Much later, after Rita adjusted the mail forwarding, I started paying the home equity loan after discovering that my credit score had plummeted further because she wasn’t paying it. She was taking care of the mortgage payments, and I’m sure she was getting the home equity loan statements but simply ignoring them because she didn’t care what her credit score was. I’m surprised she was even paying the mortgage because it would have been in her interest to have the bank foreclose on the house.
Q. You think it’s appropriate that the children get to stay with your boyfriend, Mike?
A. He is a nice person. I have no problem with him being with them while I’m there.
Q. Where does he live?
A. In Dundee, Michigan.
Q. What’s his house like?
A. He has a three-bedroom house.
Q. Isn’t it true that’s where you’re planning on moving?
A. No, it is not.
I very much suspect this was indeed her plan. I’m not sure if she would have moved directly into Mike’s house, but I know she had to realize that staying with Debbie was not going to last, since she couldn’t stand Debbie’s husband, and the place was too small for six people. I don’t know why moving into her parents’ house wasn’t the plan, besides possibly her father saying he didn’t want it.
Q. Last summer, let’s talk about last summer when you went to Michigan. Isn’t it true that typically you would go to Michigan two to three weeks for the summer, and Mr. Mockensturm would go along with you?
A. Typically he would; sometimes he wouldn’t. Sometimes he would stay behind if he had other things to do. One summer he spent like three weeks here at the end, something up at Penn State, some conference or I don’t remember, but yeah, I had no problem with him coming.
The only time I stayed behind was when she made sure that I couldn’t possibly go with her. A few other occasions when we drove to Michigan, and I flew out of Detroit for a conference, but I never stayed behind in State College.
Q. And last year, which was 2012, he kept asking you in the spring when are we planning on going to Michigan, and you kept putting him off, didn’t you?
A. No.
Q. And then the day before school was out, you said I’m leaving tomorrow, and I’m taking the kids, and I don’t know when I’m coming back?
A. No, that’s not what I said.
She might not have said those exact words, but that was undoubtedly her plan, and it was very clear from how she acted that evening. I have no idea what would have happened if I had tried to go with her. In some ways, I wish she’d have not said anything that evening and left in the morning before I woke up. It would have prevented that ugly argument, me slashing my finger, having to get stitches, walking ten miles home from the hospital. It would have also allowed me to say she left without telling me.
Q. As a matter of fact, you’ve had Mike come here too, haven’t you?
A. He recently came for the ice show.
Q. Did he come with your family?
A. No, he came on his own.
Q. After the supervised visitations ended and — the first question I had was that we asked that one child at a time visit because of the space limitations, and I think you’ve introduced some text messages where Mr. Mockensturm is saying I don’t know how to keep these kids occupied, three kids occupied in an efficiency apartment. Do you find that odd?
A. Do I find what odd?
Q. Odd that he would wonder how he’s going to occupy three kids in a barely furnished efficiency apartment?
A. I don’t find it odd. I think you can entertain kids easily. They did it at the Access center where they had a single room where they played games and read books.
The Access Center was one huge room, a converted school gymnasium/cafeteria; plus, a large kitchen and a small sitting room. They had a lot of things there for the kids to do.
Q. For two hours at a time.
A. In his visitation, he has only wanted two hours at a time now.
Q. In fact, isn’t it also true that — I believe you testified that Mr. Mockensturm had agreed to the custody arrangement you imposed, and in fact isn’t it true that your attorney —
MS. TORQUATO: Objection. She didn’t impose it. He agreed to it.
MS. KAUFFMAN: Let me find the letter. I just need a moment, Your Honor, too much paper here.
BY MS. KAUFFMAN:
Q. Do you recall your attorney sending me a letter indicating you were willing to allow Mr. Mockensturm to see the children only if he saw all three at once and only if his father was present?
A. I said that I want them all to be together. I certainly said for the protection of the — PFA. For his father to get the kids so I would not have contact with Eric.
Q. And you received a copy of this letter from your attorney, did you not?
A. I don’t recall the letter itself.
Q. Let me show you the letter; see if you can recall it.
A. Yes.
Q. Do you recall it now?
A. I remember we discussed that, and that was the letter that we discussed for possible visitation. He accepted without any counter.
The letter referenced here is included in the image gallery. When Tonia wrote the letter, my father had come to stay with me to help me navigate the new situation and get my property from the McBath Street house. I have no idea how Tonia knew my father was driving me to places, but she makes it sound like I could not do this. The actual reason was that my dad wanted to get out of that tiny apartment whenever he could. He drove because he would drop me off and then get some coffee or groceries.
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