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Authors: Andrew Neiderman
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did you break the news to your father?"
"I told him how much I wanted to specialize in criminal law and how impressed I was with Mr. Milton."
"But you had a family firm to inherit, didn't you?"
"Oh ..." Ted smiled and shook his head. "After a short while you'll see that this is a family firm, too."
Kevin nodded, impressed with Ted's sincerity.
Kevin returned to what would be his office and sat behind the big desk. He leaned back in the chair, his hands behind his head, and then spun around to look out over the city. It made him feel like a million dollars. He couldn't believe his luck—a rich firm, a rent-free luxury apartment in Manhattan ...
He turned back and looked into the drawers of the desk. Clean pads, new pens, a fresh diary book— everything was there. He was about to close the lower side drawer when something caught his eye. It was a small jewelry case.
He took it out and opened it and looked down at a gold pinky ring with the initial "K" carved into it.
"Trying the chair out for size?" Paul said, stepping in.
"What? Oh. Yeah. What is this?" He held out the ring.
"Found that already, huh? Just something from Mr. Milton, a welcoming gift.
He did it for all of us."
Kevin took the ring out of the case gingerly and tried it on. It was a perfect fit.
He looked up with surprise, but Paul didn't seem at all amazed.
"It's those little things, the way he takes the time to show us how committed he is to us as people, that makes the difference here, Kevin."
"I can see that." Kevin thought for a moment and then looked up from his ring.
"But how did he know I would take the job?"
Paul shrugged.
"Like I said, he's a great judge of character."
"Amazing." He looked around the office. "This man .. . Jaffee?"
"What about him?"
"No one could see it coming?"
"We knew he was depressed. Everyone pitched in. Mr. Milton hired a nurse for the infant. We did all that we could, called him, visited with him. We all feel guilty; we all felt responsible."
"I wasn't implying ..."
"Oh no," Paul said. "We all live in the same apartment building. We should have been able to help him."
"All of you live in the same apartment building?"
"And you will, too. In fact, you'll be taking over Jaffee's apartment."
Kevin just stared. He wasn't sure how Miriam would take to that.
"How did he ... did he do it?"
"He jumped from his patio. But don't worry," Paul said, smiling quickly, "I don't think the apartment is cursed."
"Just the same, it might be wise for me to hold back that information from my wife."
"Oh, by all means. At least until you're settled in and she can see for herself how safe and comfortable you are. In time a herd of wild elephants won't be able to drag her away!"
4
It wasn't until Kevin was about to turn off the expressway that he realized just how much of his and Miriam's life he would be changing. Not that he regretted any of it—
quite the contrary, he couldn't remember ever being as excited about his life and his career. It was just that as he drew closer to the idyllic little community in which he and Miriam had planned to spend their lives, he realized he was going to take them far away from the life they had pictured.
But the changes were all good changes, ones Miriam should want, too, he thought.
How could she not? More money meant an even bigger dream house than they'd envisioned. Their lives would become more cosmopolitan, and they would get away from what he now saw as a stifling provincialism.
Perhaps most importantly, they would expand their circle of friends and meet far more interesting people, heads and shoulders above the so-called sophisticated upper class of Blithedale. He had taken an immediate liking to the two other attorneys working in John Milton's firm and felt confident that Miriam would as well.
He returned to his law office, checked on his mes
sages. Miriam had called, but he decided he would
speak to her when he got home.
He and Miriam lived in Blithedale Gardens, a
"I told him how much I wanted to specialize in criminal law and how impressed I was with Mr. Milton."
"But you had a family firm to inherit, didn't you?"
"Oh ..." Ted smiled and shook his head. "After a short while you'll see that this is a family firm, too."
Kevin nodded, impressed with Ted's sincerity.
Kevin returned to what would be his office and sat behind the big desk. He leaned back in the chair, his hands behind his head, and then spun around to look out over the city. It made him feel like a million dollars. He couldn't believe his luck—a rich firm, a rent-free luxury apartment in Manhattan ...
He turned back and looked into the drawers of the desk. Clean pads, new pens, a fresh diary book— everything was there. He was about to close the lower side drawer when something caught his eye. It was a small jewelry case.
He took it out and opened it and looked down at a gold pinky ring with the initial "K" carved into it.
"Trying the chair out for size?" Paul said, stepping in.
"What? Oh. Yeah. What is this?" He held out the ring.
"Found that already, huh? Just something from Mr. Milton, a welcoming gift.
He did it for all of us."
Kevin took the ring out of the case gingerly and tried it on. It was a perfect fit.
He looked up with surprise, but Paul didn't seem at all amazed.
"It's those little things, the way he takes the time to show us how committed he is to us as people, that makes the difference here, Kevin."
"I can see that." Kevin thought for a moment and then looked up from his ring.
"But how did he know I would take the job?"
Paul shrugged.
"Like I said, he's a great judge of character."
"Amazing." He looked around the office. "This man .. . Jaffee?"
"What about him?"
"No one could see it coming?"
"We knew he was depressed. Everyone pitched in. Mr. Milton hired a nurse for the infant. We did all that we could, called him, visited with him. We all feel guilty; we all felt responsible."
"I wasn't implying ..."
"Oh no," Paul said. "We all live in the same apartment building. We should have been able to help him."
"All of you live in the same apartment building?"
"And you will, too. In fact, you'll be taking over Jaffee's apartment."
Kevin just stared. He wasn't sure how Miriam would take to that.
"How did he ... did he do it?"
"He jumped from his patio. But don't worry," Paul said, smiling quickly, "I don't think the apartment is cursed."
"Just the same, it might be wise for me to hold back that information from my wife."
"Oh, by all means. At least until you're settled in and she can see for herself how safe and comfortable you are. In time a herd of wild elephants won't be able to drag her away!"
4
It wasn't until Kevin was about to turn off the expressway that he realized just how much of his and Miriam's life he would be changing. Not that he regretted any of it—
quite the contrary, he couldn't remember ever being as excited about his life and his career. It was just that as he drew closer to the idyllic little community in which he and Miriam had planned to spend their lives, he realized he was going to take them far away from the life they had pictured.
But the changes were all good changes, ones Miriam should want, too, he thought.
How could she not? More money meant an even bigger dream house than they'd envisioned. Their lives would become more cosmopolitan, and they would get away from what he now saw as a stifling provincialism.
Perhaps most importantly, they would expand their circle of friends and meet far more interesting people, heads and shoulders above the so-called sophisticated upper class of Blithedale. He had taken an immediate liking to the two other attorneys working in John Milton's firm and felt confident that Miriam would as well.
He returned to his law office, checked on his mes
sages. Miriam had called, but he decided he would
speak to her when he got home.
He and Miriam lived in Blithedale Gardens, a
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