Hello yet again.
Background: I have custody of my daughters, now almost 10. Their father has not had any set visitation and did not visit with them on any consistent basis. A few hours on a Sun afternoon every few weeks and a few overnights (single night). I moved to FL a year and a half ago for a job and their almost non-existent father decided to sue for custody. Basically, the whole deal was the idea of his new wife. They split up three times before our final hearing. The third just before our final hearing. Our hearing was in June and he did not appear. Motion was dismissed. A month later, he and the wife are back together and he filed a new Motion for visitaton.
The father re-married about two years ago and everything has blown up since then. For some reason, she seems to want to control all our interactions, includng interactions between my children and their father. He is not allowed to speak to me unless she is present unless he sneaks and calls. He has had me call him from my daughters’ phones (they have their own cell specifically to speak with him) so she won’t catch him. She intercepts any email communications and responds, pretending to be him. It is quite obvious it is her from the manner of speach and style of writing. Completely different from communications I have received from him in the past.
We have a TPA in place at the moment. He was to have the girls for the week after Christmas. Per the Order we met in Savannah the day after Christmas. We are supposed to meet in SC for the return of the girls today.
Trying to make a long story short, my family wanted to see the girls for a little bit for Christmas. My brother tried to make arrangements with their father to have the girls for a few hours. The father agreed to it. Trying to help out, my brother was able to obtain buddy-passes from a member of his church (he’s a minister) for the girls to fly cheaply. I spoke to the father and he was all for the arrangements to fly the girls to and from NC, but said his wife would not allow him to do it. We were going to split the cost which would be $120 each, same as or cheaper than the gas to drive to our meeting places twice. I have been communicating with him at work due to her interceptions of communications. The arrangements would had, would have allowed the father to spend additional time with the girls and my family to see them for a few hours, plus we would not have to be on the road for a total of 18-19hours - a win/win situation for all.
His attorney forwarded a communication, copied to him at work, to his personal email and the wife received it. At this point, she got in the middle and all of our arrangments blew up. He isn’t man enough to stand up to her and do what is best for the girls. I met him in Savannah per the Order, but we agreed that my brother would pick the girls up at his home at noon today (Order states we are to meet in SC at noon today). Suddenly, yesterday afternoon, I get a text message from his phone (actually written by wife) stating “he knows what my brother is up to” and he won’t allow him to pick up the girls because he does not want them to fly alone.
I have written documentation that he agreed to my brother picking the girls up today at noon. The flight is already booked and paid for. I’m not intending to meet him in SC, which means he will just have to turn around and return to NC if he actually drives there.
First, what happens if he refuses to allow my brother to pick them up?
Second, what, if anything can be done about the wife intercepting communications? This whole thing is just plain ridiculous.
We do have a hearing coming up in February on the visitation.