Excerpt From 'Til Death Do Us Part: Chuck

Excerpt from 'Til Death Do Us Part Or Get A Damn Good Lawyer!
Chuck

This was the start of the longest divorce in history. It was also the start of my long journey to finally break free from the house nigger mentality, meaning that back in the days of slavery, the house nigger would do anything to make sure Master was OK. If the house were burning, the house nigger would be the first one with a pail of water to put it out. The field nigger, on the other hand, would look and watch it burn. Guess what? I finally moved outside. Over the next four years, I watched Master's house burn to the ground.

It was now April '94. Some days I would wake up feeling as if I had conquered the world. I didn't know if this was the medicine, or actually me. But I knew I was getting fed up, still being so controlled and fighting with myself as I continued to let it happen. I started calling attorneys. I was advised by my doctor to protect my rights. Nick started asking me to find an attorney saying, "If we decided to divorce, it would not be so costly if we used the same attorney." The doctor saw through Nick's whole plan way before I did. I thank God often that he put the right people in my path. The doctor continued to encourage me to obtain legal council. So, I chose a female attorney I found in the phone book. One day at work, I was speaking to one of my co-workers. Her mom worked for the courts. She offered to call her and see who was a good attorney that I could see. She told me not to go with the female attorney I had picked. She said the magic words, Charles Levatino. I remember her telling me if I did not hire him now, I would pay him later to clean up the mess the attorney I had picked would make.

I called and scheduled an appointment. It was a Wednesday morning. I arranged with my boss to take the morning off. I picked up both my girls and told them what I was going to do. Ricarla said I should have done it a long time ago. Valentina's reply was, "If I were you, I'd only miss him a little bit because of the way he treated you. Mom, I think you are doing the right thing." I was so scared but, with my two main strengths by my side, I went to see Mr. Levatino. This man walked out looking just like Al Pacino. He introduced himself. I had come prepared, I had Nick's check stubs, our last W-2's and receipts for everything. Chuck explained my rights and what I was entitled to. He then asked if Nick had filed for divorce in Contra Costa County. I said that I didn't think so. He got up from his desk, no mention of attorney's fees; he opened the door and said he needed to file right away. His biggest concern was the kids, and he said that he did not want to lose jurisdiction. This was like a foreign language to me.

His staff went to work right away. I felt as if I was in the emergency room receiving emergency surgery. In a sense, I was removing the biggest tumor of my life! Chuck was the specialist, with his two trained assistants, Sherri Hill and Denise Davis. The friendships I found that day will last a lifetime.

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