Without A Pail

by Michelle Marra

  Her last ninety minutes she would spend with the canines. This section contained every size and breed dog known except some protected breeds like Greyhounds which have their own shelters to the specialized care for the specific breed. It was just about five in the morning when she completed her rounds and most of the dogs were awake and barking their heads off. They were anxiously awaiting their morning out time before breakfast which began at 6:00 a.m. when the shelter was fully staffed. Jill always stuck around a couple extra hours to help with the walking and the feeding, especially her new found friend she had met the day her owner surrendered her.

  “Good Morning Molly,” Jill whispered into a large breed stall. Molly wagged her tail and approached the bars to the front of the cage like she had done every day since she had been in the shelter. The very first words Jill ever spoke to the dog seemed to resonate and bond them almost as if Molly understood. “Guess you were turned in for a younger model too, huh girl?”

  Molly was a ten-year-old beautiful black and tan German Shepherd whose muzzle was mostly gray showing her age. Her owner didn’t want her anymore because she wasn’t getting along with the puppy they purchased for their five-year-old and Molly was becoming aggressive and they feared she might hurt their son.

  Jill didn’t for one minute buy the story, it was more than likely the fact she outgrew their love and overstayed her welcome. And she had seen it too often in the very short time she’d been working at the shelter. Those kinds of people were heartless and had no compassion in their hearts. As much as she wanted to give them a piece of her mind, she knew it would be in vain because if these people could do this to an innocent animal, they certainly wouldn’t care what she had to say about it.

  Molly was not receptive to anyone the shelter tried to match her with, she would always growl at them, and sometimes snap if they came to close or tried to pet her. Fortunately, Manhattan Animal Shelter was a no-kill shelter. Jill feared that if it had been a kill shelter, Molly most certainly would have been gone by now.

  But Molly didn’t respond aggressively towards Jill, she was sweet and gentle. As she sat on the floor outside of Molly’s cage with her arm fully extended through the bars and rubbing Molly’s belly, a light went off in her head. “Maybe Kelly is right, maybe I should adopt you. After all, I understand what it’s like to be abandoned.”

  Jill’s face lit up and as a huge toothy grin splayed across her face, “What do you think girl? How about you come live with me?”

  As if the dog understood, she jumped to her feet and began to bark loudly, almost ferociously.

  “I have to warn you though, I never owned a dog before so I might suck at it.”

  Molly sat on her hind legs, pressed her nose through the bars and began to lick Jill’s face. “Okay…okay girl. Guess it will be a leap of faith for both of us.”

  Chapter 7

  “Thank you for this opportunity Mr. Collins, I won’t let you down,” Jackie said as she stood to shake her new boss’ hand.

  “Oh please, call me Jeff, save the Mr. Collins for my father and grandfather.” He smiled back at her, pleased at his choice for the new associate. Even though she hadn’t worked in law for a few years, Jackie Evans’ portfolio was impressive. He knew it would be a privilege for Collins & Collins Family Law to have Ms. Evans on their team. She needed an opportunity to get back into law and he needed her expertise in divorce laws especially with the Abbott case. This was going to be the case that would catch his father’s eye. He knew it was a joke and a semi-favor to his father that he was given this opportunity to represent Mrs. Abbott. He was supposed to encourage her to sign the settlement deal her husband was proposing. This was a simple task which would benefit the firm by thousands of dollars for basically letting a woman get railroaded and cheated out of what was rightfully hers.

  If he were able to succeed in helping Jillian Abbott get the full fifty percent of the estate, he would be bringing in much more revenue than the payoff would have. But he figured there was some dirty backroom deal in place that was cooked up at the country club with his father and William Abbott’s attorney Robert Hardy. Yes, this would be the case that finally caught the old man’s eye putting him on the map with the rest of the Collins’. Jeff’s smile widened with the thought, integrity does not have a price tag on it.

  Jeff led Jackie down the hall of their office space on the fourteenth floor of The Arlen Building on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan. Their office space had incredible views of Central Park for the partners of the firm and even though he was the son and the grandson of the proprietors, it didn’t mean he would receive billing as a partner much less a named partner. He was to work his way up from the ranks just as his predecessors had done.

  But there was too much dissension in the ranks, and his father went out of his way to prove there was no favoritism, making Jeff work harder than everyone else and giving him crap cases so no associate at the firm felt slighted. Finally a fifth-year associate, this was the year he would make them notice and demand to be brought on as a partner. He paid his dues, it was his turn in the outer offices.

  “You will be in here with the other third-year associates. I’m sure with your knowledge and experience, it won’t be long before you’re moved up in the ranks.”

  Jackie smiled as she looked around the room to the hustle and bustle of the other associates within its walls. “I really appreciate this opportunity and I am going to prove to you and this firm that I can do this and I am good at this.”

  “I will need you working on this big divorce case with me. That is basically why I hired you.” Jeff ushered Jackie back into his office. “My expertise in family law does have limitations and one of them is with divorce, so I will be leaning on you one hundred percent for this.”

  Jackie nodded her head as she looked at a large box Jeff slid across his desk toward her.

  “This case is a top priority, but it is also on the down-low…no one here can know you are working this case with me.”

  Jackie looked at him quizzically.

  “I know this seems weird for me to ask of you right now. I have already sent the paperwork down to human resources, so you are officially part of the Collins & Collins Family Law team. When can you start?”

  Jackie looked down at the box; she pulled the lid off and inwardly sighed when she saw it was completely full of files. Now mentally kicking herself for the reason she wanted back into this; the long hours, the stress, the backbiting and secrecy that came with the job; this was all a major factor for her leaving in the first place. Suzanne just gave her the out she wanted all along. Now she was wondering if she really wanted to be back in the thick of things or if she wanted to walk dogs the rest of her life.

  “Look Ms. Evans…”

  “Please call me Jackie,” She said while glancing into a file.

  “Well Jackie, I know this is a lot to throw you into right away, but I really need your help on this and would appreciate your discretion. You see it is a high profile divorce case, so I need it to remain between us for now. Can you do that? I mean can you keep this case confidential?”

  Jackie sighed, she had a feeling at the mention of the word ‘confidential’ meant she would be forfeiting a lot of sleep.

  “Your record with Stash, Logan and Merriweather was impeccable; what you did with them was impressive. But I can tell you this; they did go out of their way to dissuade me from hiring you when employment history was verified.”

  “I knew they were blackballing me,” Jackie’s face contorted with a disgusted look.

  “So, Jackie…are you in? Can I count on you?”

  Jackie was silent for a minute or two, she really had to think about what he was asking her to do. If found out by the partners, she could probably kiss any part of a law career goodbye. Jeffrey Collins was offering her a second chance to be the one in the forefront making a difference. She had a knack for reading between the lines of divorce laws and finding a way for any situation that seemed hopeless to become
encouraged.

  “Yes you can count on me,” Jackie said as she put the lid back on the box.

  “Awesome. Take that box with you and read through the case and you will see why I’m doing what I’m doing.”

  Every waking moment Jackie’s mind was on the Abbott case, whether she was walking dogs at 7:00 a.m., eating dinner or trying to get a few hours of sleep before it all started again. She had to give up several of her clients during business hours which she hated to do since she had grown so fond of all those canines. But this is what she wanted, to get back on her feet and get back to the task of living…not in her sister’s house. Not that it was a horrible arrangement, just the opposite; her sister was the most amazing person she knew. Really the only mother she ever knew and it would be too easy to get complacent. Jackie did not want to take advantage of her sister’s hospitality and she knew that Joni was seeing someone but would never admit it. She also knew that a little sister in the house must have been seriously cramping her style. Jackie knew it was time to go and hopefully by the end of the year, she should be able to make that happen. So walking dogs or dog sitting anytime she could in between hours at the firm or working on her case was vital to earning the extra money she needed to sock away for a New York apartment.

  “There is definitely something up with that power of attorney,” Jackie mumbled as she stuffed the slice of pepperoni pizza in her mouth.

  It was just about midnight on Friday night when Joni was finally finished with her clients and had come up after locking her store. She raised an eyebrow as she sat on the sofa next to her sister with a plate of pizza, exhausted from the day. She had seen that faraway look in her sister’s eyes for days since starting with the law firm. It was best to keep any comments to herself since they would be better directed at the wall than to Jackie.

  “How was your day?” Jackie asked as she regarded the smirk on her sister’s face.

  “Oh my gosh…I am so honored to be graced with your attention.”

  Jackie rolled her eyes and let out a breath in a loud sigh, “Okay, okay…yes, I’ve been preoccupied.”

  “Mmmhmm,” Joni grunted as she bit down on a piece of pizza crust.

  “I think this case is the only reason Jeff hired me.”

  “Jeff?”

  “Yes...Jeffrey Collins. My expertise in family law is with divorce and it is why he hired me, for this case,” Jackie shook her head and sat her empty plate on the coffee table in front of her. “I already feel like I’m taking too long. I mean, I should have found something helpful by now.”

  “Jack, you’ve been out of practice for a few years. Give yourself a break.”

  “But I still know the law and in legal terms, this divorce looks legitimate. But something is off…just doesn’t add up. I just can’t find it.”

  “If it looks legitimate, maybe it is and that is why you can’t find anything,” Joni said as she crammed another piece of pizza in her mouth.

  “No, there is definitely something off with the power of attorney, but I’m running out of time to produce something.”

  “Jackie, are you just trying to find something that isn’t there just to impress your boss? Are you afraid that if you don’t find what you think he needs to contest the divorce, he’ll fire you?”

  “Yes, but…I can really feel something is off here. You of all people should understand a ‘feeling’.”

  A slight grin formed on Joni’s mouth as she sat back against the couch and crossed her arms, “Touché. Well then, if you really have a feeling that something untoward is happening to this woman then don’t stop investigating. But maybe you need to take a break from it.”

  Jackie’s eyes grew wide as she shook her head, “No, I can’t.”

  “Yes, you can. Take the weekend off, even if it’s just tomorrow. You need fresh eyes on it. You need to look at it with a different perspective. Sounds like you’re lost in a train of thought that has you at a dead end.”

  “Yeah, but…”

  “You are going through the maze the same way over and over again and it keeps leading you back to the same dead-end. If you think there’s something fishy with the power of attorney, start there and work backward.”

  “That is definitely a great idea, I will have to see if that works for me.”

  “Great, so how about taking some time away from it tomorrow night?” Joni put her empty plate on the coffee table and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

  “This is the only thing that has been on my mind…how do you suggest I not think about it for twenty-four hours?”

  “Alcohol…girls.” Joni’s smile widened.

  Jackie’s eyes grew wide, “Are you trying to get me out of the house tomorrow night?”

  “I have a date, well I’m cooking dinner.”

  “Really?” Jackie’s smile spread across her face. “Oohoohoo, finally getting some action?”

  Joni swatted her sister in the arm, “Don’t be so crass. I’m not hooking up with just some random guy. We’ve been seeing each other for a while.”

  “A while!” Jackie’s voice went up a decibel as her eyes blinked rapidly.

  “Yes, a while. A couple years.”

  Jackie’s stomach twisted into a knot, “A couple of years and you’ve never told me about him…why?” She couldn’t believe that her sister would keep this a secret.

  Joni sighed, “You had your own drama and I didn’t want to throw this in your face. Besides, you know me…I, I don’t like to talk about this kind of stuff. I’m happy and I don’t want to jinx it, so can we drop it?”

  Jackie shrugged her shoulders as her eyes found the floor.

  “Oh, come on. Don’t be all hurt now. You know I didn’t keep this from you on purpose.”

  “I guess,” Jackie’s tone was flat, her eyes still downcast.

  “Oh my gosh, you are such a baby. His name Jason and he’s…um.”

  Jackie looked over at her sister’s flustered demeanor, “He’s what…married?”

  “No…oh dear God, no. He’s black…well, half black.”

  “And? Is that the reason why you didn’t tell me?”

  “No, well I don’t know.” She looked over at her sister and saw a disappointed look on her face. “Don’t look at me like that, you don’t know some of the flack I’ve been getting.”

  “From whom?” Jackie’s eyes widened.

  “Friends,” Joni stated through a thick breath.

  “Joni, I hope you told them to get bent. You don’t need friends like that. What assholes!”

  “I know and you’re right, I’ve disassociated myself from them…but I was afraid.”

  “Afraid that I would react the same way?” Jackie’s hands were animated when she gestured at herself.

  Joni only nodded in response.

  “Wow…I don’t know whether to be pissed or hurt right now. How could you even think that? My God, Joni. You were the one who raised me, I think all those life lessons about equality sunk in. I am the last person you should think is prejudicial…I’m a fucking lesbian for God sake.”

  “Please don’t be mad at me.” Joni’s shoulders fell as she stared into her lap.

  “I am mad at you, not because you kept it secret but because of why you kept it secret,” Jackie stood up in a huff and stalked off with her empty plate towards the kitchen. She tossed her plate into the dishwasher a little too loudly, but she was trying to prove a point.

  She stood in the center of the kitchen for a moment with her hands firmly placed on her hips as her head shook in disbelief wondering what she had done in her past to cause her sister to make such a presumption. She reentered the living room with the intent on giving her sister another piece of her mind. If Joni wasn’t able to give her sister the benefit of the doubt, then maybe she should have picked up on it telepathically or something. But when she caught the sight of the tears on her sister’s face her anger faded.

  Jackie rushed over to the sofa and knelt in front of her sister, “I’m sorry Joni, plea
se don’t cry. I understand your hesitation especially when people you cared about blindsided you. I’m just hurt that you would think I could be like that…don't you know how much I love you, admire you? You are my hero and if you like him, then I don’t care if he is from Mars with four eyes and eats dirt…I will like him too.”

  “Thank you!” Joni wiped the tears from her face. “I really like him…if fact, I love him.”

  Jackie’s face lit up, she had wondered and worried if her sister would ever find someone she would fall in love with, now more than ever she was determined to get out of her sister’s house. Her being there must have definitely thrown in a wrench or two. “Love him, huh?”

  “Yeah, big time!”

  A large smile formed on Jackie’s face as she pulled her sister into a hug, “I’m so happy for you. And I will vacate the premises tomorrow so you guys can have all of the sex.”

  Jackie’s laughter echoed through the house when her sister called her disgusting and slapped her on the shoulder.

  As Jackie lay in bed that night trying her best not to think about the Abbott case she reached for her phone as a certain auburn-haired woman filled her thoughts. Suzanne Brooks still made her heart hammer in her chest.

  She typed the text with one hand as her other dipped in between her legs. Practicing law again. As she stared at the contact, the name Suzanne Brooks and the picture that displayed of a bright but devious smile with equally devious eyes; unknowingly pressed send in her orgasmic frenzy.