B V O V
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2 1
by Melanie Hemry
Watching as they played, Charles ran his
hands through his hair wondering how he'd
made so many bad decisions. An entrepreneur,
he had been a partner in nightclubs in Arizona.
Nightclubs provided a good stream of income.
However, after he and Angela had married and
had Parris, he realized that the life of a nightclub
owner wreaked havoc on a family. Angela and
Parris lived in the daylight. Charles' day began
at twilight.
Putting his family above his job, he'd walked
away from the business. He and Angela had
packed up and moved back to California. After
all, he'd never had trouble fi nding a deal before.
Until now.
With no income, they got further in debt each
day. Their cars were repossessed. Behind on
taxes, the IRS and the state of Arizona seized all
their bank accounts. Even after moving in with
Angela's parents, they didn't have the money to
buy diapers. What they did have was a boatload
of stress as they declared bankruptcy.
Most people going through bankruptcy come
out of it with no debt. Not Charles and Angela.
Back taxes couldn't be wiped out through
bankruptcy. Neither could student loans.
The stress destroyed their marriage, and in
2000 they divorced. Charles felt like a failure.
His parents had divorced and remarried three
times each. He'd hated those experiences so
much that he'd sworn that he'd never divorce.
Parris' scream pierced the air as she fell. Her
head hit the ground with a sickening crack. In
the emergency room, Charles paced beside his
wounded child.
He'd failed to provide for his family.
Now he'd failed to protect his daughter.
When Angela arrived at the hospital, they
Charles Todd listened to the joyous
sound of his 2-year-old daughter,
Parris, laughing. She'd climbed onto
the back of one of Charles' friends
and pretended he was a jungle gym.
Total
Restoration
