The day after Arcadia received the letter Calderone sent her she went to see her solicitor, Siobhan Blanco, about it.
Blanco read the letter and focussed on its most significant paragraph:
“I want you to consult a psychiatrist. I want to know what is going on with you. Your decline has been significant and you seem unstable. I think you need professional help. Unless and until I see a satisfactory psychiatric report on you, I will not make the children available to you for any contact whatsoever.”
Blanco said, “You have got some problems, Arcadia. This is another opportunity for Calderone to point out your bad behaviour and dishonesty. In short, you have two (2) choices: give him what he wants or challenge it in Court. Court will mean more expenditure and as I have just mentioned, it would give Calderone another opportunity to point out your bad behaviour and your dishonesty. I expect he will mention that you have not been telephoning the children for contact, but rather he has had to make the telephone call, so that the children can speak with you. The episode of you having sex with one of your boyfriends on the birthday of your son, rather than telephone your son will not look good for you.”
“Calderone may be prepared to submit to a psychiatric examination himself as part of his demand for you to be examined. If that is the case, it will make your position even more difficult. The Court may be happy to order that you both submit to a psychiatric examination.”
“This is all unravelling rather badly for you. I doubt you had any of this in mind when you were travelling round the country sleeping with seemingly any man who paid you attention. And before you get precious about what I have said to you, expect that line to be taken by Calderone, if this has to go to Court.”
“There is now quite a bit of evidence that you are not coping very well with your new family situation.
- You instigated a series of abusive telephone calls, text messages and email to Calderone because you could not see the children. He said would suspend all contact until they stopped.
- You went to pieces and caught a train out of town. After about a week away you returned home.
- Calderone telephoned you reminding you that you were supposed to ring the children for contact because you have not been doing so.
- On the birthday of your son you were supposed to telephone him, but you did not do so. When Calderone telephoned you about it, he interrupted you having sex with Bonham Trudeaux
“That does not look good for you.”
“Can you identify a compelling reason why you should not submit yourself for psychiatric assessment, as Calderone has requested?”
“Perhaps you should think about your answer for a couple of days and then let me know your answer.”
Arcadia then left the office of Siobhan Blanco and went home.
Caught In The Supermarket
Four (4) days later Arcadia went to the local supermarket to buy food. Whilst she was there she encountered Alpine McTavish. It was not a pleasant reunion for her.
“Well, well, well. Arcadia. Fancy seeing you here?”, McTavish said.
A surprised Arcadia responded, “What are you doing here?”
McTavish: “I am in Melbourne visiting friends and I am doing some shopping for them.”
Arcadia: “I am surprised to see you.”
McTavish: “I expect you are. You said we would spend a week together. I made plans for it. Then you offered some lame excuse as to why it could not happen and you did nothing to subsequently spend that time with me. Apparently you never had any trouble spending time with Garlick Duckworth in Sydney. Yes, Arcadia. I know all about him. Your secret boyfriend is far from a secret.”
“He was probably the person to whom you spent so much time sending text messages when you were with me. You were very good at ruining the time we spent together sending and receiving text messages and playing on your computer. Never once did you ever make up to me any of that time we spent together that you wasted.”
“You are an unfaithful wife and an unfaithful partner. It is wonderfully poetic that Garlick Duckworth, the man with whom you planned to live when you left your husband, dumped you as soon as the free food and easy sex you were giving him stopped. Of all the men in whom you could have invested, you chose Garlick Duckworth. What a fool.”
Arcadia did not want to participate in that conversation any longer, so she made her way to another part of the store. But there was another unpleasant surprise waiting for her in the store.
June Sedgewick was doing her shopping at the same supermarket as Arcadia.
Sedgewick noticed her and said loudly to Arcadia, “You were happy having sex with my husband and flaunting it to everyone while our children played soccer. Most people who have affairs are discrete. You have to flaunt yours. Are you happy with yourself? You do not look like you have any new toys to play with now. Serves you right.”
This was more than Arcadia could handle. Without replying to June Sedgewick, Arcadia made her way to the checkout and left the store. She then went straight home.
Barbeque with Augustina Fotheringham
Mid-Saturday morning Augustina Fotheringham telephoned Arcadia, “I have been invited to a barbeque starting at 5:00 pm today. It is not all that far from your house. I thought it might be a pleasant change for you to go with me. I will come round about 4:30 pm and pick you up.”
“Oh OK”, Arcadia replied.
At 4:15 pm Augustina arrived at the home of Arcadia. Somewhat to her surprise, Arcadia appeared to be ready. Arcadia made Augustina a cup of tea and told her about the letter Calderone sent her.
“Calderone said until he sees a satisfactory psychiatric report on me, he will not make the children available to me for any contact whatsoever. I saw my solicitor about it and she said in short, I have two (2) choices: give him what he wants or challenge it in Court. Court will mean more expenditure and it would give Calderone another opportunity to point out my bad behaviour and my dishonesty. She asked me, Can I identify a compelling reason why I should not submit myself for psychiatric assessment, as Calderone has requested?’
Augustina told Arcadia, “That is not an entirely unexpected request by Calderone. From what I have seen, he has been keeping a pretty close eye on what you have been doing and he seems to be very organised. You best take that request seriously. So we will go to this barbeque and see if you can have a good time for a change.”
When they got to the party Augustina watched Arcadia and thought she seemed to mingle well. After about forty-five (45) minutes Augustina went to the toilet. She had not seen Arcadia for some time. As she was returning from the toilet, she walked past one of the bedrooms. The door was open and Augustina had a clear view of what was going on inside the room. A naked Arcadia was having sex with two men.
Augustina immediately said to Arcadia, “Put your clothes on. We are leaving.”
The two (2) men saw Augustina and could tell she was serious. Sex with Arcadia stopped immediately. They each put on their clothes in silence and left the room. Arcadia put on her clothes and walked out to the car with Augustina. Not a word was said by either of them.
As Augustina started driving them back to the Arcadia’s house she said sternly to Arcadia, “After all that has happened to you, you do that. What where you thinking?”
Arcadia said meekly, “I just wanted some attention. I have not had any attention for ages.”
Augustina replied, “You will not be getting any attention from your children if you continue with this behaviour. Calderone will not make the children available to you for any contact whatsoever, as he told you very clearly in his letter to you. The attention you received from all your men friends is what has put you in this position.”
As they arrived at the home of Arcadia, Augustina said to her, “You need to talk to your relationship counsellor. I am too angry to talk to you today.”
Arcadia got out of the car and went inside her home. Augustina then went home herself.
A Candid Session with May Huddersfield, Relationship Counsellor
On the following Tuesday Arcadia made an appointment to see her relationship counsellor, May Huddersfield. The appointment was for Friday morning.
Huddersfield started the session with Arcadia saying to her, “I see from my notes the last time I spoke with you I said we need to talk about:
- Why you thought it appropriate to be unfaithful to your husband with these men, especially as none of them were interested in forming a family with you and your children.
- Why did your focus move from your children?
- Why did you put your job at risk in acting this way?”
“Has there been any development since the last time I saw you?”
Arcadia told Huddersfield about the letter Calderone sent her.
“Calderone said until he sees a satisfactory psychiatric report on me, he will not make the children available to me for any contact whatsoever. I saw my solicitor about it and she said in short, I have two (2) choices: give him what he wants or challenge it in Court. Court will mean more expenditure and it would give Calderone another opportunity to point out my bad behaviour and my dishonesty. She asked me, Can I identify a compelling reason why I should not submit myself for psychiatric assessment, as Calderone has requested?’
“So things have got considerably worse for you. My very strong advice to you is that unless you are completely candid with me, your situation will not improve” Huddersfield replied.
Arcadia said to Huddersfield,”On Saturday Augustina Fotheringham took me to a barbeque not all that far from my house. She said she thought it might be a pleasant change for me to go with her. We left after about an hour when Augustina saw me in a bedroom being shared by two (2) men.
“When she later asked me, what was I thinking? I told her, I just wanted some attention. I have not had any attention for ages”
Huddersfield: “ It seems by your actions Arcadia, you have not learned from what we talked about on the first occasion you saw me. You have repeatedly sought attention from men who are not interested in forming a family with you and your children. Your latest effort occurred in the face of potentially you not having any contact with your children. There is merit in Calderone wanting you to submit yourself for psychiatric assessment. At the moment it is hard to identify a compelling reason to resist that request.”
“Your best approach is to work with me and we can try to create a positive platform for you. Something to repair the enormous damage that has been done to your life. Something to enable you to have a meaningful relationship with your children again.”
Arcadia sat silently for some time thinking about what May Huddersfield said to her. Then she said “OK”
Arcadia Telephones Siobhan Blanco
When she left the office of May Huddersfield, Arcadia went home and telephoned her solicitor Siobhan Blanco.
Arcadia said, “I have just been to see May Huddersfield, my relationship counsellor. She is helping me create a positive platform so that I can try to have a meaningful relationship with my children again.”
“Is it possible for you to get me a helpful psychiatrist to do the assessment of me Calderone is seeking?
Siobhan Blanco was surprised by what Arcadia had told her.
Blanco said, “Yes, Arcadia. If you give me something tangible with which to work, I can recommend a psychiatrist whom I believe will help you.”
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