by Lin Stepp
She was incredulous. “You mean you can play around on me but I can’t play around on you?”
He looked down his nose at her. “It’s different for men than for women. Everyone knows that. I’m not having everyone talking about my wife and calling her a slut. You keep that in mind.”
Jenna sighed patiently. “I’m not having an affair with another man, Elliott. Calm down. As you’ve said yourself I’m the idealistic type who believes in faithfulness. I don’t believe in cheating.”
“Well, good.” Elliott seemed relieved, as if that settled something.
There was an awkward silence for a minute.
Then Elliott said, “Look, I’ll get to come home by Monday, Jenna. I’d appreciate it if you’d go home and bring me a few things I need from the apartment. And then stay here with me. The staff can set up a cot or something. If you’re here, the doctor might even let me go home earlier. He’ll see that I have someone who will take care of me.” He tried to reach toward the bedside table. “I can make a little list of the things I need if you’ll hand me a piece of paper from out of that drawer and find me a pen.”
Jenna was appalled. Did he never listen to her? “Elliott, no. Haven’t you heard a thing I’ve said to you? I am moving out and I will not be there when you come home. And I will not come sit with you here in the hospital. Our life together is over, Elliott. I don’t want to be married to you anymore. And, speaking of lists, I brought you a list of the things I’m taking with me when I move. Here….” She offered him the list from out of her purse.
Elliott snatched it from her hand and ripped it in half.
“I’m not looking at any list of what you’re taking,” he replied nastily. “I told you we’re not getting a divorce, and I meant it. Whoever has told you that you can do this is lying to you. You don’t have any grounds that will hold up in court. You need to spare yourself some embarrassment and back out now before you appear even more foolish than you already do. I think you will find that you will be very sorry if you proceed any further with this business, Jenna. You have more to lose than you can possibly imagine, and you cannot live on your own without me. You need me, and I need you. I want you to come to your senses and remember who you are, Mrs. Elliott Howell. We are man and wife and will continue to be so, do you hear me?”
“I think this is where I need to come in,” said Maury Berkowitz, breezing into the room with an almost merry smile. He held out his hand to Elliott. “I’m Maury Berkowitz, Jenna’s attorney. I’m the one who told her that she does have grounds for a divorce, more grounds than I’m usually privileged to have with most of my clients.”
He handed Elliott one of his cards from his coat pocket. “Now, I would suggest you talk to your lawyer, Mr. Howell, as I already have done, and you may find that he, also, agrees with me that Jenna has a very sound case. In fact, Mr. Howell, it would be to your distinct advantage for you and your attorney to agree to all my client’s modest demands and avoid any futile counter claims and a court trial. I believe it is you that is the one who needs to come to his senses. You have been an exceedingly foolish man and have ruined what could have been a fine marriage with an exceedingly fine woman.”
Maury walked over to take Jenna’s arm. “Now Jenna is going to move out of your apartment today. She graciously decided you could keep your place of residence, which was generous of her. She also agreed to leave you the bulk of the furnishings, which was also generous of her. In fact, she has asked for only modest requests for which you should be grateful. What I would like to point out to you now is that the court has put an order of protection over Jenna. You should be very careful about any future threats you make to her, and if you wish to see her, for any reason, you should contact me to set up a meeting. Do not go near her residence or call her on your own. I hope I have made that perfectly clear.”
“You have no right to say these things to me.” Irritation thinned his voice. “Do you know who I am?”
Maury grinned. “Well, I’d love to answer that last question in my own way, but it wouldn’t be professional of me, Mr. Howell. And, as to the first statement, I have every right to tell you about my client’s legal actions and to protect her legal rights.”
“You’ll be hearing from my lawyer about this,” he shot back.
Elliott turned to look at Jenna, trying to appeal to her once more. “It’s still not too late for you to back out of this foolishness, Jenna. Think about this carefully.”
“I already have, Elliott.” She calmly studied him. “I am very sure about what I am doing, and I expect to get along very well on my own, so don’t worry about me.” She smiled. “I hope you feel better soon, Elliott. Maybe you should reconsider breaking up with Lena right now. She might be willing to come take care of you when you come home. It would be nice for you to have someone you know with you while you recover.”
She left then with Maury - Elliott sputtering behind her.
“Good final remarks,” said Maury, as they walked down the hall.
Jenna sighed heavily. “That was just terrible.” Tears trickled down her cheeks.
“He was rough on you, but you held your own pretty well.” He patted her arm. “Don’t pay any attention to those threats Elliott made, Jenna. Nothing will come of them. It was all bluster. Bullies always threaten when they think they might not be winning. He was just trying to scare you, trying to hold control.”
“I saw that this time.” Jenna turned her eyes to Maury. “But I still didn’t like it. You know, Maury, he said things like that to me before and I’d cave in. I thought he knew better than I did. And he scared me.”
Maury punched the elevator button. “Well, if you can see that, you’re getting healthier by the minute, young lady. You could also see a counselor because of the verbal abuse. I can recommend one that does good work.”
“Actually, I already had some good wholesome counseling while I was away.” Jenna smiled slightly at the memory. “I met some good people where I stayed in the mountains. They were honest and plain spoken, called a spade a spade. They helped me a lot. But thanks for the offer, anyway.”
Maury looked at his watch. “It’s eleven now. You ready for a go at your mother before we call it a day? I’d like to be with you for this one. You’ve already had a run with her last night, and you’ve had Elliott to beat on you this morning. I don’t think you need much more today.”
“Do you think Elliott will call Mother before we get there?” Jenna asked this nervously.
“No,” he answered. “I think he’ll call his attorney first. He didn’t call him earlier because he thought he’d dissuade you. Now, he’ll call him. He’ll also remember I said I already spoke to his lawyer and that will make him mad as he begins to think about it. He’ll let off some steam on his attorney now. Later on, he’ll think about your mother. Or maybe your dad. He may try to get one of them to talk to you since the court order will keep him away personally. If that happens, you just contact me.”
“How long will all of this last?” Jenna asked, dreading the answer.
“The worst will be this first week,” Maury said. “You’re seeing that already. You’ll have to deal with the reactions of all the significant people you have to tell. Some will be shocked and try to change your mind. Some will support you and encourage you in what you are doing. Some will just feel awkward, not knowing what to say. You’ll continue to face those mixed responses off and on for a while, and then eventually, most everyone you know will have heard. It will get to be old news. Life will go on, yours and everyone else’s. It’s late April now. In late June or by early July, if all goes as I expect, you should see the legal end of this completed.”
“Who is Elliott’s attorney?” Jenna thought to ask.
“Stan Oldham, a sound, sensible man and a rather good friend of mine outside the courtroom.” He chuckled at his own joke. “Oldham and Oldham is an old family firm, and Stan Oldham is not some foolish upstart looking for a quick day in court. He’ll talk some sens
e into Elliott. He knows what strong grounds we have. He understands we’re asking for only modest requests, and he knows the extensive evidence we have. He also realizes Elliott has nothing to counter or contest. Before it’s done, I expect Stan Oldham to ask us to keep this out of the courts and the news media for Elliott’s career. Maybe even offer concessions to hush it up.”
“I hope you’re right,” said Jenna, wishing everything was over now.
“Well, we’re at the dragon’s lair now,” said Maury jovially, as their cab pulled up at the curb of Jenna’s mother’s and father’s apartment building. “Are you ready?”
Jenna took a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
They headed into the building for round two with Jenna’s mother.
Chapter 17
The visit with Jenna’s mother was a nightmare, even worse than the phone call the night before. Jenna had been grateful for Maury’s support. Her mother in a rage was never pleasant, and this particular event proved spectacular.
“Whew! That woman can really put out some fireworks,” Maury commented dryly when they left. “But I don’t want you to worry about all her threats. She obviously believes you’re making a mistake, but she’ll come around in time.”
Jenna seriously wondered about that. She felt weary and battered.
“The only threat she can really put in place is if she and your father cut you out of their will over this. You have some money in trust from your grandparents that they can’t keep from you, but they could fulfill the threat to disinherit you. It’s within their legal rights to do that. There is some big money involved there, as well as property, like the Howell summer home at the Vineyard. I wouldn’t be a good attorney if I didn’t advise you to count the cost.”
Jenna looked pointedly at Maury.
“Yeah, yeah.” He scratched at his chin. “Right now money doesn’t seem important to you. But it could later.”
She lost her patience. “I would like to think my parents loved me, Mr. Berkowitz, that they wanted me to be happy and loved in a marriage, not used and betrayed. If they will disinherit me because I am getting out of such a marriage, then so be it.”
Maury shrugged. “I have to say these things, Jenna, as your attorney. As a friend I can tell you that I have a daughter a few years younger than you. Eighteen now. If this had happened to her, there would be no question of whose side I would be on. In fact, I’d be hard pressed not to beat the stuffing out of the man who had hurt her, even knowing the legal ramifications if I did.”
Jenna smiled at him. “Someone else told me that, too. It’s nice to hear it again.”
Maury shook his head thoughtfully. “Maybe your father will feel differently, Jenna. You haven’t talked to him. He may have a different take on this. You are an only child, after all. That will make a difference once your parents have a chance to think this over more rationally.”
Jenna thought about this for a minute. “I was close to my father when I was young,” she said. “But after I began to grow up, he seemed to pull away from me. Left me to my mother to deal with. I hardly even talk with him any more. I don’t know how he will feel about me leaving Elliott. Mother made it clear that both of them heartily disapprove, that their support is with Elliott. As you heard, she thinks I am acting emotionally and foolishly. Their feelings may not change. After all, they have never changed their attitude about Aunt Lydia even after all these years.”
Maury chuckled at that memory. “Your mother remembered that Lydia and I were friends. She said I hadn’t changed my ways in giving bad advice to young women.”
They rode along in the cab in silence for a few minutes. Jenna had declined Maury’s offer to take her to lunch. She doubted she could eat after all this.
Maury cleared his throat. “If at any time you change your mind about the divorce, Jenna, you have only to call me.”
She slanted him a sharp glance. “I will not be changing my mind,” she said emphatically. “Even if I lose the favor and support of everyone I know.”
“You won’t lose my support.” Maury patted Jenna on her arm in a fatherly manner as the cab drew up to Jenna’s apartment building. “You won’t lose Sam’s or Carla and John’s love and support, either. Try not to worry too much. This will all work itself out in time. Soon you’ll have a new beginning to enjoy. You deserve it. You’re a fine young woman. I’m just sorry your own parents don’t see that and haven’t been willing to stand by you.”
“Me, too, and thanks, Maury, for all you’re doing for me. I really do appreciate it.”
She let herself into her apartment, dropped onto the sofa for a short rest, and then called Carla. By late afternoon, John Tate and Henry Aiken came to move Jenna’s boxes, bags, and belongings into the storage room above Tates’ and Jenna moved temporarily into Carla and John’s guestroom. She wasn’t eager for Elliott or her mother to be able to find her for another call or visit any time soon. A subtle fear lurked in Jenna’s heart that Elliott might find a way to get out of the hospital and let himself into their apartment while she slept. She knew fears like these were irrational, but, nevertheless, she felt safer at Carla and John’s right now.
That night, Carla and John worked hard to make Jenna laugh and forget her troubles for a time. They cooked together and played games afterwards. Still, when Jenna was alone in her own room later, the stress of the day crowded in on her. She cried herself to sleep and tossed and turned fitfully with bad dreams all night.
Thursday, Jenna took care of needed business. She visited her bank to open her own individual account in her work name, J.C. Martin. She made calls to give her address to needed business contacts. She changed her cell phone number. She visited the post office to have her personal mail routed to her new residence. Then, after lunch she went to Park Press for her appointment with Jason Brantley.
“Welcome back,” Jason said, getting up from his desk to reach out a handshake to her as she came in. “Have a seat.” He gestured at a chair. “Can I get you some coffee or something to drink?”
“No, thanks.” She twisted her hands nervously in her lap. “I just finished lunch. I’m fine.”
“I see a portfolio under your arm.” He gestured toward it. “I hope that means you’ve got some more designs for me.”
“Yes.” She eyed him warily. “I have all the new ones I did before I returned to New York Monday.”
She took a deep breath then and told Jason briefly why she had come back earlier than she had originally planned. Jason knew Sam Oliver well, and he interrupted her story to be assured that Sam was all right after his attack.
“This is my new address and phone.” She handed him a note she had printed out for him. “I should be settled in by the weekend. Then I’ll get back to work. I have so many new design ideas and I wanted to talk with you about doing more work for the press. You suggested I might do that before I left. I hope the offer is still good.”
“Absolutely.” Jason’s face brightened. “We’ve wanted you to do more work for us for a long time. Your designs sell well, Jenna. As I told you, I think you could branch out into some new lines for us. We’ll talk more about that after you get settled in your new place.” He eyed her portfolio. “For now, how about letting me see what you’ve done. The designs you sent me – based on scenes from around the mountains - sold very well. I hope you brought me more like that.”
“Yes, I have.” Jenna smiled, feeling more relaxed now. “I have photos and a sketchbook full of drawings from my visit in Tennessee to work from. I can do more designs with that theme, if you’d like.”
“That’s great, Jenna.” He began to leaf through the stack of designs she had given him from her portfolio case.
She waited while he studied them, trying to read his response.
“These are wonderful,” he exclaimed, looking up at last. “I have always liked your work, but these ideas have a new dimension. It’s almost like an entirely new line for you. I like them. I really do.”
&
nbsp; He began to talk animatedly then about each individual design, stopping to ask questions and to offer ideas for future work. Jenna responded with her own ideas and questions, and the time flew quickly by.
Jason stopped to glance at the clock reluctantly.
“Can you come back next Friday to talk some more?” He picked up a pen to make a note on his desk calendar. “I have another appointment coming in now.”
Jenna agreed and they set a firm time to meet again.
He stood up to see her out. “Work if you have time this week and bring me what you have when you come back,” he requested. ‘I know you’re moving and going through a lot of personal change right now. Just do what you can for this week. When things straighten out a little, I’d like to write a new contract with you. Put you on salary and benefits. That should be a help to you right now. We’ve wanted you full-time for a long time, so this is a boon for us. I don’t think I’ll have any trouble running it all through the brass. I’ve already probed and gotten a thumbs up.”
He paused and looked at Jenna steadily for a few minutes. “I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’re getting away from that jerk Elliott Howell. Perhaps I never told you, but he came by here once and tried to bribe me to fire you. Danged arrogant and disagreeable man. He had no appreciation for your talent, and I didn’t care for the way he talked about you, either. He made insulting, demeaning comments about our business when he was here. I never told you – because the man was your husband, after all. I wanted to be respectful about that. But, quite frankly, I’m glad he won’t be your husband much longer.”