Petty is as Petty Does

Hello. First of all I would like to thank you for visiting my fundraiser. Just the fact that you’ve taken the time to check it out means a lot to me.

TL;DR My ex is being incredibly petty because he is jealous of my husband, and has decided to sue me for custody of our 3 year old. I need money for lawyer fees.

The beginnings:

I birthed my firstborn son in June of 2016. It was a blissful time and I was so excited to be a first time mom. I went back to work (full time) a month after I had my son. I have done literally everything that I can to take care of him. Rufus* (his father, name changed to protect his identity) was also thrilled to be a parent. And honestly, he has been a great father to little Nero* (my firstborn, name also changed).

After Nero was born, Rufus went to work faithfully and did most of his fatherly duties pretty well (except waking up at night with him, that was all me—and I didn’t sleep for almost 3 weeks postpartum). I suppose something changed in Rufus and he decided that he no longer wanted to stay committed to me. He began cheating on me with multiple women. Wanting to try to work things out, and keep my little family together, I forgave him time and time again and tried to do my best to be happy and positive.

A few months after Nero was born, Rufus wanted to move to a nearby town, where his family lived. Even though that meant we were moving away from my family, I happily obliged and we went. The cheating didn’t stop (although I thought it would, considering we were in a new town). He lost his job, in favor for a promise of a new one that never came through. I continued to work full time back in the town we were originally from. I figured that since I was working full time, paying bills, and keeping the household together, that he would take up my slack at home and watch Nero while I worked. That didn’t happen. I ended up bring Nero with me everyday and my mother, coworkers, and a couple friends watched him while I worked. Later I found out that Rufus was using his free time to bring strange women into our house and continue the cheating. During this time, Nero had an allergic reaction to cheese, and we discovered his milk allergy. Well, I say “we” but I took him to the ER, and many doctors appointments to figure it out, alone. I kept up with Nero’s doctor schedules, WIC appointments, etc. totally alone.

Time for a split:

After a year and half of the same vicious cheating cycle, I finally broke up with Rufus. We continued to live in the same house in order to keep bills paid and so Nero could still see both of his parents on a daily basis.

One day, I got a message from an old friend, and we reconnected. He had also recently split from his ex. We went on a few dates and clicked very quickly. Since we were old friends, things moved a bit more quickly than with Rufus. I moved in with Keith, and Rufus was dumbfounded. He became incredibly upset that I actually moved out and left him. He became desperate and began begging for me to reconsider and come back to him. I did not. I was done with the lies and the cheating.

However, keeping Nero in mind, I agreed to let Rufus keep him whenever he could. It began with Rufus getting Nero every weekend. However, on Rufus’s birthday, he decided he didn’t want to see Nero for his birthday. I found this upsetting, but went with it. Since Rufus didn’t want to keep Nero while I worked, Keith stepped up and began watching Nero while I worked.

Eventually, Rufus got to a point where he wanted to have Nero every other week. I agreed, as Rufus had finally gotten one girl and was staying faithful to her (and still is as far as I know), except for the fact that he would still message me and tell me that he loved me and if there was ever an opportunity, that he wanted me back. I ignored these, and Keith and Rufus had words about it a time or two. I met Rufus’s new girl, and she seemed really good for him. The week-on, week-off system was working really well, and it even Keith and Rufus got along well. (After the messages finally stopped.)

Keith and I got engaged, and everything was going so well. I got pregnant, and we were thrilled! Our beautiful daughter was born in May of this year. As with new babies, finances were tight and stressful, but we worked out way through it. Like every couple, we have had our ups and downs, but we have remained strong.

Recently, Keith and I finally got married. We were SO excited and had a quaint little wedding. However, 3 days later, I was served with court papers. They were from my ex. He is suing me for full custody. He made outrageous claims against me and my husband, and filed for emergency custody. He was granted temporary custody until I can find a lawyer. I get supervised visits with my son once every other week. It’s so upsetting because I never did anything to keep my son from his father, but he is doing everything to keep him away from me

I have searched and tried numerous resources for legal aid. I tried Legal Assistance, but was denied because there is no abuse present. I have looked for pro bono lawyers and had no luck. I have asked my family for assistance and was turned away. I tried to get a loan from my bank, but was denied. I asked churches for help, and was denied. So here I am, asking strangers on the internet to donate some money to help my cause. Please, if you can, donate to help me get a lawyer and get my son back. ❤️