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Authors: Andrew Neiderman
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complex of cedar wood town houses just outside the village proper in a wooded, rustic setting. The town-houses were comfortable and spacious two-floor apartments with wood-burning brick fireplaces.
The complex had a community pool and two clay tennis courts. In no sense of the word had Miriam and he been roughing it during these early years, but when he looked at the town on the quick ride home, he found himself suddenly critical. There was something here he had not seen before—the area had a way of lulling its residents, making them complacent. Now he saw greater things and how unattainable those things would be if they stayed here.
He pulled into his garage, but before he had a chance to open the front door, Miriam had it opened for him. She stepped back into the foyer, a look of worry on her face. "Where have you been? I thought you would call me before lunch and we might get together, and you know I was waiting to hear what Sanford Boyle had to say."
He stepped in, closing the door softly behind him. "Forget Boyle; forget Carlton; forget Sessler."
"What?" She brought her right hand to the base of her throat. "Why? They didn't offer you the partnership?"
"Partnership? Hardly. Just the opposite."
"What do you mean, Kevin?"
He shook his head. "They didn't fire me so much as they suggested I find something more suitable to my . .. my nature," he said. He walked past her to the living room and flopped on the couch.
She remained behind, looking stunned. "It was this last case, wasn't it?"
"The straw that broke the camel's back, I suppose. Look, Miriam, I wasn't meant for them and they weren't meant for me."
"But Kev ... after three years with only good things happening." She grimaced.
"I knew you shouldn't have taken this case. I knew it. Now look what's happened,"
she cried. She couldn't keep her heart from pounding. How would it look? Kevin defends a known lesbian and then loses his position at one of the most prestigious firms in the community? She could hear her mother saying "I told you so."
"Relax." He smiled up at her.
"Relax?" She tilted her head. Why wasn't he more upset? "Where have you been, Kevin?" She looked at the clock on the fireplace mantel. "And aren't you home early?"
"Uh-huh. Come on in. Sit down." He patted the cushion beside him. "I have a lot to tell you."
"Your mother called," she said, almost as if she foresaw his words and wanted to start reminding him of his ties to the area.
"I'll call her in a while. Everything all right?"
"Oh yes. She wanted to congratulate you on the court victory," she added dryly.
"Good. She's going to be even happier now."
"Why, Kevin?" Miriam decided to sit across from him, folding her hands in her lap.
"Don't look so nervous, honey. All we're going to do from now on is improve our lives."
"How?"
"Well, obviously I'm going to leave Boyle, Carlton, and Sessler. Thank God for that."
"You used to be very proud of working there," she said sadly.
"Used to be. What did I know? I was a kid, just out of law school, happy to get anything like that, but now. . ."
"What? Tell me," she asked more forcefully.
"Well," he said, leaning forward, "remember that man who came up to us at the bar in the Bramble Inn Friday night and gave me his card?"
"Yes."
"Well, after I had my cheerful discussion with the Three Stooges, I looked into it.""What did you do?"
"I called him and drove into Manhattan. It was like .. . like entering one of my daydreams. Talk about your rich New York firms. Wait until you see this. They're on the twenty-eighth floor. The view is magnificent. Anyway, they're literally inundated with work; that's how fast their reputation has grown in New York.
They desperately need another attorney."
"What did you do, Kevin?"
"First let me tell you that Paul wasn't kidding. They will be paying me twice as much as I would have earned at Boyle, Carlton, and Sessler this year even if they had done the right thing and made me a full partner. And that's a
The complex had a community pool and two clay tennis courts. In no sense of the word had Miriam and he been roughing it during these early years, but when he looked at the town on the quick ride home, he found himself suddenly critical. There was something here he had not seen before—the area had a way of lulling its residents, making them complacent. Now he saw greater things and how unattainable those things would be if they stayed here.
He pulled into his garage, but before he had a chance to open the front door, Miriam had it opened for him. She stepped back into the foyer, a look of worry on her face. "Where have you been? I thought you would call me before lunch and we might get together, and you know I was waiting to hear what Sanford Boyle had to say."
He stepped in, closing the door softly behind him. "Forget Boyle; forget Carlton; forget Sessler."
"What?" She brought her right hand to the base of her throat. "Why? They didn't offer you the partnership?"
"Partnership? Hardly. Just the opposite."
"What do you mean, Kevin?"
He shook his head. "They didn't fire me so much as they suggested I find something more suitable to my . .. my nature," he said. He walked past her to the living room and flopped on the couch.
She remained behind, looking stunned. "It was this last case, wasn't it?"
"The straw that broke the camel's back, I suppose. Look, Miriam, I wasn't meant for them and they weren't meant for me."
"But Kev ... after three years with only good things happening." She grimaced.
"I knew you shouldn't have taken this case. I knew it. Now look what's happened,"
she cried. She couldn't keep her heart from pounding. How would it look? Kevin defends a known lesbian and then loses his position at one of the most prestigious firms in the community? She could hear her mother saying "I told you so."
"Relax." He smiled up at her.
"Relax?" She tilted her head. Why wasn't he more upset? "Where have you been, Kevin?" She looked at the clock on the fireplace mantel. "And aren't you home early?"
"Uh-huh. Come on in. Sit down." He patted the cushion beside him. "I have a lot to tell you."
"Your mother called," she said, almost as if she foresaw his words and wanted to start reminding him of his ties to the area.
"I'll call her in a while. Everything all right?"
"Oh yes. She wanted to congratulate you on the court victory," she added dryly.
"Good. She's going to be even happier now."
"Why, Kevin?" Miriam decided to sit across from him, folding her hands in her lap.
"Don't look so nervous, honey. All we're going to do from now on is improve our lives."
"How?"
"Well, obviously I'm going to leave Boyle, Carlton, and Sessler. Thank God for that."
"You used to be very proud of working there," she said sadly.
"Used to be. What did I know? I was a kid, just out of law school, happy to get anything like that, but now. . ."
"What? Tell me," she asked more forcefully.
"Well," he said, leaning forward, "remember that man who came up to us at the bar in the Bramble Inn Friday night and gave me his card?"
"Yes."
"Well, after I had my cheerful discussion with the Three Stooges, I looked into it.""What did you do?"
"I called him and drove into Manhattan. It was like .. . like entering one of my daydreams. Talk about your rich New York firms. Wait until you see this. They're on the twenty-eighth floor. The view is magnificent. Anyway, they're literally inundated with work; that's how fast their reputation has grown in New York.
They desperately need another attorney."
"What did you do, Kevin?"
"First let me tell you that Paul wasn't kidding. They will be paying me twice as much as I would have earned at Boyle, Carlton, and Sessler this year even if they had done the right thing and made me a full partner. And that's a
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