Amelia, but she caught his wrist.
“That’s enough,” she said firmly.
Samson stood there, stunned, as Amelia pushed past him, and pulled out papers and a pen from their dresser. He sat down on the bed to watch as Amelia started to speak harshly to him for the first time. Never in all the years he'd known her had he seen her take on such a serious tone.
“You’re going to sign these. And once that’s done, I’m going to take Cory and Jamira and leave. It’s clear to me that you’d rather do other things instead of being a father, and as Cory and Jamira’s mother, I can’t have that.”
“What are these?” Samson muttered, standing up and snatching them from her hand.
“What do you think? Divorce papers.”
“Well, hell, if it’s finally going to let me do something else with my life. Pass me a pen.”
Amelia wordlessly handed him the pen and blinked back tears as he signed them.
“Well? Is that it?” Samson asked, shoving the papers back at her.
“I… I guess so…” Amelia said quietly.
She took the papers, and slowly exited the room.
“Hey, Amelia,” he called out, stopping her in her tracks.
She turned around, hoping to catch one last glimpse of the man she’d loved.
“Can you be out by morning? I gave up three years of college tuition for this, you gave up none. I’d love to finally have the place I bought with my tuition money to myself.”
Amelia turned back around and left without a word. There was no doubt in her mind at that point. The man she’d loved, the man she’d once been convinced would turn out to be an excellent father was gone. Somehow… the last few years had ruined him. But she would be out by morning. She didn’t want to spend a minute longer with the stranger who’d become her husband.
That night, instead of sleeping on the couch like usual, Amelia packed up a few things. She and the kids were out of the house before Samson even woke up. And that was the last she ever saw of him.
“Amelia…” Genevieve said carefully. “Are you alright?”
Amelia closed her eyes and steeled herself. “I- I have to be.”
Genevieve sighed. “Situations like this? This is exactly why Felix is running for president. To be frank, the fact that Samson can come back into your life after years and ask for custody is utter bullcrap. Felix sees a lot wrong with the law, and as president, he’d try to fix it. In the perfect world, situations like this? They shouldn’t happen. Samson has no right.”
“Thanks, Genevieve.”
“Oh! You’re right, that was insensitive of me. I get it, you’re probably really dealing with it right now and here I go, rambling on about Felix’s presidential run. I apologize.”
“No… no.” Amelia said. “Thank you, Genevieve, seriously. I appreciated it, actually. It’s nice to know that there’s someone on my side. That was… something I didn’t have before.”
“Well!” Genevieve said, standing up with a smile. “We’ve just got to work through this, together. You’ll get to keep your children, Amelia. I promise. We'll start building up your case.”