“Tick… tock… tick…tock.” I heard Ayden’s soft voice as I opened my eyes. It’s kind of funny that she’s singing her father’s song to wake me up in the morning.
“Good morning Ayden.”
“How come you on the couch?”
That’s a very good question. The answer probably has something to do with the reason why I have this horrible headache. I guess I couldn’t make it back to my house last night after the drinking. But it seems Justin had no problem making it to his bed.
“I was too sleepy.”
“Oh,” she giggled and played with my hair, “Daddy sleepy too. He say go downstairs, tell Sari.”
That’s nice of him. “What did you need to tell me?”
“I hungry!” she smiled throwing her hands up in the air.
“Of course you’re hungry, what would you like darling?” Ayden just looked at me and smiled. “What?” I laughed.
“Ya know what?” she asked, running her hand through my hair.
“What?”
“You’re my favorite!” she has such an adorable smile, it’s like she can’t contain her teeth.
“You’re my favorite too,” I smiled and picked her up bringing her into the kitchen. “What do we want? Cereal? Scrambled eggs? Pancakes?”
“Pancakes! Mix a pancake, r32;Beat a pancake, r32;Put it in a pan. r32;Cook a pancake, r32;Toss a pancake, r32;Catch it if you can!” she sang the song, complete with hand movements.
“You love those songs don’t you?” it’s weird that she’s so much like Justin as far as the music thing goes. I guess it’s not that weird, because she is half of Justin, but it just seems weird to me because he never really shows that part to her. Except when he’s always singing or humming. OK, I know exactly why she’s just like him.
“Mmhmm,” she giggled, “Can we have a sleepover?”
“A sleepover? We just woke up.”
“That’s ok. Later den?” I nodded my head, “Promise?”
“Yes ma’am, I promise,” I smiled as I cracked an egg in the bowl.
“Can we go swimming?”
I looked out the window to see the sky had recently turned black, “I don’t think so, it looks like we’re going to get a storm.”
“Hmm. We can go to the playground?”
“Rain sweetie,” I laughed, “We’re going to have to do something inside. We can watch a movie.”
“K,” she smiled, “Mix a pancake, beat a pancake, put it in a pan. Cook a pancake, toss a pancake, catch it if you can!” she sang and threw a napkin in the air at the last part. Ayden giggled, “Sari look! Catch it if you can!”
“Whoa, you’re good,” I smiled as I finished with the pancakes.
The morning went by quickly; after breakfast we watched cartoons and had a tea party. It was 11:08 when the worst day of my life began. There was a loud crack of thunder, so loud that the whole house vibrated. The lights flicked on and off, I looked at the clock to see if we lost power all together. That’s how I know it was 11:08.
I heard the rain coming down like hail, so loud I couldn’t hear Ayden talking softly. She ran to me and hugged my legs, “It’s ok sweetie, just a little rain.” I picked her up and walked around the house. She was literally shaking, “Do you want to go see if Daddy’s up yet?”
Ayden shook her head, of course not. Sometimes he’s good with her during thunderstorms because he knows she gets scared. But then again, sometimes he’s not. I think she’s getting wise at her young age and doesn’t want to chance it.
“We could go in the basement?” I suggested.
“OK,” she nodded her head, not letting go of her death grip around my neck.
“Don’t be scared Ayden, it’s just God bowling.” I heard someone banging on the door. I didn’t think she could hold on any tighter, but she definitely did. “OK hunny, I can’t breathe, you need to let go a little. Nothing’s going to happen, it’s just that someone’s here.”
Ayden knew I should not answer the door, somehow she knew. She held onto me tightly, crying softly as I walked to the window. Who would come to Justin’s house and knock? Most people that come here have keys.
Against Ayden’s warning, I looked out the peephole to see a police officer and five other people. My heart started to beat in my throat, faster than it ever had before. “No Sari, no!” she shouted. The officer banged harder on the door, he must have heard her screaming.
“It’s ok Ayden, it’s ok,” I need to calm myself down so she can calm down. Why the hell are the cops here? “Justin!” I shouted up but the officers looked like they were about to kick the door open. I took a deep breath and opened the door, forcing a smile, “Can I help you?”
“Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services,” the man held his badge in my face, very rudely, and walked right past us into the house, looking around as if he were searching for something.
“Um… ok? Can I help you with something?” I bounced Ayden in my arms, she’s screaming crying now. “Shh, it’s ok Ayden.”
“Why is she crying?” the one woman asked me, as if I did something to cause the crying.
“She’s scared,” I answered in an equally bitchy tone, “She hates thunderstorms, and it’s a little scary for a three year old to have six adults in suits come into her house. Can I ask, please, why you’re in her house?”
“We’re from the Department of Child and Family Services. We have received some complaints about Ayden Timberlake and her father, Justin Timberlake. Is he home?”
My heart seriously stopped beating, “What do you mean complaints?”
“Complaints,” one of the men repeated, what’s up with the attitudes? “Who are you?”
“Sari, Justin’s assistant.”
“Oh,” they all answered, exchanging knowing glances.
“So what do these complaints mean?”
“We’re taking Ayden.” He said it as if it were nothing, just another day on the job.
I couldn’t move, my legs locked, and now I know my heart stopped. They’re taking Ayden? They can’t do that. No one can just come and take Ayden from me… or from her father. I felt like I was going to faint. I leaned against the wall to support me. “You can’t just take her,” I managed to get out.
“We have court orders,” he handed me papers.
“I don’t care! You can’t just take her, what do they think he’s doing to her?”
“There are custody issues as well. I can’t discuss this with you. Is Mr. Timberlake here or do we have to wait?”
“He’s here,” I answered softly and walked upstairs. I tried to calm myself down but I couldn’t pull myself together. I was already crying by the time I made it to his door, “Justin!” he’s still sleeping. How is he such a heavy sleeper? “Justin wake up! WAKE UP!”
“Alright,” he spoke but didn’t open his eyes, “I fucking hear you. Give me a minute.”
“No, Justin it’s serious. Get up!”
“Why are you crying? Calm the fuck down.”
I grabbed the pillow from under his head and hit him so hard his face was turning red, “What the fuck?” he finally opened his eyes, “What?”
“They’re going to take her,” I cried.
“Who?”
“They’re going to take her, you can’t let them take her, you can’t.”
“I can’t understand you when you’re crying like a fucking idiot,” he sat up and looked at Ayden who managed to keep it together, although she did look scared to death. “What’s wrong Sari?”
“They’re downstairs, child services, and they’re going to take her. They said there are complaints, and they’re taking her.”
His face went white, “They can’t fucking take her.”
“Go downstairs.”
“Call my lawyers. Keep her up here with you.” Justin said as he pulled a shirt over his head, “If this is a fucking joke Sari, I swear to god…”
“It’s not a joke! Go!” I took a deep breath and reached for my cell phone in my back pocket.
I put Ayden down for the first time and sat on the bed but she wasn’t having it. She crawled and climbed on me, wrapping her hands around my neck, “How come you crying?”
I wiped my eyes quickly; there is no use in worrying her. “Sorry hunny, I just have to call someone for Daddy.”
“OK,” she slowly let go of my neck and sat down on my lap, “Those guys is scary.”
I wanted to tell her not to be afraid of them but I couldn’t. I was scared of them even more than she was. Justin’s lawyers already knew what was going on. They were on their way, although I think they should have been on their way a long time before these assholes just showed up at the door. The lawyers also should have called us to clue us in about the whole thing. That would have been wonderful.
It wasn’t until I heard Justin’s lawyers come in the house that I decided to venture downstairs. Justin was yelling, he had been yelling the whole time. He saw Ayden and me and managed to lower the volume of his voice a little. He took a deep breath, “So you’re telling me, Ayden’s mother, who told me almost three years ago that Ayden even existed and she was giving her up for adoption, now for some fucked up reason wants custody? She fucking told me that she was going to sell the story to tabloids unless I gave her seven fucking million dollars. And now she wants her back?” his voice got louder and louder as he spoke, “Why? Because she ran out of fucking money?”
One of the men cleared his throat before he spoke, “She saw the story in the papers that your assistant is Ayden’s mother.”
I knew it! I knew that was the stupidest thing they could have possibly done. I knew this whole plan would backfire, but I didn’t think it would get this out of control.
“Well fuck that!” Justin screamed, “Who says we had anything to do with that? You have no proof.”
“There’s more to it than that Mr. Timberlake.”
“What else?”
“There have been reports, concerns over your involvement. Possible abuse or neglect.”
Justin looked like he was about to kill the man that just said that. “Says who?” he screamed, balling his fists to calm himself down, “The fucking crack head that’s all of a sudden trying to be a mother? That’s bullshit and you know damn well she has not been neglected or abused. Look at this place. Look at Ayden. Do you see one fucking bruise on her? I have never fucking laid a finger on her like that. Neglect. Abuse. Fucking bullshit.”
“We have a court order, Mr. Timberlake.”
“That’s great but you’re not taking her,” Justin looked at his lawyers, “Can’t you fucking dipshits do anything?”
“Say your goodbyes.”
I broke down; I couldn’t believe what was happening. How could they possibly take her away? I held onto her tightly, they’d have to pull her from my arms.
“I refuse to say goodbye to my fucking daughter!” Justin shouted.
“Where are you going to take her?” I asked through the tears.
“There is a foster home set up for her.”
“A foster home?” I need to stop crying so they can hear me, “She’s just going to stay with strangers? You can’t do that, she gets scared, she’s three years old. She won’t be able to sleep; she’ll make herself sick. Please don’t do this!”
“You have a court date in two weeks.”
“Two weeks?!?!” Justin and I shouted at the same time.
“You’re telling me I can’t see my daughter for two weeks?”
“Can’t she just stay with someone else? Someone she knows? Like she could stay with me. Or his mother, yeah his mother.” Now Ayden’s screaming too. I don’t know if she even knows why but she can tell I’m looking like a complete mess and her father is seething.
“We can’t have her stay with a family member because of the custody issue.”
“What about my mother then? Please, just somebody she knows. She’s too little. What about his manager? Please.” I don’t even know who to beg to. I don’t know what they want me to do but I’ll do anything. How can they take this little girl away and give her to strangers. She’s so scared. She’s shaking.
“I’m sorry, it’s not possible.”
The man grabbed Ayden from my arms. He had to pry her off because she was not letting go and I sure as hell wasn’t going to help him. “Sari!!! No!!!!! I wanna go see Sari!!!!!!!” Ayden screamed.
That killed me right there. I couldn’t even stand anymore I fell to the ground crying. My eyes were clouded with tears I could hardly see her.
“Get your fucking hands off my daughter! I swear to god I will fucking kill you right here.” Justin yelled as he followed them to the door.
“Say goodbye,” the asshole had the nerve to put it right in Justin’s face.
Justin couldn’t take it anymore, he was about to punch the guy in the face but the cops were there to hold him back. “We will lock you up and there will be no chance you ever get custody again.”
Justin took a deep breath to calm himself down. I kept crying and Ayden kept screaming, “NOO!!!!! DADDY!!!! SARI!!!!! I DON’T WANNA GO!!!!”
“It’s ok Ayden!” I lied so she would hopefully not be as scared, “It’s going to be ok sweetie. I love you. Daddy loves you. We’ll see you soon.” I looked at Justin being held back, “Say bye to her Justin, tell her you love her.”
The door was closed before he could, but we could still hear Ayden screaming. There was a crack of thunder and a flash of lightning, but still I could hear Ayden. I could hear her screaming even after the car left.
I managed to wipe my eyes enough so everything wasn’t clouded. Justin wiped a single tear that slid down his face. I’ve never seen him look so angry, and he’s been angry plenty of times. But this is a new level. He looks like he could kill someone. “You’re fucking fired, and you’re fucking fired,” he said to his lawyers.
“Justin, we understand how you feel but there was nothing we could have done.”
“That’s why you’re fucking fired,” he answered calmly, “you should have been able to do something. Get the fuck out of my house.”
He walked past his lawyers first and surprisingly they actually left. Justin stood in front of me for a second. I thought I was the next one he was going to fire. Who knows what’s going on in his brain right now? He probably thinks this has something to do with me. Instead of firing me, he held his hand out to help me up. I looked at his hand for a second before grabbing onto it. “You ok?”
How could I possibly be ok? I shook my head, “No,” I answered as I felt myself cry again.
“I know,” he answered softly, his own tears breaking free. It wasn’t just one this time, his eyes were pouring out tears. “I don’t know what to do.”
Justin cleared his throat quickly and wiped his eyes, as if he just realized he was crying in front of me. He walked through the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of Jack Daniels and went up to his room.
I didn’t see him for the rest of the night. I couldn’t get the image of Ayden being taken away out of my head. And I could still hear her, even at three o’clock in the morning with the thunder rolling and the hail falling.
