by J. L. Ryan
She opened the door to find her landlord on her step. She glanced back to her boss and then pushed her way out the door. “What do you want, Harry?” She asked.
“ Have you thought about that letter I gave you? You only have three days to make your move…either pay up or get out. What will it be?”
She could feel the tears at the back of her eyes, but she begged for them not to fall. “I know. I’m working on it.”
“ Friday…that’s your last day. I don’t want to lose you as a tenant, but I have a business to run.”
He turned away and headed to the stairs, “Goodbye!” she mumbled.
She went back into her apartment and saw that he was watching the door. She didn’t respond about the visitor, but he did speak. “Friend?” He asked, casually.
“ More like enemy,” she replied with a laugh. She shrugged, “Back to this case. I will step back and let you do your job.”
“ Thank you!” He removed a couple of pictures from the file and held them up. “We do have proof that she had been having an affair with this guy, while she was still married.”
She nodded, still doesn’t make her an abuser, she thought. She pushed the thought from her mind and reached out for the picture. She looked down and saw this woman dancing with this man. They looked like they were in love. She gave the picture back to him and shrugged. “Nice picture,” she mumbled.
“ For a cheater,” he replied, shaking his head. “I guess that’s it. I am sorry that I interrupted your morning.”
“ No worries.”
“ I’ll see you in the office in about an hour.”
She nodded, watching him leave her apartment. She sunk down at the kitchen table and covered her face with her hands. She didn’t want him to know what was bothering her, so she had to hold it in. Yet, she had no idea what she was going to do.
***
Jeffrey buzzed in on her phone at eight o’clock sharp. “Yes?” She asked.
“ The client is here. Come to my office first.”
“ Yes, Mr. Bradley,” she spoke, picking up a pad of paper and pen and heading out of her office. She walked down the hallway and entered his office.
He looked up and then stood to his feet. “I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page about today’s meeting.”
“ Meaning?” she asked.
“ I don’t want you speaking your mind. I get that you aren’t convinced, but it’s not my job to convince you. It’s my job to convince the judge and I don’t want you getting in that way.” He moved to the door and held it open for her. “Understand?”
“ Loudly,” she spoke, brushing past him. She turned around and put up her finger. “For the record…I would never get in the way of YOU doing your job.” She turned on her heels and walked down the hallway to the boardroom. She stopped and turned around to see that he was lagging behind.
He held out his hand to show that he was welcoming her in first. She nodded and entered the room. She smiled as she took a seat. “Hello, Mr. Houser,” she shook his hand.
She saw that Jeffrey was doing the same, as he took his seat. He put the paperwork in front of him and then looked up. “Tell me your story, Mr. Houser.”
She watched, as he seemed hesitant. However, then he finally spoke. “I am suing for full custody, because my wife isn’t suitable.”
“ You mean your ex?” He asked.
He nodded, “Yeah…yeah, my ex. She isn’t suitable. She drinks and has abusive tendencies.”
Marisa jotted down the information, as he stated them. “Tell me about her abusive tendencies.”
“ Well…when Valarie was two she ended up with a broken arm.”
Marisa looked up at him and saw that he was sweating profusely. “Your ex beat her so bad that she broke her arm?” He asked, making notes of his own.
He nodded, but then paused. “They said that she fell off the Merry Go Round, but I never bought that. I know my ex.”
“ When did you get divorced? How old were the children?” Jeffrey asked.
“ Hm…” he looked up to the ceiling. “I think that Valarie was four years old and Trey was two.”
“ So, you divorced her two years after the suspected abuse started?”
“ Yes, so?” He asked, defensively. “I loved her and I didn’t want to believe that she could be a maniac, but the truth had to come out.”
“ How old are the children now?” He asked, barely making eye contact.
“ That was two years ago.” He spoke, carefully looking between the two people sitting opposite him.
“ So, it was about four years ago that Valarie broke her arm?” Marisa glanced at Jeffrey. She could tell where he was going with it, but she wondered if he was questioning him because of her or because of him.
“ What does that matter?” Troy asked, again defensively.
“ Nothing. I just want to see how you handle the questions that you are going to be fired. What I am asking is only the breaking point. If you don’t answer them with ease, you’ll be perceived as hiding something. Are you hiding something?”
Again I turned my focus on my boss. He was good and not batting an eye. For a moment it made sense why he was arrogant. It was the only way he knew how to be. “Nothing. She deserves to suffer, because those kids belong with me.”
“ Okay,” Jeffrey replied, taking some more notes. “Do you have anything else to add?”
He shook his head, “Nope. I have said my peace.” He replied.
For the first time since entering the room, Jeffrey turned to Marisa. She couldn’t read what was in his mind, but she wondered if it was doubt. He stood up and turned back to Troy. “Thank you for stopping by and I will let you know when you go before the judge.”
They all shook hands again and Troy left the room.
Jeffrey followed after him, not saying a word to Marisa as he headed back to his office. Marisa looked down at her notes and noticed what she had written. Most of it was about his attributes. He was shaking, nervous, sweating, and defensive. He didn’t act like something that believed what he was saying and somehow she wanted to prove that.
***
Marisa sat at her desk, tapping her pencil loudly against her computer. Her thoughts roamed to the landlord and the meeting with their client. She finally took a deep breath and headed out of her office. She made her way down to see him. She noticed the door was open, but she knocked anyway. He looked up, “Come in, Jamison.”
There was something about the way that he called her by her last name. She loved it. His eyes remained on hers. “Well, are you going to stand all day gawking, or do you have a question?”
She felt her face flush, as she looked away. She didn’t know how he could do that. When she finally regained control, she looked back in his direction. “What did you think of the meeting?” She asked. It wasn’t exactly why she came in there, but she figured it would buy her some time.
He shrugged, “Okay, I guess. Why? I suppose you have an opinion.” He snarled.
She shrugged, “Maybe, but I won’t say a word. I’m a woman of my word.”
He laughed, glancing down at the papers. “Well, if you do decide to voice your opinion…I’ll listen.” She was surprised to hear him say that. He looked up and she thought she even noticed a smile. “Doesn’t mean I’ll take your side. It just means I’ll listen.”
“ Right,” she shook her head. She glanced down at the picture on his desk. For the first time, really noticing it. “Is that your family?” She asked, staring at a picture of a brunette woman, holding a toddler in her hands. His hand was on her shoulder. She glanced at his hand and noticed that he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. She had figured she would have seen it before, if he had been.
He nodded, “Yes,” he replied, but the word came out quiet.
“ Good looking family,” she replied, then turned to leave, but when she reached the door she decided to just say what was on her mind. “I guess I do have something to ask you.”
; He looked up, “About the case?”
“ Well…not exactly.”
He put down his papers and nodded, “Go on.”
She felt panic welling up inside of her. She then tried to breathe and think of how she could possibly approach the subject with someone that she barely knew. “You see…I was kind of hoping that possibly you could give me an advance on my first paycheck?”
If there was once a smile playing on his face, it was now gone. “I don’t do charity.” He replied, looking down at the papers.
Her jaw dropped, “Charity?”
“ Yes. I believe in working your way from the bottom and knowing that it will all work out in the end. I don’t give handouts.”
She couldn’t believe her ears. She believed that you should fight to get ahead, but she also believed in doing something for the good of the cause. Yet, this had nothing to do with charity. “It would ultimately be my money. I’m not understanding the problem.” She replied, feeling a sense of urgency.
He rolled his eyes, “Yes, but if I do it for you this one time then you are going to expect every time. That’s the way things work.”
“ You’re wrong. I just need some extra money this week. I didn’t make a lot at the waitressing job and things got behind. I really could just use a jump start.”
He shook his head, glancing down at his desk. “I can’t do that. You may see yourself out.”
She felt her face turning red, but this time in anger. “You know what you are?” She fired out.
He looked up, eyes wide, “No…what am I?”
She stared him down, bracing herself and trying to hold it all in, but it was impossible. “You are an arrogant jerk that doesn’t care about anyone or anything. All you want to do…is be right. Well, newsflash…you aren’t right. You are conceited and if it wasn’t for the fact that I need this job, I would…I would…”
He stood up from his desk, “You would what?”
“ I would quit, because I didn’t apply to be a doormat or a slave and in the few days I have worked with you…that is exactly what I am.”
“ Are you finished?” He asked, when she took time to breathe. She nodded. “For the way you just talked to me, I could have you fired and you wouldn’t have to worry about quitting.”
She looked away. At that point she didn’t think her life could get worse anyway. “I will willingly go,” she mumbled. She reached the door, but he cleared his throat. “Don’t go…I’m not through talking.” She casually looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. “I could easily let you go and not turn back, but I’m not going to.”
Her jaw dropped, “You’re not?”
He shook his head, “No. In fact, I appreciate when someone can speak their mind and not back down. Not everyone does that and it’s a trait that I admire.”
She was not the least bit surprised to learn that. She felt a twinge of hope. “So, you’ll give me the advance?”
Their eyes met, but he finally shook his head. “I can’t. I know that you think that I’m a hard-nose and maybe you’re right, but the fact is that companies have rules for a reason and one of the rules that I stand by is you need to work for everything you receive. It may seem tough, but it seems to always work.”
She groaned, nodding her understanding. “Then, I guess it is what it is. Thank you for your time.”
“ Unless you would like to tell me what you want the money for and perhaps we could work out a loan agreement.”
She paused at the door. Every thought she was hearing was telling her to swallow her pride and just tell him, but she sadly felt she couldn’t. She felt like a failure and she didn’t want him judging her. “Not that important,” she said and then walked out of his office. She headed back to her office and sat down at her desk. She was thankful she still had a job, but the realization that she was about to lose her home…was a tough pill to swallow.
***
Jeffrey sunk back in his oversized desk chair. His eyes fell to the picture of his family. He picked it up and looked at it, running his fingers over the picture of his daughter. “He closed his eyes,” I love you, Jasmine.” He replaced the picture and went back to his work. His mind drifted away to the feisty blonde. He saw the pain in her eyes and part of him considered just giving her the advance, but he was a stubborn man and not too proud to admit that.
He looked at his notes that he had taken on Troy Houser and began reading them out loud, “Nervous, edgy, argumentative, anxious…” each thing he wrote down was a trait that he saw coming from his client. He didn’t know why, but he suddenly had a strange feeling about the whole situation. He thought back to Marisa’s doubts at the very beginning, but then shook off the nagging feeling that he was getting. “I have to trust him,” he whispered, putting the notes away.
He stood up and moved to his sports jacket. He headed out of his office. On the way out of the building, he passed her office. He looked inside to see that she was still at her desk, tapping her pencil on the computer and staring aimlessly at the screen. He wondered what was so interesting. “Are you leaving?” He asked.
She looked up, shrugging. “Why? Do you have a time that I have to be out of the office if you’re not here?” She asked, sarcastically.
The way she was aggressive toward him, he noticed how it affected him. He had never seen anything like it. Jordan had left the job because she wasn’t able to keep up with his sarcastic antics, but he could see that he was meeting his match. “No…no curfew.” He tapped the wall and nodded, “Have a good evening.”
He heard her snickering, as he left the office. He knew that there was something she was hiding and he hoped to be the one to crack her code. He smiled, walking out of the building. It would be fun trying.
***
She grabbed her last box and headed out of her apartment. “Thanks for helping me move, Chad. I didn’t know who else to call.”
He shrugged, “What about your new boss?”
She thought about that and rolled her eyes. “I doubt Mr. Bradley would be the moving kind of man. Besides…” her face fell, “I don’t want him to know where I’m staying.”
“ I wish you would change your mind, Marisa.” He spoke, while putting the boxes in the back of his truck. “I have plenty of room.”
She knew that it was a generous offer, but she couldn’t take him up on that. “I appreciate it, Chad, but I’ll be fine. This is only until I start getting regular checks.” They got into his truck and as he pulled away, she turned to him, “Have you decided what you’re going to do when the restaurant is closed?”
“ Probably collect unemployment until I find something else.” He shrugged, “Not really worried about it.”
“ I miss everyone,” she replied, quietly.
He turned and looked at her, when they stopped at a red light. “Everyone misses you, too.”
She knew part of her reasons of missing them, was the fact that Jeffrey Bradley just wasn’t them. He turned into the hotel that was next to the office. They got out and grabbed her few boxes. They walked into the lobby and she went up to the reception desk. She hoped that they could strike up a deal and not charge her the whole fee up front.
She explained the situation and was relieved when they agreed to bill her at the end of each week. “Thank you!” she replied, gratefully.
She turned to Chad and they walked to the elevator. “You have one more chance to change your mind. A hotel is not a place for someone to live.”
She laughed, “I will be fine. At least I’m close to the office.” They reached the floor and she got off, walking to the door. She opened the door and entered the room.
It wasn’t big, but she could make it work. They put the boxes down and she walked to the window. She peered outside and she laughed, “I even have a view of the office…what more could I ask for?”
He laughed, walking over to look outside. “Not bad,” he spoke, but sounding a tad sarcastic. “I’ll call you later and we’ll go out. You could use a night out
.”
“ You’ll have to use my number here. I got rid of my cellphone.”
“ Okay,” she walked over and wrote down the number on a piece of paper. She handed it to him and he put it in his pocket. “Take care, Marisa.”
“ You, too.” She pulled him into a hug. “Thank you for helping pack.”
“ When you move out of here, I’ll be back.”
She smiled, nodding. “I will keep that in mind.”
He headed to the door and they said their goodbyes. When he was gone, she looked out the window. She noticed that the office building was opening and Jeffrey was leaving. She glanced down at the clock to find that it was seven o’clock on a Friday night and he was just now leaving. She shook her head. She wondered if his wife ever questioned his later nights. She closed the blinds and fell back against her bed, plopping down on the comforter. Her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep, not wasting any time.
***
The next morning, she arrived to work on another Saturday. She didn’t anticipate having to work the extra weekends at a job that clearly stood for Monday to Friday. However, she kept thinking about the salary and it suddenly became alright. She hurried into the office, this time beating him. She put her stuff away and logged into her computer. She was busy looking up the information about various prospective clients that he asked her to research, when she saw him looking in her office. “Good Morning!”
