During a routine conversation about child support, a friend of mine and I was discussing the new policy to revoke the passports of parents who are $2500 or more delinquent. He was talking about a guy he worked with once that bragged that he didn’t pay support.

And it reminded me. I have known 3 women who were in dire straits due to their Ex’s refusing to pay support. One of them, Lissa, was the daughter of a friend of mine, and she was to the point of losing her house.

So, one night, I put on my best tattered blue jeans, polished boots, a not so clean tee-shirt and my leather. I picked up the baseball bat that I had bought earlier at the thrift store, and loaded up in the Chevy. I knew where he lived, I’d driven past earlier that day. I parked in front of the house, and left the engine running. I walked up the steps, onto the porch and knocked loudly four times with the bat. The porch light came on. When he opened the door, I rushed the door. Face to face, and he was a scared child. I pulled the bat back and leveled it at him. “I’m coming back in thirty days, if your child support isn’t paid, I will crush your skull with this bat.” I said quietly.

That was Friday night. On Monday morning Lissa got a call from the clerk’s office telling her that all of the arrears had been paid.

I never did tell her what I did.