Chapter 12 - The Nanny Agreement
Aisha left the folder exactly where she found it.
She photographed nothing.
She took only Maya’s science project.
Then she called Naomi from the car.
“I saw something.”
Naomi’s first question was immediate.
“Were you lawfully inside the house?”
“Yes. Derrick gave me the code to get Maya’s project.”
“What did you see?”
“A childcare agreement.”
“Did you open a drawer?”
“No. It fell from a folder when I picked up the project.”
Naomi sighed.
“Okay.”
Aisha told her the date.
Six weeks before the custody hearing.
A weekday nanny.
Three afternoons and two evenings each week.
Naomi was quiet.
“Do you remember Derrick’s testimony regarding childcare?”
“Yes.”
Aisha could hear it.
Mr. Carter, if awarded primary custody, how will you manage the children while working?
My position allows substantial flexibility. My mother is also available when needed.
His attorney then contrasted that arrangement with Aisha’s reliance on paid after-school care during her onboarding period.
“Was he required to disclose a nanny agreement?” Aisha asked.
“Not automatically.”
“But he made it sound like he didn’t need one.”
“That is potentially relevant.”
“Potentially.”
Naomi ignored the tone.
“We obtain it through formal discovery if appropriate.”
“I know.”
“Do not mention that you saw it.”
“Why?”
“Because I want Derrick answering questions without tailoring the answer to the document.”
Aisha leaned back against the headrest.
She hated strategy.
Even when it was hers.
It felt too much like the machinery Derrick had used.
Naomi seemed to sense it.
“There is a difference between lawful discovery and manufacturing facts.”
“I know.”
“Good.”
At school, Maya ran out to meet Aisha.
“You found it!”
“I did.”
“You saved my life.”
“Your life was probably safe.”
“My grade then.”
“That I’ll consider.”
Maya grinned.
A teacher thanked Aisha.
No one asked why she was not the parent usually contacted anymore.
Aisha drove back to work with tears threatening unexpectedly.
Ordinary involvement still felt stolen.
Later that day, Naomi sent Derrick a supplemental discovery request.
Copies of childcare agreements entered within twelve months before or after the prior custody hearing.
Derrick called Aisha within ten minutes.
“You saw it.”
Aisha remained silent.
“You were in my house.”
“You gave me permission to retrieve Maya’s project.”
“You went through my papers.”
“No.”
“Then how did Naomi suddenly request childcare agreements?”
“Talk to your attorney.”
“Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“This legal-game thing.”
Aisha almost laughed.
“You cannot possibly be saying that to me.”
“I hired Simone because my job schedule was unpredictable.”
“Who is Simone?”
“You know exactly—”
“I actually don’t.”
Derrick stopped.
He had exposed more than he intended.
Aisha’s voice cooled.
“Thank you for clarifying.”
He exhaled sharply.
“She was a nanny.”
“Before the hearing?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Three months.”
“Did your attorney know?”
“Yes.”
Aisha became very still.
“Did the judge?”
Silence.
“Derrick?”
“The question was whether I could provide stable care.”
“That is not what I asked.”
“I had stable care.”
“With paid help.”
“So?”
“Nothing.”
Aisha’s voice became cold.
“There is absolutely nothing wrong with paid childcare.”
He stopped arguing.
“That’s what makes this disgusting.”
Derrick knew.
She continued.
“You criticized me for using the after-school program three days a week.”
“I criticized the inconsistency.”
“No. Your lawyer called it evidence I couldn’t balance work and parenting.”
“I didn’t write his questions.”
“You sat there.”
Derrick said nothing.
“And you already had a nanny.”
“It was temporary.”
“So was my after-school care.”
Silence.
Aisha closed her eyes.
Each discovery was less shocking than the last.
Not because it hurt less.
Because the pattern was becoming predictable.
Anything Derrick did was reasonable.
Anything Aisha did was evidence.
“Why didn’t Simone continue?” she asked.
“She moved.”
“When?”
“Three weeks after the order.”
“So Loretta took over.”
“Yes.”
“And now Loretta can’t.”
“Yes.”
“And the new sitter is leaving.”
Derrick’s voice hardened.
“You’re enjoying this.”
Aisha opened her eyes.
“No.”
“You sound like you are.”
“I sound calm.”
“Same thing with you.”
“No.”
She stood from her desk and walked toward the office window.
“Calm is what I learned when every emotional reaction I had became evidence that I was unstable.”
Derrick went quiet.
Aisha watched traffic below.
“You taught me to speak like this.”
He swallowed audibly.
“That wasn’t my intention.”
“Intent has become your favorite shelter.”
“I said I’ll correct things.”
“You said you’ll correct the things that don’t scare you.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Are you going to disclose the nanny?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going to acknowledge you had help while criticizing me for needing help?”
Another pause.
“Yes.”
Aisha believed him.
That was new.
Not trust.
But belief.
“Okay.”
She prepared to end the call.
“Aisha.”
“What?”
“I didn’t think having Simone made me hypocritical.”
“Of course you didn’t.”
“I mean it.”
“I know.”
He sounded confused.
“How can you know?”
“Because you didn’t think the standard applied to you.”
The sentence sat heavily between them.
After the call, Derrick drove to Grant’s office.
He placed the nanny agreement on the desk.
Grant looked irritated.
“You told Aisha?”
“She figured it out.”
“How?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Grant read the request.
“We produce it.”
“That’s it?”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Tell me why we didn’t disclose it before.”
Grant looked up.
“It wasn’t requested.”
“In court, you made her after-school program look terrible.”
“We argued that her schedule required substantial third-party care.”
“So did mine.”
“You told me your mother would cover.”
“She couldn’t always.”
Grant stared.
“Did you tell me about Simone before the hearing?”
Derrick frowned.
“You billed me for reviewing the agreement.”
Grant’s face went blank.
Derrick pulled out his phone.
He had searched old invoices after Loretta found the first one.
There it was.
Review childcare contract; integrate support structure into custody presentation.
Grant read it.
For several seconds neither man spoke.
Then Derrick asked a question he had never imagined asking his own attorney.
“When you told the judge I could personally provide more stable care than Aisha…”
His voice lowered.
“…did you know that wasn’t true?”
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Grant removed his glasses.
And for the first time since the custody case began, Derrick realized he might not be the only person afraid of what discovery would uncover.
