We were outnumbered.
But the only man on their side was my father-in-law, so the fight broke our way fast.
Every grievance I'd swallowed for years went out through my fists, and it all landed on Marcella.
I found my opening and slapped my high-and-mighty mother-in-law across the face a few good times.
Then my dad and I put my father-in-law on the ground together, and I planted the toe of my size-eleven shoe right on his cheek.
I showed my mother-in-law, action by action, that I'd not only hit her daughter but her too.
Whether it was beneath me didn't matter anymore. It felt good.
Feeling good comes at a price. The police hauled all of us in, and a family brawl like this is hard to pin blame on.
In the end they gave everyone the same slap on the wrist, a verbal warning, and sent us home to our own corners.
That round of negotiation ended in a fistfight.
Clearly an amicable divorce was off the table, so I'd sue.
Two weeks later, the court stepped in for the first round of mediation.
That day every relative on Marcella's side who could show up did, obviously hoping to win their face back the same way they'd lost it.
At the mediation, all her cousins sat there glaring like they were ready to pounce.
My dad saw it and called our relatives. I figured once mediation wrapped, there'd be another hard fight waiting.
The mediator wore a hard face. "I know you're all worked up, but the point of today is to settle the conflict between you."
"Duncan Fleming, Marcella does not agree to your request for divorce, and she's even more upset that you've slandered her by claiming she had an affair."
"If you have no proof, she has the right to hold you accountable."
I looked at Marcella. "You had your chance to keep this clean and you threw it away, so today every relative you've got is going to see exactly who you are."
"Marcella, listen carefully. Two weeks ago, my cousin got married, and before I left I had cameras installed at the house. Tell me, do I have proof you cheated?"
Then I turned to the mediator. "I have a video that proves Marcella's affair."
