Divorce 2010

No- I am not divorced yet. I know what you are thinking…
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY TAKE SO LONG…
 
My soon to be ex and I have lived in separate states since 2006.
I was living here almost a year when I first looked into divorcing him. 
I was fine with being separated until he didn’t file a tax return for me with 
NYS.
 
I asked him in March 2007 to get it done when he had his taxes prepared,
because my tax person couldn’t do it. 

(That was the year I had the WORST tax preparer on the planet, 
she even got my Fairfield taxes wrong. And you don't pay Fairfield
taxes when you work in Cincinnati)
 
I asked him to mail me a copy for my records. He kept saying he would. 
Then in the beginning of August, he admitted he didn’t have them done. 

The absolute final straw… I told him I was going to file for divorce 
and move on with my life.
 
I went to three lawyers before finding Fred, who is now representing me.
 
The first was a man recommended by a friend.
He wanted a load of money up front, and was not sure he could
bring things to conclusion without my ex coming to court. 
And that I could not count on.
 
The second hardly counts- her office staff were useless, 
and so we never got together.
 
The third one thought I was his law clerk and 
should do all his paperwork for him.
 
In December 2009 after my on/off, on/off non-efforts, 
I decided to try again.
 
This time I found Fred.
 
He talked me through the process and told me we could do it at reasonable cost, and get it done in a reasonable time frame. 
We got started, and by March the paperwork was filed with the court.
 
My soon to be ex was served shortly after and seemed resigned to the divorce going through. 
He even met the man in my life, Rick. And it was very civilized.
 
Then came Parenting class.
 
In Butler county, the mandatory parenting class is required for 
petition finalization. 
If you have kids, there is NO WAY around the requirement. 
The ex- in New York, was required to go as well. 
So of course I had to find him a course.
Four hours of my life I will never get back. Split into 2 sessions.
 
And just when we are all settled with a final decree prepared… 
 
My soon to be ex hired a lawyer…
 
Visions of starting this whole process again sprang to my mind, 
so I called him to ask what he objected to.
 
He does not want to change any of the agreed upon terms. 
 
So they set the pre-trial date for next Thursday...
I won't be attending because 
I have a work event that I cannot miss.
If I had been able to attend, I could 
have had my divorce finalized right then and there.
 
As it is, they will schedule a date for the final decree 
at the pre-trial. I will stand before the judge and state 
that it is my desire to be divorced.
 
Then I will be done.