Choices (New Beginnings #1)
Page 5
"Hey." Michaela couldn't hide the nervousness from her voice.
"You get used to things around here," Katie said. "Don't worry about it."
"So, what is this place we're going to?" Michaela asked.
"It's called Legal Services, and it helps underprivileged kids and families with legal stuff. It's the reason I live here and not closer to school. I want to be there whenever they need me."
The place was only a short walk and was bursting with people by the time they arrived. There was a waiting area to the left where the couches were crammed with kids and their parents. Further on ahead were rows of desks where Katie said the volunteers worked. There were only a few paid lawyers that worked here, and they had the offices at the far end of the space.
"Katie!" A man appeared at her side and put his arm around her in a side hug.
"Hey, Joey," Katie said, "this is Michaela."
"You here to work?" he asked.
"Planning on it," Michaela answered.
"She's not in law school yet, so she's with you." Katie turned to Michaela. "Sorry, it'll be the same stuff you're doing at Howarth, Bryan, and Hodges."
"I don't mind," Michaela shrugged. Katie nodded and headed off towards one of the offices, where a woman stood in the doorway calling her name.
The room was noisy and Michaela could barely hear Joey as he led her to one of the open desks. "I know this place can be overwhelming," he said.
"What?" Michaela asked, struggling to hear him.
"It's a lot to take in," he said. "They do really good work here. It's mostly children's law."
Michaela felt out of her element, but she knew it was only because of what she was used to. This inner city crowd was very different than the suit-wearing, social-climbing group that she’d grown up with. The lawyers didn't even wear ties here. The noisy chatter was a far cry from the quiet calm of a corporate lawyer's office. As she looked around, she found that she actually liked it. Howarth, Bryan, and Hodges seemed stiff and sterile in comparison. Legal Services vibrated with life.
A young boy ran past, almost knocking Joey over. "Slow down there, sport."
"Sorry, sir," came the breathy response before he took off again.
"Alright, Michaela. We're way behind on our transcriptions. You good with working on some of those?" Joey showed her what folder the files were in on the computer and headed off to his own work. Michaela leaned back and looked around before picking up the headphones and placing them on her head. The noise died instantly and she found that she missed it. She shook off that feeling and got to work.
"Michaela." The muffled sound of her name jolted her out of her work trance and she removed the headphones to find Katie smiling at her. It suddenly dawned on Michaela that she couldn't remember Katie not smiling. "You ready to go?" she asked. Michaela checked her phone and was surprised to find that she'd been at it for almost three hours.
"Sure." Michaela stood and stretched her stiff back.
"I have class this afternoon." Katie stopped when she heard someone call her name. It was the same woman as before. "Sorry, can you wait a minute? It's just that I'm helping her with a big case." Katie hurried off, leaving Michaela standing by the front door.
"Are you a law-yer?" The small voice came from behind her and she turned. A girl who couldn't be more than five or six stood looking up at her with wide eyes. Michaela crouched down to look at the girl.
"Not yet," she said. "What's your name?"
"Kimberly." She started coughing and couldn't seem to stop. When she finally did, her breath wheezed in and out.
"Are you okay, Kimberly?" Michaela asked.
"Uh-huh." The girl's eyes were red, but she didn't cry. She pushed her long, black hair out of her face and sniffled.
"Hey, Kimmy!" Katie appeared behind her.
"Hi, Miss Katie."
"Tell your grandmother I said hello, okay?"
"I will." Kimberly turned and went back into the waiting area as Katie and Michaela stepped out onto the street.
"I'm not going to be able to find a cab here, am I?" Michaela asked, looking up and down the street. There were plenty of cars but none of them were that telltale yellow.
"Probably not. They'll bring you here from other parts of the city but you won't find any hanging around, trolling for fares."
"Right," she sighed.
"Just take the subway," Katie said. Michaela had never told anyone, but she had an irrational fear of the subway. She’d never taken it before, and was sure she'd end up lost in some place like, well, some place like where she was at the moment.
"I think I'll just call a friend," she told her. Chris was at work so she tried the next number.
"Hello," the answer came after a few rings.
"Hey, Jason," she said.
"Hey, Mic, what's up?" His voice sounded groggy as if she’d woken him up with the call. It was nearly noon but Jason did own a bar that stayed open late. He wasn't supposed to be back to work yet but she knew he probably was.
"Think you could come pick me up?"
"Sure thing."
Michaela gave him the address, hung up, and then sat on the front stoop of Katie's building to wait.
He pulled up a little while later in Chris's car.
"Hey," she said, sliding in. "Why are you driving my brother's car?"
"I don't have one in the city," he answered.
"Oh. I'm surprised he lent it to you. This thing is his baby."
"I told him his sister was in desperate need of a white knight." He grinned.
"Come on then," she laughed, motioning for him to start driving. "Do your saving."
###
"Find the channel, I'll get some plates." Michaela dropped her keys on the counter and started taking the food out of the bag. She and Jason had stopped for some takeout and then headed straight for her apartment. The NHL network was doing a preseason special, so they’d hurried back.
"With the regular season only two weeks away," the announcer began, "we are breaking down each team in order to make our predictions for the Stanley Cup playoffs."
Michaela had a lot of memories of both regular season and playoff games growing up. The Rangers had been the only thing she had in common with her father. When she was little, he'd take her with him into the city to see them play. They bonded at those games and she began to live for them. She felt proud when she started to be able to hold her own when they talked about players and prospects. That's where her love for the game started.
"Jason," Michaela said, holding out a plate. He broke his eyes from the TV long enough to take it. She sat next to him and watched. When they started talking about the Jackets, a picture of Josh appeared on the screen as a prospect to watch.
"It would surprise no one if this young man was on the opening night roster," the announcer said.
"Oh my god!" Michaela squealed. "He's going to do it!" Her excitement was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Hold that thought," She put her plate on the table and walked around the couch. She unlocked the door and swung it open.
"Dad?" Her mouth dropped open.
He gave her a tight smile.
"Are you going to invite me in, or do you expect me to stand out here in the hall?" he asked, instantly sending Michaela on the defensive. She let him in anyways.
"If I’d known you were coming, I would have cleaned up a bit more but that would've required you to call me."
"The phone works two ways, Michaela."
"Sorry, Dad, haven't really felt like talking to one of your secretaries lately."
He seemed unfazed by her snipe. He’d always been good at hiding his emotions to the point where he seemed completely devoid of them.
"I didn't come here to argue," he sighed. "I came all this way because I wanted to talk to you." Michaela knew he’d probably already been in the city for some meeting, but it was still unusual for him to see his kids even when he was nearby. "Who's this?" he asked, catching sight of Jason.
"Dad, this
is my friend Jason," Michaela said. "Jason, this is my dad."
"It's nice to meet you, sir." Jason held out his hand and Michaela's dad took it.
"Are you dating my daughter?" He fixed Jason with his sternest stare.
"Dad!" Michaela yelled. "You can't just barge into my life and start asking questions. I'm sure Mom put you up to this, so you can tell her that no, I'm not dating anyone. Not like it's any of her business."
"Your mother doesn't know I'm here. She still hasn't forgiven you."
"For what? For saying no to Ethan and ruining her dreams of social domination?"
"I think I'll go," Jason interrupted.
"Don't you dare," Michaela growled, grabbing his hand.
"Your mother is a complicated woman," her father said, paying no attention to Jason. "She only wants what’s best for you. She believes that's Ethan. I believe that’s Columbia. In a few years you could be joining my firm."
"You never offered that to Chris, and he actually enjoys being a corporate lackey." Michaela threw her arms in the air and went into the kitchen under the guise of getting a drink. She really just needed a break. She didn't get one because her father followed her.
"I don't appreciate that tone," he said dangerously. "I wanted Chris to be in the city. It's more conducive to his ... preferences." It was said with such disdain that Michaela felt the words jolt through her. And then she understood everything.
"You mean you wanted his preferences to be away from you!" Michaela didn't know when she started shouting but it felt good. She’d never spoken to her dad like that.
"I don’t have to discuss this with you," he said.
"Oh, yes you do. Chris is my brother. Some days he's the only person that actually acts like family. Your judgments have no place in this apartment. If you don't approve of him then you don't approve of me, and you can feel free to leave." Michaela glared at her father with an anger she’d never felt towards him before. Her whole life, it had been her mother making her angry. This was different.
Her father glared at her one more time before leaving and slamming the door behind him. Michaela felt deflated, as if all the wind had been knocked out of her in an instant and she could no longer hold herself up. She gripped the table as her legs wobbled beneath her. She barely noticed when Jason grabbed her arm and guided her to the couch. She pulled her knees in and leaned against him as she started to cry. He held her and didn't say a word.
"The juggernaut that is the Rangers have a lot of questions," the announcer said in the background. "This may be the year we see them miss the playoffs entirely. The salary cap has changed the game, and the great team of the past ten years has been ripped apart."
All Michaela could think when she heard that was, at least my dad won't be taking me to any games this year.
Six
"Chris, I'm so sorry." Michaela put her arm around her brother, who sat on the couch with his head in his hands. He hadn't spoken since she finished telling him about their father's visit. His shoulders shuddered, and he finally lifted his face to look at her. He wasn't crying, but the look in his eyes was worse.
"At least now I understand," he said.
"Understand what?" she asked.
"Why he stopped being my father. I disgust him." Chris blew out a long breath and leaned back.
"No, you don't. You--"
"Michaela, stop," Chris interrupted. "Don't say things just to make me feel better. It. Won't. Work. You saw his face when he talked about me. In his eyes, I'm not his son anymore, am I?"
"Of course you are. It's just--"
"Stop!" He pushed her arm from his shoulders and jumped to his feet. Before she knew it, he was across the apartment and out the door. She didn't go after him. Since he was a teenager, Chris had held on to the hope that when he finally did come out to his parents, they’d accept him. Michaela knew that all he wanted to hear was that they still loved him. There was nothing she could say to help him, it was all up to them.
Michaela and Chris hadn't relied on their parents for affection in their lives. They knew they wouldn't get it. To her mother, children were something to be controlled, not coddled. Her father had always taken the indifferent approach. It would be easier for both siblings if they could just cut themselves loose and be a family, just the two of them. Maybe it was the curse that all children bear. The desire, the need, to please their parents even if they never received any love in response.
Michaela wasn't surprised that her father had been so heartless. If she had to choose between her parents and her brother, Chris would win every time.
Michaela woke the next morning to the sounds of someone trying to break in. She grabbed a knife from the kitchen, but then put it down when she heard a voice on the other side of the door.
"Dammit," Chris slurred and then Michaela heard the sound of his keys hitting the floor. She ran to the door and unlatched it.
"Oh Chris," she said as soon as she saw him fumbling to pick up his keys and trying not to fall over. She reached down and swiped the keys before wedging her shoulder up underneath his arm. "Come on." She heaved and he started moving. Halfway to his room, Chris stumbled, sending Michaela slamming into the kitchen island counter as they passed it. She let out a sharp cry as pain throbbed from the impact and then righted herself.
Michaela got her brother into bed and then brought him a glass of water.
"I have to get to work," she said, covering him with a blanket.
"Work," he grumbled.
"I'll take care of it," she promised. Chris nodded once and then closed his eyes. With one more look at her brother, Michaela left the room and immediately started dialing her phone.
"Hello," Katie answered.
"Hey, Katie, it's Michaela," she said, swinging her bag over her shoulder and grabbing her keys.
"Yeah, I know. Caller ID."
"Right, sorry. I'm not thinking clearly this morning." Michaela locked the door behind her and headed towards the office. "Look, I need a favor."
"What's up?" Katie asked.
"I need you to tell Mr. Howarth that Chris called out sick earlier this morning."
"Sure thing, is he okay?"
"He will be," Michaela sighed. "I know he has a few meetings today, but I'll reschedule those when I get in. I'm on my way now."
"Okay, see you in a few," Katie said. Michaela hung up and then called Jason.
"What?" he mumbled, still half asleep when he picked up.
"Jason, hey," Michaela said.
"Hey." He was a little more awake that time.
"Wake up," Michaela said impatiently.
"I'm awake," he said a little louder.
"Good, I need you to do something for me."
"Yeah?"
"In a few hours, can you go check on Chris? I just left him practically passed out, but I had to get to work."
"I'll be there. Can I go back to sleep now?" He hung up, and Michaela smiled for the first time that morning. Jason was not a morning person.
###
"Hey, man," Jason said, closing the door behind him.
"Go away, Jason," Chris responded.
"No. Your sister told me to check on you, and that's what I'm going to do."
"Look." Chris lifted his head of the couch and grimaced. "I'm fine. You saw me. Now you can leave and tell my sister I don't need a babysitter."
Jason moved around the couch and stared down at his friend until he sat up, making room. Sitting beside him, he sighed and closed his eyes for a second before speaking.
"I won't say that I know what you're going through ..."
"Good."
"... but I do know what it's like to feel like your parents have abandoned you."
"I doubt that," Chris said. "Look at you. You're like the all-American perfect son that parents dream about."
Jason sighed and pushed down the little bit of anger he felt coming on. “Chris, how long have we known each other?"
"Since I moved to the city, so like two years."
"We don't talk about family stuff." Chris looked away suddenly feeling ashamed that he didn't know the answer to any of those questions.
"That's shit. I knew all about Michaela before she got here. I'd been hearing about her for years."
"I'm sorry, man. I don't know what to say."
"I'm not trying to make you feel bad," Jason said. "I'm only trying to make you see that I get it. You don't know anything about my family because I don't talk about them. My parents died when I was nine. Car accident. Maggie and her parents were my only living relatives, but they couldn't afford another mouth to feed. By the time I was eighteen, I’d been in twelve different foster homes before I was finally kicked out. My girlfriend Briahna's family took me in as one of their own. But in a few short years, that was gone as well. The alone thing sucks, I know. But, the difference is, you aren't alone and I'm not anymore either."
Chris stared at Jason long and hard before sucking in a sharp breath and letting a soft chuckle rumble through his chest. "Alright, let's stop acting like girls."
"You're right. We need to shoot things. Halo?" Jason asked, grinning. Chris nodded his head in response.
###
Work was pretty slow. After the bustle of Legal Services, the office felt like a graveyard. There were plenty of people in and out all day but they didn't talk much until they were behind the closed doors of the offices. Michaela thought it made the hallways feel desolate.
Mr. Bryan, one of the name partners, seemed to always be around. He made a point of stopping every time he passed the front desk. He’d stare straight at Michaela and smile. He wasn't bad looking: he was maybe forty, with jet black hair that was silver near his temples. The changing hair color didn't make him look old, it made him seem more dignified. His smile was nice too. No, it wasn't his looks that made Michaela uncomfortable. It was the way he’d look her up and down slowly. It was also the fact that he was her boss.
"Don't mind him," Katie said when she notice Michaela squirming. "He's harmless."