The sound of my doorbell woke me from a restless sleep. Grabbing my favorite white terry cloth bathrobe, I half stumbled to the window. Barry's car was parked at the curb. I closed my robe over my flannel PJs and slowly descended the stairs.
"Were you still in bed?" Barry asked as I opened the door.
"Good morning to you, too,” I snapped back at him.
He stepped inside and turned to face me as I closed the door and leaned against it.
"Margaret, you look like shit,” he remarked.
I frowned at his rude comment and then offered. "I just woke up and haven't done anything with my hair," I said, trying to comb it with my fingers.
"What's up with your hair?" he asked, staring at my blonde locks.
I half smiled at him, then replied, "Well, so much is changing in my life, I figured I'd change that too."
"I think it makes you look like a whore," he smirked.
My smile disappeared as I replied, "I don't give a rat's ass what you think."
As he turned and began walking toward the kitchen, I asked, "Speaking of whores, how's yours treating you?"
Barry stopped in his tracks and turned to face me again. His complexion brightened to a crimson red as he shot back, "She's got more passion in her little finger than you have in your whole fucking body."
I wanted to keep him pissed off, so I asked, "Did you schedule her boob job yet?"
Barry was never one to back down and instantly replied, "Nope, I'm tired of big floppy tits like you've got Margaret."
I wanted to tell him that those big floppy tits were going to earn me a ton of cash, but bit my tongue and instead asked, "So why the hell are you here anyway?"
"Came for the rest of my stuff,” he answered as he turned and began walking toward the garage.
"Good, once that pile of shit is outta my garage, you won't ever have to come back here again,” I answered.
"Don't be so sure,” he said, and then added, “I may want the house in the divorce settlement."
I was somewhat surprised at his comment. I had assumed he'd agree to almost anything to avoid a messy divorce and the implications that would have on his status with the firm.
But I angrily replied, "You've got a snowball's chance in hell of getting this house."
"We'll see about that,” he said as he picked up the first two boxes of his stuff and headed down the driveway.
"Close the garage door before you leave," I shouted at him, then closed and locked the kitchen door.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I stood in the kitchen watching him load his belongings into his trunk and then drive off. Barry and I had such a good marriage until a few months ago. It almost seemed impossible that it could vanish in such a short time. I suppose my tears were an admission that our relationship was over, and that fact hurt almost as much as the fact that we were both cheating on each other for a long time.
I brewed a pot of coffee and, after pouring myself a cup, sat down and started up my laptop. Of course, the first thing I checked was my email. Big Daddy had replied to my report from the night before.
The subject line read, "Good Job!"
He wrote. "Angel, I knew you would successfully promote the company to the Senator-Elect. I expect your efforts will bring many new clients with very expensive tastes. To show my appreciation, I'll add a marketing bonus to your pay envelope this week. Take a day off and relax. I'll email you in the next day or so with details of your next appointment."
As I closed my email and shut down the laptop, my thoughts returned to Barry's threat that he may want to take the house. A day without an appointment would allow me to meet with an attorney.
The coffee was doing its job, and I began thumbing through the Yellow Pages, looking for a firm to represent me. After four or five pages of costly full-page ads, a small ad caught my eye. It was for a female lawyer named Laura Stevens. What caught my eye was the phrase, "Winning is the only option."
As I dialed the number, I wondered if Laura could win a divorce case against the mega-firm my ex would bring to the table.
"Good morning, Laura Stevens speaking,” a female voice answered.
I replied, “Good morning. My name is Margaret Jacobs. I'm seeking a lawyer to represent me in a divorce action."
"Divorce cases are my specialty,” she replied.
"Good. When can I come in to talk with you?" I asked.
"Let me see...How is two this afternoon?" Laura asked.
"Two is fine; see you then,” I answered before hanging up.
I ate a late breakfast, did a load of laundry, and then dressed in an ultra-conservative navy-blue business suit for my appointment with Laura.
Her office is in the low-rent district downtown, on the second floor of a building that must be over a hundred years old. The place smelled old and looked worn out. As I approached the door, I noticed her name, with the title Attorney at Law below, printed on a sheet of white paper and taped to the inside.
I opened the door and stepped inside. The reception area had two wooden chairs against the far wall: no receptionist and not even a sign to have a seat. I assumed the chairs were for clients, so I sat down.
I recognized her voice coming from the office down a short hall. She was apparently on the phone with another client, so I waited patiently.
"Hello, you must be Margaret," Laura said as she stepped from the hall.
"Yes, and you're Laura?" I asked.
"Pleased to meet you,” she said, extending her hand.
I stood up as we shook hands, and she motioned to the hall with her free hand. "Let's talk for a little,” she suggested as we walked to her office.
Laura looked young, very young. Her shoulder-length straight hair was parted in the middle of her head. She was wearing slacks and a blue long-sleeve sweater. A matching blazer hung loosely over the back of her desk chair.
"Have a seat,” she said as she sat down behind her desk and flipped to a clean sheet of paper on the legal pad on her desk.
"Let me tell you about myself,” Laura offered
"Okay," I replied, wondering all kinds of things about this youthful attorney.
She began, "I passed the bar four years ago and took a position with the local women in crisis bureau."
"I see," I said.
"After two years of constant work filing PFA's, I decided to start my own firm. None of the large firms in the area were interested in an attorney without any trial experience,” Laura offered.
"So, how many divorce cases have you handled since starting your firm," I asked.
Laura paused for a moment, then admitted, "I've handled three."
I smiled and then asked. "Did you win all three?"
Laura returned my smile and then said, "Two of the three, the third is ongoing."
I leaned back in my chair and unbuttoned my blazer. "I'm not sure you have the experience to handle my case," I said.
She pulled her chair closer to her desk and picked up a pen. "Why do you think that?"
"Well, my husband is an attorney; he works for a large firm here in town, and you'll be going against some of the toughest lawyers in the business," I said.
"I love a challenge," she answered. "My caseload is certainly small enough that your case would get my undivided attention," Laura added.
"Have you and your husband tried to work things out?" she asked.
I smiled and replied, "That's not happening. I want to rake the cheating bastard over the coals."
"So he cheated on you?" Laura said, making a note.
"Yes," I replied.
"And did you cheat on him?" she asked.
"Not that he knows about," I answered as she made another note.
"Well, if his firm is as good as you say they are, they will find out you cheated," Laura commented.
I liked her honesty and asked, "Can we claim his cheating forced me to do the same?"
"I doubt it," Laura said.
"Do you have a job?" she asked.
"Barry didn't think my having a job would help his status with the firm, so I was a stay-at-home wife for fourteen years, but I recently took one to support myself," I explained.
Laura smiled as she wrote another note. "That's a plus; he was your only means of support until you separated."
"What kind of job have you taken?" she asked.
I thought for a moment, then said, "I'd rather not say."
Laura dropped her pen and looked up from her notes. "Margaret, I must know everything about your life before and since the split. Lawyer-client confidentiality would apply even if you don't retain me."
"I've taken a job with an escort service," I admitted.
Laura sat back and brought her hand to her chin. "I see," she said.
"Well, we're going to have to keep that tidbit of information from coming out,” she said.
"It is a very discrete service," I offered.
"Let's hope so. That kind of detail can be a case killer," Laura remarked.
Laura and I spent the next hour going over the details of my case, and as she finished up, she asked, "So Margaret, would you like to retain me to represent you?"
I thought for only a few seconds before I answered, "Yes, Laura, I think you'll do an excellent job on my behalf."
"Very good!" she replied.
Laura slid a retainer form across the desk and said, "Just sign on the bottom line. That'll make us a team."
I signed and told her again that I was confident she'd do a good job.
"Call me in a few days," Laura said, then added, "I'll get the papers drawn up for your signature, then filed and served on your husband as soon as possible."
"Okay, I will," I said as I stood up to leave.
As I walked toward the door, Laura stopped me and asked one final question, "Can we do lunch sometime soon? I'd love to find out more about your line of work."
"I'd love to," I replied. "We'll set it up next time I call you," I added.
As I walked to my Benz, I wondered why this young attorney would be interested in, as she put it, "my line of work." Still, I knew many of her contemporaries had limitless discretionary money to spend, so I'd want to explore that possibility.
The afternoon rush hour traffic was beginning to build as I made the right turn out of the parking lot. Everyone rushing to get home or to their favorite after-work happy hour spot. I decided I'd stop for a cocktail since I was dressed like most of the conservatives leaving work.
The only place I knew on this side of town with a decent cocktail lounge was the Regency Hotel, and in a little more than five minutes, I was pulling into the parking garage. I gave the valet a healthy glimpse of creamy white thigh flesh as I slipped out of the Benz. His broad smile acknowledged he appreciated the view.