by M. E. Tudor
Jean briefly glanced over the messages to make sure there wasn’t something that required her immediate attention. Almost all of them were from reporters. There was one from her father and one from her brother. She decided to call them before she called Ashley, just in case something had changed.
* * *
Ashley was so glad that there were new clients in the office this morning. It gave her something to keep her busy so she didn’t think about what was going on with Jean. She was worried about what the Judicial Conduct Committee and Governor Michaels might do with today’s news.
The office phone had been ringing off the hook. Fortunately, it wasn’t because someone had recognized her in the picture with Jean. Both partners had people in their offices so they hadn’t had time to question her about the picture. She knew they both read the paper first thing in the morning and would have recognized her. She was just waiting for them to call her on it.
The woman who had been in Mr. Winslow’s office came out with Jerry right behind her. After he walked her to the door he turned to Ashley, “Ashley can I see you in my office for a minute?”
Ashley’s head shot up, “Yes sir, of course.” Ashley looked over at Mary who gave her a reassuring smile.
Mary told her this morning not to worry about losing her job. Jackie made enough money to pay all of the rent if they both lost their jobs, but Mary didn’t think that would happen.
Ashley got up and followed Mr. Winslow into his office. He shut the door behind her and pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk, “Please sit down, Ashley.”
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, Ashley did as he said.
He moved behind his desk and sat down. He put his elbows on his desk and put his fingers together in a long thin steeple. “I’m sure you know that Tom and I have seen today’s paper.”
“Yes sir,” Ashley answered quietly steeling herself.
He stared at her for a long moment, “As you know, Tom and I are both fairly religious men.”
“Yes sir.”
“And I suspect that you and Mary have kept your sexuality a secret from us for fear of losing your jobs,” he continued.
Ashley could feel the blood drain from her face. It never occurred to her that Mary might lose her job too over this. “Yes sir,” she answered quietly.
Mr. Winslow smiled reassuringly, “You two don’t have to worry about your jobs. Tom and I both come from religious standpoints that your sexuality is not a choice. You are who you are. God created us all the way we are for a reason. We also are big in practicing compassion and understanding. Otherwise, neither of us could be in this business.”
“You and Mary are both very good legal aids, and we are blessed to have you as part of our business. So we have no intentions of letting you go for something as trivial as who you have a relationship with. That is none of our business, and as long as you continue to be the professional you have always been, we will never have a problem with that.”
Ashley let out the breath she had been holding in a huge sigh of relief. “Thank you so much.”
Mr. Winslow got up from his chair and came around his desk. He took Ashley’s hand, pulled her to her feet and into a hug. “Tom and I consider you and Mary a part of our extended families. We both care very much for the two of you. We may not always show it, but we really do.”
“Thank you,” Ashley said. “Mary and I both love our jobs here, and we have both been worried about what would happen if you found out we were both gay.”
Mr. Winslow leaned against his desk and crossed his arms over his chest, “We don’t want you two to worry about that anymore. We’ve been trying to figure out how to have a meeting about it ever since Mary started seeing our UPS woman.”
“You knew about that?” Ashley asked, astonished.
Mr. Winslow laughed, “You would have to be blind not to see the affection that exists between the two of them. They both try to hide it, but the way they look at each other says volumes.”
Ashley blushed, “They are very fond of each other.”
Taking a deep breath, Mr. Winslow said, “Now, to the business between you and Judge Carlisle.”
Ashley took a deep breath too, “Yes. I guess there is definitely no hiding that anymore.”
He nodded, “Do you know how Judge Carlisle is planning to deal with this?”
“I’m not sure. I know her father, who you know is a successful lawyer in Louisville, is working on the problem she’s having with Governor Michaels and the Judicial Conduct Committee,” Ashley said. “I talked to her this morning and she said something about calling a lawyer with the ACLU, but that’s really all I know so far.”
“Honestly,” he explained, “if I was her attorney, I would advise her to go ahead and come out. That would squelch the rumors and gossip. But, if she does that, if you two have an ongoing relationship, you will probably have to come out with her.”
“My biggest concern about that was losing my job,” Ashley responded. “And now that you’ve assured me that isn’t going to happen, I’ll be fine with coming out with her.”
“What about your family?”
“My family knows. We haven’t had a good relationship for a long time, so that’s not a big deal,” Ashley shrugged.
Mr. Winslow reached over and squeezed her hands, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Mary has been my family for a long time, and then Jackie came along. We are all very close. And then there’s Jean, Judge Carlisle,” Ashley blushed.
It was his turn to blush. “Have you two been seeing each other long?”
“For over a year, we had sort of broken up, and that’s when the John Garrett mess happened. I feel partially responsible for all that, but it’s all in the past. He’s going to get what he deserves, and we have to move on,” Ashley said.
Mr. Winslow squeezed her hands that he was still gripping again, “Well, you don’t have to worry about your job here. Tom and I will completely support whatever decision you make about how you and Judge Carlisle are going to deal with this.”
“Thank you so much, Mr. Winslow,” Ashley said.
“Jerry. After all the time that you two have worked with us, I think it’s okay for you to call me by my first name.”
“Thank you, Mr…Jerry,” Ashley laughed, “It may take a little while to get used to that.”
“That’s okay,” he let go of her hands, and laughed. “Now, get back to work,” he said with a wink.
She nodded and left his office.
Mary jumped up as soon as she came into the outer office. Her face was completely white and her eyes wide with worry. “What happened? Did he fire you?”
“No,” Ashley replied with a broad smile, “We don’t have to worry about being fired.”
“Really?” Mary asked and looked toward Mr. Winslow’s office.
“They both have known about us, especially you and Jackie, but they are okay with it.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes,” Ashley answered and hugged Mary. “He assured me that they both understand that we are the way were are, and they consider us part of their extended family.”
“Wow,” Mary said as she let go of Ashley. She went to her desk and sat down heavily. “So they know about Jackie and me.”
Ashley’s grin widened. “I warned you about the looks you two give each other. He said they would have to be blind not to see the affection between the two of you.”
Mary looked toward the offices again and asked in a low voice, “What did he say about you and Judge Carlisle?”
“Mr. Winslow, Jerry, he said we could call him Jerry. I feel a little weird saying it. Anyway, he said that if he were her attorney, he would advise her to just come out and get it over with. And, I agree. If she comes out, that ends the gossip, and the reporters won’t really have a story to feed on.”
Mary nodded and then asked, “Are you prepared for her to do that? It will be outing you too.”
“Yeah, I
’m okay with it, especially now that I know I won’t lose my job,” Ashley said.
The phone rang and Mary answered it. “Good morning, Lowry and Winslow law offices.” She paused and said, “Yes, she’s right here, Judge Carlisle.”
“Put her on hold,” Ashley instructed, “I’ll pick her up at my desk.” Mary put the call on hold and Ashley picked up the phone, “Hi.”
“Hi,” Jean replied, “Well, I’ve made my decision how to handle this situation. Are you sure you want to be by my side through all of this?”
“Absolutely.”
Chapter Seventeen
Ashley was stunned by the number of reporters who had gathered in front of the courthouse. There had to be at least a hundred or more. Video cameras were set up in several places and news trucks lined the street. She was forced to park in a parking lot two blocks away. As soon as she was in the courthouse’s official parking lot, she saw two of the courthouse security guards start walking her way.
“Good afternoon, Ms. Jessup,” one of the guards said, “Judge Carlisle asked us to escort you into the courthouse.”
“Thank you,” Ashley replied. She was relieved she would have the guards. She had wondered how she was going to make it through the throng of reporters.
When they approached the crowd, the reporters turned and started shoving microphones in her face. “Are you the woman in the picture with Judge Carlisle?”
“Did you know about the judge having sex with Cynthia Donaldson?”
“Are you and the judge having an affair?”
The questions came from every direction as the guards pushed their way through the crowd. There were more guards at the front doors of the courthouse, who held the door open to allow Ashley and the guards with her inside.
Jean was standing by the security check-in with a tall man. He was dressed immaculately in a sharp, expensive, dark grey business suit. He deep red tie had justice scales on it. His dark brown eyes pierced her the minute she walked through the doors, and Ashley knew that this had to be Jean’s father. Elizabeth Stanton, the county attorney, was standing next to her with another man Ashley didn’t recognize.
Approaching the group, Ashley began to realize how nervous she was becoming about the whole situation. Jean turned warm eyes on her and reached out for her. Ashley took her hand and Jean pulled her closer and put her arm around Ashley’s waist. She smiled at Ashley and then looked up at the older man beside her and made introductions, “Ashley, this is my father, Matthew Carlisle. Dad, this is Ashley Jessup.”
“Nice to finally meet,” Matthew Carlisle said as he shook her hand.
He didn’t smile and Ashley didn’t feel any warmth coming from him. Must be where Jean gets the coldness she can sometimes have, Ashley thought.
Jean turned her to face Elizabeth and the other man and continued introductions, “You already know Elizabeth, and this is Raymond Blair. He’s an attorney from the ACLU. He is going to be working with my father’s firm to help us get through this mess.”
“Your brother’s firm,” Jean’s father corrected, “I’m just an advisor to them now.”
Ashley almost burst out laughing when she saw Jean roll her eyes. “Of course, Dad,” She turned to Ashley, “My brother, Paul had court today and couldn’t come down.”
Ashley nodded.
“Okay,” Jean inhaled deeply and looked at the people around her, “Are we ready to do this?”
“Yes,” her father agreed, “Let’s get the announcement made so the vultures can find another body to circle.”
Jean laughed, “Gee, thanks for to encouragement, Dad.”
Matthew Carlisle actually smiled at that, “Well, you know it’s true. Once you stop giving them something to feed on, they’ll move on to their next victim.”
“A big fan of the press, I take it,” Ashley observed quietly.
Jean turned and grinned at her, “Oh yes, he has a long history with dealing with the press.”
They moved to the doors. Elizabeth went out first and asked the press to hold their questions until after Jean finished speaking.
Jean looked over at Ashley, “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”
Ashley clutched Jean’s hand and looked into her eyes, “Yes, I’m ready.”
Raymond Blair, who had been very quiet up until that moment, asked, “Are you sure you’re ready, Jean?”
Jean’s father and Raymond both looked at her expectantly, “Yes,” she answered without hesitation.
Raymond and Jean’s father went out in front of Jean and Ashley. They stood on either side of them with Jean’s father by her side and Raymond by Ashley. Elizabeth had moved behind them as Jean approached the microphone.
“Good afternoon,” Jean spoke into the microphone that had been placed a few feet outside the doors. “Thank you all for coming,” She took a deep breath and went on, “I’ve decided to put an end to the rumors about my sexuality. Yes, I am a lesbian.”
There was a rush of noise through the crowd and people started shooting questions.
“Please,” Jean asked, and then louder, “Please, let me finish my statement before you ask questions. What I have to say may answer a lot of them.” The reporters quieted down again.
“Apparently, someone saw my girlfriend and me in the theater together last night and took a picture of us. I’m sure all of you have seen the article on the cover of this morning’s paper.”
Ashley’s heart swelled when Jean called her, her girlfriend. She had never referred to her that way before. Jean looked down at her for reassurance as to her next announcement. Ashley nodded.
“This beautiful woman by my side is Ashley Jessup, and we have been seeing each other for over a year,” Jean put her arm around Ashley. Ashley slid her arm around Jean’s waist and smiled up at her.
Cameras flashed and more questions began coming from the crowd.
“Please, there is more,” Jean continued. The reporters quieted down again. “I’m going to address the issue about what happened with the other woman with whom there are pictures of me.”
Jean looked back to Ashley, who smiled and nodded for her go ahead with the story. “Ashley and I had briefly broken up, and I had chosen to take solace with another woman. Sadly, that woman, Cynthia Donaldson, had ties to John Garrett, a man who had been in my court for a child custody case.” More murmurs and flashes from the reporters. “I cannot discuss that case or the current case against John Garrett and Cynthia Donaldson. But, Ashley is completely aware of that entire situation, and we have moved on.”
Jean hesitated and looked around at the expectant faces of the reporters, “The fact that I’m a lesbian has no bearing on my ability to be a family judge. I do not favor women in my cases. I look at what is in the best interest of the children involved. That is what is most important. I realize that there are going to be people who will have to come before me who will have issues with my sexuality, but their feelings toward me will not have any bearing on my rulings.”
The reporters were furiously writing and looking for her to continue. Jean spoke again, “There are other issues involving the Judiciary Conduct Committee and Governor Michaels that are going to be addressed over the next few months. I will be represented by Raymond Blair,” Jean indicated Raymond, “from the American Civil Liberties Union and also by the law firm of Davenport, Carlisle, and Jenson.”