The man told me an hour. I had an hour to meander about the almost-barren mall.

Well…

I stalk over to Gamestop. I look over the 3ds and Playstation 4 games for a good twenty minutes. I buy a couple from each with the guilt money father forked over just this morning. He gave me about 250 in cash.  Eh, might as well use it. But, I’ll never be thankful to him for it. He caused my mom too much pain. Too much heartbreak. He thinks he can just pay me off for everything he did? My anger burns hot and white. I think not!

I give the cashier a smile after she’d rung me up and I paid. I thanked her and wished her a good day.  Despite my anger at one person who remained a fixed figure in my life for seventeen years, no one else deserved the brunt of anger that was directed at one figure. I strolled around the building ending up at Books-a-Million. I perused the isles, sifting through sci-fi, romance, mystery, young adult, and, most peculiar, friendships. I picked a book from the friendship section, and found myself instantly attached to the character within the first three pages. I closed it, and looked at the back cover. How much was it? Ten dollars, soft cover. I had ninety bucks left in my pocket. I’d have eightly left to pay for my phone screen. More than enough, as it was a cheap LG Versa, anyway.

I pay for the book.

Then, as it’s about ten minutes away from having been an hour, I walk back to Mr. Techie's kiosk. He’d just gotten the new screen on, and asked, since I was now present, if I’d fiddle around with it, making sure it would work. It worked just fine, and I paid him the forty dollar charge plus a ten dollar tip.

I had thirty of my father’s guilt money left. I knew just what to do with it.

I drove over to the courthouse and asked for the copy of my birth certificate. “I want to change my last name,” I say. “My parents divorced three months ago, and I am ashamed to have ties with the last name of my blood father. I want to change it to my mother’s maiden name.”

The lady blinked at me as if she couldn’t quite grasp my reason. Yet, she nodded her head and requested a twenty-dollar fee. I gave her the twenty from the thirty I had in my pocket.  “A social security card will be reinstated to you with your new last name. I would suggest you changing your last name on your driver’s ID and any other important documents so that your records will be easy to find, should they ever need be.”

I nodded my head and replied with a curt, “yes.”

“What is the old last name?”

“Evernest,” I reply. “E-v-e-r-n-e-s-t.”

The woman types this into the computer. “Okay. Now what will the new last name be?”

“Anoite,” I answer. “A-n-o-i-t-e.”

“Your Social Security card will be adjusted. Of course, after you get the card, it may take a while to change for other things, or you need to manually change anything, if need be.”

“Yes.”

“Will that be all for you today?”

“Yes. Thank-you.”

I turn on my heel, feeling lighter and more jovial with this change and decision. My mom has always been there. She’s always loved me. She’ll never leave me.

I exit the court house.