Thompson vs Thompson (closed for Gr8chtr)

Teri Jackson looked up from the file of papers she had been perusing to find a blonde standing in the doorway to her office. The blonde looked to be in his mid-thirties, a couple of years older than Teri. His navy blue dress shirt and slacks were obviously quality made and matched the blue of his eyes. There was also a hint of pain and anger in the same eyes. This was obviously Teri's newest client.

Teri was a family lawyer whose practice covered areas such as divorce, child custody, wills and other situations that came up in family life. She had graduated from Yale in the top two percent of her class, returned to her small hometown of Silver Lake, and opened her office with her partner, Beth Samuels. Beth wrote contracts and the majority of her cases came from real estate agents and local small businesses that needed to renew operating licenses or deal with employee claims.

Together the two of them had been in business for five years and had settled into a routine that worked well for both of them. They currently co-owned a small Victorian house near the downtown center of Silver Lake. The house had two small parlor areas that they had converted into offices with the formal entry way serving as their reception area where Patty Lewis, the receptionist/law clerk/organizer of all things, kept the two lawyers and their clients functioning like a well-oiled machine. The back half of the house consisted of a large dining room that had been converted into a law library/file room/conference room where a large table occupied the center of the room. Behind the dining room was a kitchen area and a small powder room. Upstairs were two bedrooms and bathroom that had been converted into an apartment with a sitting area, bedroom, kitchenette and bath where Teri lived.

Teri rose and greeted the man. “Hello, I'm Teri Jackson. Please sit down.” She waved her hand in the direction of the two leather seats in front of her desk. She waited for the man to sit, then took her own seat in the other chair. Picking up her notepad and pen, she asked, “How may I help you?”

“My name is Paul Thompson and I need a divorce,” the man said bitterly. “My wife has decided, after twelve years of marriage, that she wanted something else. By that she means someone else.”

Although the man was holding her emotions in check, Teri could see the pain hidden behind the anger. This was going to be a messy one, she thought.

“Why don't you tell me what she said exactly.”

“What Susan said, over dinner last night, in front of our children was 'I want you to know that I am moving out. I found an apartment on the west side of town. I feel the need for something more.' Then she got up and walked out of the house. I didn't get to say anything, there was no goodbye with the children. She made her announcement and walked out. Just like that.”

Teri had heard a lot of stories over the years but nothing quite like this. She was angry on behalf of her client, she was angry on behalf of the children. She didn't usually get emotionally involved, but who did THAT! Just made an announcement at the dinner table and walked out? She stared down at her notepad and swallowed, putting her own emotions in check.

“You said there was someone else? Do you have proof of that or are you just guessing?” she asked her new client.

“Well there must be, nothing else makes sense,” exclaimed the man. “Tell me what should I do?”

Teri responded carefully, “You have some choices which we will discuss over the next week. But the first thing you need to go is go to the bank. If you have a joint checking account, get a record of how much is in the account, withdraw exactly half and open an account in your name only. Be sure you take exactly half, no more, no less. You can open the account at that bank, but I recommend that you go to a different bank if possible. If you have any other financial accounts, then get a record of their value and get that to me. I want to be able to make sure your wife doesn't cash in any bonds or accounts before we know what is in those accounts. Once you have the new account established, you will need to give me a cashier's check for one thousand dollars so I can be your lawyer of record.

After you do this, I want you to go home and make a list of the pros and cons of a divorce. Are you absolutely sure that this is what you want, that there is no chance of reconciliation? What do you want to walk away with in regards to your personal and joint property, and how do you want us to proceed regarding your children. Do you want sole custody or joint custody or to give your wife sole custody? These are all things you need to think over carefully before we proceed. This is going to be a painful and time consuming process and you need to be sure you want to do this. I know you are angry and you are hurt, but try to look at things logically and not emotionally. What exactly do you want going forward? When you have your list of pros and cons, and have thought out some of your wishes, bring the list and your cashier's check to me and we can proceed from there.”

Mr. Thompson sat there a minute looking overwhelmed. Then Teri watched him square his shoulders and lift his chin. The man rose and with a small nod, walked out of the office. Teri stood and moved to her chair on the other side of the desk. She stared down at the folder she had been looking at before Mr. Thompson had entered. This one had all the earmarks of a messy divorce and was going to take a lot of work.

She picked up the handset of her office phone and pressed the number two key. “Charlie, it's Teri. I have a new case for you. I need you to find out everything you can about Susan and Paul Thompson. This one is going to be messy. Dig into their financials and find out if Susan is having an affair. Apparently she has moved out of her house into an apartment on the west side. Find out what you can about that. Talk to Patty to get the husband's details. Get back to me as soon as you can. Thanks.”

Daniel Walker had two passions in life: the great outdoors, and winning any competitive contest in which he chose to engage. Being a lawyer in Silver Lake served both passions perfectly at the same time. Three years working in a large law firm in Philadelphia after his graduation from UPENN law school convinced Daniel that that was not the life for him. Small town life in Silver Lake and work in a three-person law firm didn't do much for a 31-year-old's social life, but the joy of living in a town surrounded by mountains and forests more than made up for that. As for sating his competitive urge, although there wasn't much competition around, the two partners in his tiny firm, José Castellanos and Josh Weiner, gave all of the cases that might require litigation to Daniel, who enjoyed the fight much more than did the two older lawyers.

One of Daniel's finest pleasures was riding his bicycle 3.4 miles to work early every morning, showering at his law office, donning a clean shirt and trousers, and sitting down at his desk fresh and ready to go. Today, he had only minor work to do on a couple of wills; he would welcome a client.

Daniel soon got his wish. The firm's secretary buzzed him to say that a potential new client had just appeared, and since the other lawyers - C & W as they were humorously known - were not in the office yet, the potential client was Daniel's for the asking.

Susan Thompson, mid-30s and very attractive, strode in, shook Daniel's hand and sat in the seat across from his desk that he offered her. "No wedding ring", Daniel thought to himself, "good, probably not a divorce case." He hated divorce cases; they reminded him too much of his recent past before moving to Silver Lake. "I plan to get married in about six months", Susan began, "and I need some legal help with that." Daniel's mood shifted a bit in response to her declaration. Probably a need to for a new will or employment contract, or such. Boring work, on the one hand, but not messy, either.

Daniell offered the obvious rejoinder: "How may I help you?" Susan shifted slightly in her chair. "Well, the problem is," she began, "I am currently married. Last night over dinner and in front of my two children I abruptly said, ''I want you to know that I am moving out. I found an apartment on the west side of town. I feel the need for something more.' I then simply walked out. I didn't tell my family that two weeks earlier I met the man that I want to spend the rest of my life with, but I suspect that my husband, at least, guessed that I am having an affair. Mr. Walker, it's this simple: I am starting over. Completely."

Dizziness and nausea swept over Daniel at hearing Susan's words. Two and half years ago Daniel, himself, had done almost precisely the same thing, abruptly telling his wife that he wanted out to start completely over. It wasn't that he didn't love his wife, but Jill was completely into the 50+ hour workweek, pushing them both ahead to fit into the fast-paced life of young, urban professionals. Even when she agreed to go on a camping trip, she brought her corporate Blackberry to keep in touch with her office. Daniel realized that there was no hope that either Jill or he would change. Fortunately, though, unlike Susan Thompson he and Jill had no children.

After what seemed like hours but was only, in fact, a few seconds Daniel snapped out of his inner world to focus on what Susan had continued to say. "I don't want custody or shared custody of our children. Having children was always more Paul's need than mine. I do care for them, though, and I would like to have visitation rights for say, alternating holidays and three weeks each summer. Do you think we can get that?" Susan didn't even wait for Daniel to respond; she was on a roll. "The real thing, though is this. When Paul and I met I was already working as a school teacher. He had completed only one semester of college before dropping out. He was only employed part-time in a low-level job when we met. After we started dating, he moved in with me. I convinced him to go back to college, and do it full-time so that it wouldn't take so long. For the first four years of our marriage I worked full-time, including extra summer teaching, while Paul went to college, majoring in business. After that he begged me to let him earn his MBA. That took another 18 months of my working while he was in school. By that time I was already caring for our first child while he poured himself into his homework. Granted, he worked hard as a student and it paid off. Paul now has a very successful business consulting firm that nets him a very good six-figure income. "

Daniel could see what was coming next. He wasn't surprised when Susan said that her work had made Daniel's success possible. She wanted at least half of all of Daniel's and her assets, including half of the value of their expensive home, and a sizeable chunk of his 401K retirement plan, even after she re-married. Shit, this was going to be real messy.

Daniel explained patiently to Mrs. Thompson that her demands would likely be hard to get. Arguably, her husband was the aggrieved party; she walked out, and any good lawyer that her husband got would quickly uncover the affair. Further, she didn't want custody or shared custody of the children. This would not play well with a judge, particularly, Daniel thought, if they drew one of the women judges in the county who presided over family court. Daniel told Susan to make a list of all of their assets as best she could, and draw half of the money out of any joint accounts that they owned. He also advised her to keep a low profile for awhile and, by all means, to not bring her newfound love to Silver Lake where they would be seen together. He asked her to tell him immediately if she was contacted by any lawyer that her husband may have retained. Daniel and Mrs. Thompson made an appointment to meet early the following week after both of them could do some research.

As Mrs. Thompson left, Daniel threw himself back into his chair. This was going to be a hard one. His gaze ran over the little calendar-like holder on his desk that displayed the numbers 14, 2. When occasionally asked by someone what they were, he usually replied that they were the ages of his niece and nephew. Actually, it was a record of his cases since coming to Silver Lake, 14 wins, 2 losses. Both losses were against the town's other young lawyer, Terri Jackson, as were two of his wins. They were now tied at two wins each. Daniel was secretly hoping that an easy-win case against Ms. Jackson would fall in his lap for their tie-breaker. Who knew?

Daniel was about ready to take a quick, pick-me-up walk around the block when Susan Thompson burst back in. "You said to tell you immediately. I just got a message on my voice mail from a local lawyer. I didn't quite get her name. Merry, or Kerry, or Terry, or something like that."

Fuck!

Teri finished her notes for the Harris case. The couple had been an easy divorce, no children, very little in assets to divide. She didn't like divorce, but if a couple needed to separate this was the way to do it. The minute one added children or assets, the case got messy. Teri hated messy divorce cases. She almost hoped Paul Thompson changed his mind and the cashier's check didn't come. She sighed heavily. The chances of that happening were close to nil.

Rising from her chair, she stretched her back. She had spent the entire day doing paperwork and hadn't even stepped out of her office for lunch. It was time to see if the rest of the world was still out there. She picked up the Harris file and walked out to the reception area.

“Patty, here is the Lewis file. I finished up the paperwork. Can you send the final paperwork over to Judge Connor's office, send Kathy Lewis a copy, and file the papers? Thanks. Is Beth still here?”

“No, she left about a half hour ago,” replied Patty. “Do you need me to do anything more besides the Lewis paperwork?”

Teri glanced at her watch. “Good grief, I didn't realize it was so late. Leave that stuff for tomorrow and get out of here. You should have said something. You know how I lose track of time. You need to get home to your family. I will see you tomorrow.”

“All right, if you are sure.” Patty picked up her coat and purse and headed for the door. Teri followed her and locked up behind her. She returned to her office, straightened up her desk top, and turned off the lights. Heading down the hallway,she turned off lights as she went. Then she slowly climbed the stairs to her apartment. It had been a long day and having the Thompson case sitting in the back of her mind made her even more tired.

Stepping into her small kitchenette, she pulled out a frozen dinner and popped it into the microwave. While it heated up, she slipped out of her business suit into jeans and a sweater. Walking barefoot into the kitchen, she poured a glass of wine and took her heated pasta dinner over to the couch. She set down her glass and picked up the remote control, scrolling through the channels she settled on a wildlife show. It would keep her attention but require little brain power. Little brain power was about all she had left for the day.

It wasn't long before her food was gone, her glass empty, and her mind drifted from the African wildlife preserve on the television to the Thompsons. How could anyone be so cold about ending their marriage. To just announce it and walk away, right in front of the kids? What kind of person did that? Usually Teri could see the situation from both people's perspective, but this, this just was so incomprehensible. Why do people treat each other like this?

Whatever happened to the concept of “til death do you part”? Was that taken out of the marriage vows along with the wife pledging to obey the husband? Even Teri's parents had divorced after 25 years of marriage. Somehow they thought it made sense because they waited for Teri and her sister and brother to grow up first. Apparently, they had tired of each other ten years into the marriage but vowed to stick it out until their children were grown and out of the house. What Teri had seen as a loving marriage was two people who had enough affection for each other to survive 15 years in the same house always with the end date in mind. What Teri had learned was that marriage was a farce. She had only met one person in the past that she thought she had maybe loved. But when Steve started talking about marriage, Teri had started pushing him away. She liked her life. She didn't want or need a permanent man in her life. It was nice to have someone to go out to dinner with or to a movie, but she didn't plan on sharing her living space with someone that would end up leaving her. She wasn't even sure what love was. If her parents didn't have it, did anyone? She though about Beth and her husband. Beth seemed happy enough, but they had only been married for a short time. What would happen when the ten year mark came or even earlier. Wasn't there some thing about a seven year itch?

At least, Teri thought, as she turned off the television and cleared her dishes away, her parents had sat the family down and discussed the divorce. Her mother didn't just announce it at the dinner table and walk away. Her parents had explained that they had other interests, but that they would always love their children. What did the Thompson children think about all this? Children of any age are highly affected by divorce.

Teri got ready for bed. As she set the alarm clock and settled into the blankets, her last thought was.. Who did something like that?

Susan Thompson arrived for her appointment with Daniel early the following week as planned. "That's good," thought Dan, "always like a client who shows up on time." And, there was some good news. Susan had followed his advice and had not brought Mr. Perfect to Silver Lake. She likely had spent the weekend with him in some other town, but that was of no import. On her own, she had even returned in time to attend the evening Sunday service at the Methodist church of which she, but not her husband, was a member. Nice touch! Being seen at church was never a bad move. To top off the good news Susan informed Brian, with a hint of pride, that when Teri Jackson reached her by phone, Susan simply said that her lawyer would be contacting Teri and said nothing else, just as Daniel had instructed her.

But there was bad news also, and it wasn't minor. First, Susan reported that when she checked on the banking and non-retirement investment accounts that she and Paul held jointly, precisely half of the balance in each had been withdrawn. Daniel vowed to check all three of the other local banks, but he was certain that he would find nothing. Teri was certainly smart enough to have advised Paul to get his half of the funds into some hard-to-find location. Second, Susan had accessed the investment fund that she and Paul had set aside earmarked for their kid's college expenses. Paul had not withdrawn a dime. Susan withdrew exactly half. "Damn," Daniel muttered to himself. He hadn't thought of a college fund. Susan's withdrawal of funds marked for their children's college would paint a picture of her as an avaricious, uncaring mother. Daniel instructed her to re-deposit the funds ASAP.

There was also subtle bad news, maybe the worse of all. When Susan first presented herself to Daniel's office she looked tired and drawn, the weight of the world on her shoulders. Today, she seemed ebullient, young, vibrant, and self-assured. It was clear, Daniel realized, that when she had told him, "I am starting over. Completely", she had made her decision. There was no going back.

It was time for a meeting of the principals. Daniel told Susan to mark off her calendar and be ready to attend a meeting with him, Teri Jackson, and her husband at any time that he could arrange. Susan left his office practically skipping down the street.

Daniel took a walk around the block to clear his head before making the dreaded phone call to Teri Jackson. Perhaps to take his mind off of his weak case, he began to think about Teri, herself. What was her story? What was a young, rather attractive woman doing living in a tiny apartment over her law offices? As nearly as anyone in Silver Lake could tell, Teri was not only single but unattached, and seemingly not looking. What was that all about? Daniel pulled himself out of his reverie. What was he doing thinking about his nemesis' personal life. She was his opponent. The only interest he had in her was besting her so badly that she would rather have a root canal than go up against him again.

As he prepared to call Teri's office, Daniel realized that he already knew what the first skirmish in this battle would be - in whose office would they meet. It shouldn't matter much, but there was both a psychological and symbolic advantage to meeting the opposition on your turf. When Teri's office answered his call, Daniel announced himself and was immediately transferred directly to Teri. "Teri," Daniel began, they were after having battled through four cases on a first-name, if not amicable, basis. "As you may have guessed I am representing Susan Thompson in her divorce proceedings." He stopped and decided on a bold-faced lie. "This looks like a simple matter to me that we can resolve quickly. It's time for the principals to meet. What would be a convenient time for you and Mr. Thompson to meet here at the Castallnos and Weiner law offices?"

When Teri went downstairs to the office two days later, the first thing Patty did was announce that Paul Thompson had drop off the cashier's check. He had gone through his various accounts and removed half of each account, except the children's college fund. This was good news and bad news. It was good that he followed through on what she had advised, but now it meant that she was going to have to take this case. No matter how she had turned it over in her mind, this case was just not going to be easy.

With a deep sigh, she turned towards her desk. “Oh, and Teri? Guess whose office just called to say he was representing Mrs. Thompson?” Patty said sympathetically.

Teri gave a deeper sigh. Figures she thought. “Cash the check, Patty. Then open a file for the Thompsons.”

Sitting down at her desk, she pulled up an “Original Petition for Divorce” and began filling it out. Halfway through she called Mr. Thompson to find out what demands and guarantees he wanted to get from the divorce.

“Mr. Thompson? This is Teri Jackson. I wanted to let you know that I received your cashier's check and am now your lawyer of record. I am filling out the divorce petition and I need some information. I asked you when we met to make a list of your assets and your wishes regarding your children. Would you like to discuss that on the phone or come into my office?”

“It is an easy list, Ms. Jackson. I want full custody of our children. She walked out on us. I want to keep the home and the belongings. I want the summer house on the bay and the boat that is docked there. I want as much of my money as the law will allow me to keep. Simply, Ms. Jackson, I want her to walk away with nothing but her clothing and her freedom.”

“All right, Mr. Thompson. I can understand your anger. However, divorce is all about compromise. Your wife has hired Daniel Walker of the Castellanos and Weiner law offices. He is what is known in the business as a “shark” and will do his best to take as much from you as possible. We are in for a legal battle and how hard and messy this fight will become depends on your level of flexibility or inflexibility. I will petition for those things you have listed. We will meet with Mrs. Thompson and Mr. Walker probably later this week or early next week to discuss both your wishes and hers. At that time, I will hope to have physical proof of her affair and you will both be asked to make a formal record of what you wish for your children's future. Since she walked out in front of the children, I find it hard to believe that she would ask for custody, but she may want visitation rights. In your anger, your first reaction will be that she won't be able to have that, but you need to think of what your children need and what is best for them. I would suggest that you have a sit down talk with them in the next day or two and find out what their needs are towards their mother.”

“Ms. Jackson, you are right. I am angry. I am hurt. I want to wipe her memory from mine. But I do understand that I need to put my children's needs first. My children will always come first. I will talk to them, I will think about where I can compromise. But you need to understand that she has acted selfishly and I will not reward that behavior. As far as a meeting goes, I am in the middle of some delicate business dealings and would prefer to put off seeing “that woman” until next week.

“Very well, Mr. Thompson. I will contact opposing counsel and let him know. Shall we say next Monday, 1:00, here at my offices if Mr. Walker can make it?”

“That would be fine. I have it in my calendar. I will see you then. If you need any further information, do not hesitate to call. I want this done as quickly as possible.”

“We shall go as quickly as the law allows, but be aware that this could take a few weeks to get through the courts.”

On that note, Mr. Thompson hung up. Teri finished filling out the paper work and handed it off to Patty to have it notarized and sent to the County Clerk. She spent some time talking with her partner, Beth, as they caught each other up on their current cases.

By the end of the week, she got the call from her investigator, Charlie Upton, with the financial records of the Thompsons and pictures of Mrs. Thompson having a wonderful play date with her boy toy. She looked young and carefree and very much unconcerned about her children. These would play well with the judge. Mr. Thompson has been very upfront about his accounts and assets which was very unusual for a wealthy man. Usually wealthy men tried to hide something, even a little account. But everything he had given Patty matched up with what Charlie had found. That would also look good to the judge. It turned out that Mrs. Thompson had also removed exactly half of the accounts, but she had taken half of her children's college fund. Teri uttered the refrain of the past week, “What kind of person does something like that?”

When the call came in from Daniel Walker, Teri was almost ready. She handled a lot of cases as there were very few family lawyers in the town of Silver Lake, so she had run up against Walker in the past. She couldn't quite pinpoint what irritated her so much about him. He was nothing unusual. He was a little better looking than the average lawyer, he was a little more conceited than the average lawyer, and he was a little better at winning than the average lawyer. But she had run into people like him in law school. So she couldn't figure out what it was that rubbed her the wrong way, but she had learned to mostly hide her feelings around him. Admittedly, occasionally she might have spoken with a touch of sarcasm, but mostly, she hid her dislike. However, having to spend hours of disclosure with him across the table was not on her favorite top.. oh ..hundred things to do.

Teri grit her teeth when he used her first name as though they were the best of friends. “My client is available for the disclosure meeting on Monday at 1:00, Mr. Walker. As the petitioner and wronged party, he has asked to have the meeting here at the offices of Samuels and Jackson. I am sure you will be able to accommodate him as he is the injured party in this proceeding,” Teri spoke carefully, keeping her voice professional. She had every belief that Walker was not going to like the venue, and she allowed a small smile to cross her lips.

Even before he made the call to Teri Jackson, Daniel knew that she would insist on meeting at her office. And, given that her client was the aggrieved party - and would likely be seen so by a judge - he realized that he would likely lose this skirmish. However, this did not mean that he wouldn't just give up and roll over. Both his competitive instincts and his obligation to his client required him to put fort some effort in defending their position.

My client is available for the disclosure meeting on Monday at 1:00, Mr. Walker As the petitioner and wronged party...

Daniel was not going to let Jackson's proposal and her bold-faced assertion go unchallenged. Further, where did this icy "Mr. Walker" come from. He had tried to be at least a little friendly. She wanted to play hardball. Fine. He was good at it.

"Thank you, Ms. Jackson, for setting an appointment time. My client and I can be very accommodating. We have cleared our calendars for whatever time you and your client desire. Your proposed date and time are fine with us. That said, Ms. Jackson, as you know from your law school classes, you should not 'assume facts on in evidence.' Your assertions about your client being the 'wronged party' or 'injured party' will be determined by the proceedings. I'm sure that you will not be surprised to learn that my client and I have a different view. There is, however, a fact that is not in contention. It is my client who initiated these proceedings. Accordingly, we should all meet in my office. I will have our secretary book our conference room for Monday at 1:00. Good day, Ms. Jackson." With that, Daniel hang up the phone.

Ohhhh, that man was so ... infuriating. Teri wanted to throw the phone across the room. Of course, he wasn't going to want to meet in her office, but to talk to her like she was just out of law school? Ohhhhh!!!!

"Patty, see if Judge Connor's conference room is available for Monday or as soon as possible. Thanks."

Teri paced back and forth in her small office, trying to burn off her anger. There was something about that man that was so irritating, so frustrating, so aggrevating.

When Patty informed her that the conference room was available on Monday at 2:30, Teri took a deep breath, counted to one hundred, then took another deep breath. She picked up the phone and dialed Walker's number. In her sweetest, most professional sugary tone she said, "Mr. Walker, my client will not meet at your office. May I suggest that we meet at Judge Connor's conference room at 2:30 on Monday? You did say that your client was willing to be accommodating. My client is satisfied with a meeting at the courthouse. Will that work for you and your client?"

Teri had to bite her tongue to keep from adding any words that would be considered unprofessional or sarcastic. She reached behind her shoulder and patted herself on the back for her restraint while she waited to hear the response.

Daniel expected a quick return call from Teri Jackson, so he was not surprised when she called back so soon. However, he did not know what to expect. When she offered a compromise proposal of meeting at Judge Connor''s offices he paused for a moment, first to calm down his emotion, and second for effect. He replied calmly, "Your proposal is acceptable to us. We will be in Judge Connor's conference room precisely by 2:30."

Daniel carefully hung up the phone so as to not give away his excitement. Once finished, he yelled out "Yes, Yes!!" so loudly that Shirley, the C & W firm's secretary, came in to his office to see if he was alright. In fact, he was blissful. Given the facts of his case and the strength of the opposition, a compromise on location of the meeting was tantamount to him winning the opening skirmish. Notwithstanding his glee, Daniel took a quick round-the-block walk to calm down. He had learned well the lesson that a lawyer's emotional involvement in a case was one of the surefire ways to lose.

And there was this other thing that he had shared with only one other person, one of his senior mentors at his previous large law firm. In competitive encounters with other individuals, and particularly with women, whether in sports or games or legal proceedings, he often experienced sexual arousal. His mentor assured him that this was not abnormal, that, in fact, this was a well-recognized phenomenon in sports, and that it was much more common in the legal profession than most lawyers were willing to admit. Nonetheless, it was uncomfortable and confusing to Daniel, and especially so with regard to Teri Jackson who had addressed him so icily.

Daniel could feel his body relax and his emotions calm after his short stroll. The arousal, though, well, that stubbornly remained.

When Monday morning came, Teri dressed in her go-to-war outfit. A red fitted suit with a white ruffled blouse that was professional and feminine. The suit and blouse were tailored to fit her generous curves and made her feel powerful. The four inch heels brought her height to almost six feet and that advantage added to her feeling of success.

Her briefcase held a folder filled with pictures of Mrs. Thompson and her boy toy in various romantic settings and the list of demands that Mr. Thompson had requested. In reality, Teri felt that Mrs. Thompson probably wouldn't fight too many of the basics but would focus on the financial end of things. She seemed to be that type. But, her lawyer, would probably throw wrenches into the works, not because the thought he would win, but just to be a pain-in-the-neck. Teri KNEW he was that type.

She met Mr. Thompson in front of the courthouse, and as they went through the security line, she cautioned him to hold on to his temper.

“Opposing counsel will want to get a rise out of you. He will throw all sorts of stupid ideas onto the table just to see if he can make you lose your temper. Don't fall for it. This is going to be a long ordeal with a lot of facts being disclosed, issues being discussed and compromises being formulated. The idea behind this meeting is to disclose financials, discuss the children's future, and even to discuss whether a divorce is the correct way to proceed. I have pictures of Mrs. Thompson and her affair, so, as painful as it might be to see them, don't let it get into your head. You already knew that this was going on, but Walker will try to use it to get to you. Unless you are asked a direct question, try to not speak and let the lawyers do the talking. It will maintain the professional tone we are trying to set and keep the process moving forward. If I tell you that you don't need to respond to a question, then don't respond. We want to be open about facts, but not allow anyone to push legal limits.”

As they entered the conference room, Teri saw that Mrs. Thompson and Walker were already there. Mrs. Thompson had dressed to impress and had such a smug look on her face, that Teri knew that getting Paul to control his temper was going to be a chore. A glance at Walker and Teri had to bite down on her own temper at his smug look. Really? What did either of them have to be smug about?

She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, then took her seat next to Mr. Thompson, across from Walker. It was a shame that such a good looking man represented such slimy clients.

“Mrs. Thompson, my name is Teri Jackson. I am the counsel for your husband, Paul Thompson, for this meeting to discuss the termination of your marriage. Mr. Thompson, this is Daniel Walker who will be the opposing counsel.” Nods of recognition went around the table, though no hands were shook.

Teri opened up her briefcase and removed the file and a notepad. She looked Daniel Walker in the eyes. “Shall we begin?”

Ordinarily Daniel would meet his client just an hour before a proceeding, then accompany the client to the meeting place. Today, however, previous scheduling issues precluded this. So, Daniel met with Mrs. Thompson earlier Monday morning then instructed her to meet him at Judge Connor’s chambers at 2:15, well in advance of their appointment time. He stressed to his client the weakness of their position, given that she had walked out abruptly on her husband, was having an affair, and wanted no part of custody for their children, but still wanted half of their assets. Daniel instructed Mrs. Thompson to approach the meeting with a clear idea of what she wanted, but with some flexibility that would allow for negotiation. He gingerly suggested that she even consider whether she wanted a divorce at this point at all, versus a trial separation, and whether she wanted to consider something like joint custody of the children. Susan Thompson, who wore the expression of a teenager in love, calmly replied, “No, and No.” God, he had a witless client. He did, however, get her to allow him to pursue a risky strategy at the meeting, if he felt it was needed.

As he walked the mile and half on a beautiful day to the judge’s chambers, Daniel had time to reflect. He pulled up an image of Teri Jackson. It wasn’t difficult because she always wore the same power outfit to formal proceedings. The scuttlebutt among the male attorneys in Silver Lake was that Teri Jackson wore her tight, white blouse that nicely showcased her luscious breasts intentionally to distract the male opposition. Daniel had certainly taken notice of her appearance, but, so far in his meetings with Ms. Jackson, he had been able to keep his attention riveted on his case.

The dewy-eyed Susan Thompson had already arrived at the conference room when Daniel appeared. She was, he had to admit, prompt if nothing else. A few minutes later Mr. Thompson arrived with a face that could have been carved from solid granite, along with Teri Jackson sporting her power suit and self-assured professional expression.

Shall we begin?

Daniel quickly surveyed the situation. Seeing Dew Eye and Rock Face each doing whatever they could to not make eye contact and each seeming to be in a world of their own, he realized that he and Jackson were the only two people in the room connecting with each other at all. He decided to go with his risky strategy.

Jackson had looked Daniel straight in the eye when she made her introductory remark. He responded in kind as he began to speak. “Let’s be honest with one another. Mrs. Thompson has decided to leave this marriage contract; there’s no going back on this. We all know that there are likely to be some disagreements about a property settlement that will take considerable negotiation. However, I think we can assume that all parties want what’s best for the children, given the reality that their parents are divorcing. Clearly, Mrs. Thompson initiated these divorce proceedings, but she doesn’t want to press her advantage. So, let’s start with this question: What is your proposal for child custody arrangements?”

Finished with his statement, Daniel set back a little from the table, while continuing to look Teri Jackson straight in the eye. He knew that he was pursuing a risky strategy, betting that Mr. Thompson’s anger wouldn’t allow him to do anything other than ask for full custody. In the stony silence that filled the conference room, Daniel knew something else. This case was no longer Thompson v. Thompson; it was Walker v. Jackson, and he was determined to win.

Teri was a little surprised at Walker's opening gambit. The fact that he was openly admitting that Mrs. Thompson was only after the money was interesting. She leaned over closely to Mr. Thompson and whispered, “We are going to negotiate for custody, but I am going to offer visitation to see how she reacts. Be patient.”

Turning back to address the two people across the table, she responded, “We appreciate that opposing counsel is being open and frank about the circumstances regarding Mrs. Thompson's departure for the home. Obviously Mr. Thompson is concerned as to the children's reactions and emotions when their mother makes an announcement that she is leaving and then walks out. There was no prior discussion between the family members or even spouses in order to prepare the children for this situation. Mr. Thompson has arranged for the children to see a family counselor so that the children have an impartial person with whom they can discuss their feelings. Given, that Mrs. Thompson chose to walk away from her children, both of whom are under that age of ten, we are seeking custody of the children. Mr. Thompson would prefer sole custody with no visitation rights, but is open to some contact between the children and their mother. The children should, in no way, feel as if they are losing their mother, if Mrs. Thompson plans to continue being their mother?”

Teri looked at Mrs. Thompson, but got no immediate response. She wasn't sure if the woman was shrewd or an air-head. She could feel Mr. Thompson's body become even more tense, and laid a hand on his arm under the table. She was afraid that he was close to exploding and spewing anger all over the proceedings. She glanced at Walker, but he was looking at his client, apparently also waiting for a response.

After a few uncomfortable moments of silence, Teri tried a more direct route. “Mrs. Thompson, do you or do you not want visitation rights with your children?”

With great effort Daniel worked successfully to keep a grin off of his face. He had won at least a partial victory. Had Teri Jackson seen his feint for what it was and had correctly guessed that Mrs. Thompson did not want even partial custody, she might have risked proposing shared custody. Ultimately, Daniel’s client would reject shared custody, making his client look really bad and ruining any negotiating position that they had. And, Mrs. Thompson had told Daniel that she did, in fact, want some visitation rights if she could get them. So, the Thompson/Jackson team had just proposed exactly what the Thompson/Walker team wanted without Mrs. Jackson having to admit that she wanted nothing to do with custody. Of course, Daniel would have to get on record – the meeting was being audio recorded by mutual agreement – a different characterization of Mrs. Thompson than Jackson had narrated, but this was easy.

There was a challenge, though. Jackson had directed the question directly to Mrs. Thompson. Daniel didn’t want his head-in-the-clouds client saying anything at all. Further, he had not anticipated an offer of visitation. Visitation was going to be his comeback to a “no custody, no visitation” proposal, so they had not planned for this. Mrs. Thompson would look the best if they counter-offered with shared custody, but that would run the risk of the other side accepting the offer. Fuck! Maybe Jackson had set a trap for them. He didn’t want to take that risk. Before Susan Thompson could say anything, assuming, that is, that she was even paying attention, Daniel spoke. “One moment, please, counselor. I want to have a brief conversation with my client.”

Switching off the microphone, he led Mrs. Thompson out of the conference room into the hall where he could speak with her privately. “Mrs. Thompson,” Daniel began, “this is the deal that you wanted. It won’t make you look good to not demand shared custody, but if we counter with that and they say “OK”, you will have to go forward with shared custody for at least a year. I know this isn’t your preference, but, as I have told you before, having shared custody would almost certainly strengthen your case for dividing up the assets 50/50.” For a change Mrs. Thompson looked not only attentive, but determined. “Mr. Walker, I told you clearly when we first met. I am starting over. Completely. I do not want to risk being saddled with shared custody of my children. I am still well within my child-bearing years. My new husband and I may want to start our own family.” Daniel nodded. He was not surprised by her stance, although the possibility of new children was a novel idea. He gave his client clear instructions. “OK, Mrs. Thompson. Once I turn the microphone back on I want you to say, ‘Ms. Jackson, I accept your offer of leaving the custody of our children with Mr. Thompson, but I do want to have visitation rights. I am my children’s mother, and I will continue to be so. Given your implied accusations about my commitment to my children and your hostile tone, I would prefer that you and my attorney meet without me and Mr. Thompson to work out the details of my visitation rights. ’ Say nothing else; let me take it from there.”

To Daniel’s great relief Mrs. Thompson played her role nearly perfectly, with an almost verbatim recitation of what he had told her to say. Daniel felt as though he still had the advantage, and he wanted to keep it. “We believe that it is important to finalize this most important matter regarding custody and visitation before moving on to discussing a property settlement.” Mimicking Teri Jackson’s earlier approach, he looked her straight in the eye and said, “Counselor, when would be the earliest convenient time for you and I to meet? I am willing to meet either at your offices or mine, as you prefer.”

Teri couldn't stop her eyebrow from raising when Mrs. Thompson accused her of being hostile. Nothing Teri had said was hostile nor was her tone of voice. She had merely stated the facts. However, it seemed now, Teri would have to negotiate with Walker in a separate meeting and that was not a good scenario. Being alone with Walker needed to be avoided at all costs.

“Mrs. Thompson, I am sorry if you feel I was being hostile, that was not my intention at all. I am merely proceeding with the requirements of a divorce. I am sure you would like this to go as quickly as possible, as would Mr. Thompson.”

Mr. Thompson gave a short nod, but Mrs. Thompson, having given her speech, seemed to have checked out of the proceedings entirely. Speech? That was exactly what it had sounded like, a memorized speech. More shenanigans by Walker!

Teri kept her facial expression calm while underneath she wondered at Walker's reason for the delay. Having a secondary meeting wouldn't really change anything, it just made the proceedings take longer. Was Mrs. Thompson having second thoughts? No, her face showed no interest in anything that was being said. What kind of person was she?

“For the record, Mrs. Thompson has requested that the children's future be settled by the counselors for both Mr. and Mrs. Thompson. We are willing to have a meeting to discuss the children at another time to be determined by Mr. Walker and myself, however, Mr. Thompson will be in attendance as he would like some say in the outcome of the meeting.”

Turning to Mr. Thompson, Teri consulted on the best time for a child custody meeting. “Mr. Walker, my client would like to meet on Wednesday at 10:00 am in the conference room at Samuels and Jackson.to discuss the custody of the Thompson children. Will that date and time suit you?” Teri didn't ask if the location was suitable as Walker had already said he would meet any where and she wasn't going to give him the opportunity to change that.

“Now, moving on. As I am sure you are aware, Mr. Thompson has withdrawn one-half of all the liquid funds except for the children's college fund. We are aware that Mrs. Thompson has also withdrawn half of the funds including the college fund. Mr. Thompson would like the return of the money to the account as that fund is for the children and is not part of the shared household accounts.”

Teri was pretty sure Mrs. Thompson wasn't going to be happy about that but if Walker was half as good as he thought he was, then he would also recommend that the money for that account be returned. What Mrs. Thompson had done was pretty much steal from her children and no judge would accept that.

“Regarding the remaining assets. Mr. Thompson would like to keep the house, the lake house and the boat. Mrs. Thompson may have her personal belongings, clothes and jewelry and any furniture from the two houses she would like except for the furniture in the children's rooms. Mr. Thompson is also willing to sign over the ownership of the Mercedes-Benz to Mrs. Thompson as that is the car she drives most often. The Jaguar and Volvo will remain in Mr. Thompson's possession. Mrs. Thompson? Is this agreeable to you?”

Teri purposely did not bring up the investment portfolio, she was curious as to whether Mrs. Thompson would.

Daniel wasn't surprised by Jackson's pushing ahead with a property settlement proposal. obviously very much on their terms. She was offering the car that Mrs. Thompson was currently driving, some furniture, and damn near nothing else. He had hoped to slow down the discussion some, given the weakness of their position. That was why he had taken the position that, at the moment, only the child custody issues were on the table.

Turning to face Jackson, Daniel replied, "The time you suggest is fine. Mrs. Thompson is eager to solidify the custody and visitation agreement. I will see you both at 10:00 on Wednesday. Your property settlement proposal is very specific. My client and I will need to review it thoroughly before replying, and we are not likely to have our response ready by Wednesday. Good day, Mr. Thompson and Ms. Jackson.

When he suggested just having the attorneys meet, what Daniel primarily wanted was to keep his client from saying as little as possible. Although she had followed the script that he gave her nearly perfectly, Daniel was not sure that he could keep her in line. She might burst out with joy about a new husband or having a second family. God!, that would be a disaster. There was a secondary motive, though, for meeting one-on-one with Jackson. Without Mr. Thompson present, Daniel could be a little less formal and rough up Jackson some, psychologically speaking. Call her "Teri" for example, really piss her off and see if she would lose her cool. It was partly a strategy to gain advantage for his client, but it was also something else. Daniel increasingly felt the need to engage Teri Jackson on a more personal level, even if it was a fight. He wasn't sure why this appealed to him, but it was clear that it did.

Daniel appeared at Samuels and Jackson promptly at the appointed time. Anticipating that Jackson would continue her power dress, he responded accordingly, appearing in his Armani suit. Jackson came dressed as anticipated. Mr. Thompson continued to wear his granite-like face. After greeting the others, he launched into his planned remarks. "Our proposal on visitation is as follows: (a) Mrs. Thompson reluctantly accepts Mr. Thompson's request for full custody of their children. (b) She wants the children to visit her every other weekend from 6:00 p.m. on Friday until 8:00 p.m. on Sundays, for two weeks each summer at times to be negotiated annually, and on annually alternating Thanksgiving holidays from Wed. evening until Sun., three days that span Christmas day, and Good Friday through Easter Monday. As for the property settlement that you proposed, as I said on Monday Mrs. Thompson has not had sufficient time to study your proposal and respond to it. We will send you a written proposal as soon as possible, after which we can all meet personally to finalize the negotiated settlement. Let me add, though, for the record that Mrs. Thompson had already returned every cent of the children's college fund to that account prior to our meeting, had you checked. Her withdrawal of funds from that account was simply a mistake based on confusion about the various Thompson account numbers."

Daniel finished his planned speech. He was feeling a bit unsure of himself. Feigning confidence, he turned again to face Jackson. "So, counselor, do we have a deal on visitation rights?"

Teri couldn't believe that Walker would just stop the meeting and get up and leave. Who did that? She was still sitting at the table processing that the meeting had abruptly ended, when Mr. Thompson said, “So what do you think?”

Teri almost blurted out what she thought about Walker, then her brain kicked in and she realized he was talking about the meeting itself. “Well,” she said carefully, “I think Mr. Walker ended the meeting rather abruptly and without discussing the rest of the assets. For him to do that, he must have been worried about something that was said. This meeting was recorded and I want to go back over what was said and the tones of people's voices. The idea of lawyers deciding the children's custody is rare but not unheard of. I think it is important for you to be there to show your concern for the children. It does concern me that Mrs. Thompson will not be there. What was your impression of her statement?”

Mr. Thompson took a moment before speaking, then hesitantly replied. “She has always been a little flighty, but today it was as if she wasn't even in the room. She is..was...is..” he shrugged, “a good mother. Maybe not as concerned in the children's every day lives as I was.. am..., but she always seemed to love them and to be there for them. Today it seemed as if her life with me, with the children, was inconsequential, almost as if she didn't even know us. Ms. Jackson, what kind of a person does this? Just gets up and walks out, then acts as if her family doesn't even exist? I just don't understand.”

Teri wasn't sure what to say. She didn't understand it herself. The two sat there a moment longer and then stood and parted ways. Mr. Thompson left the judge's chambers and Teri called Patty to let her know she was on her way back to the office. “Charlie called and said to let you know that Mrs. Thompson returned the money to the children's college account. The person he talked to got the impression her lawyer had insisted on it because the judge would take it into account. Also, Mrs. Thompson has been hitting up her local watering hole on the west side and talking up a storm about her “new life of freedom from her husband and children.”

Teri hung up, got a copy of the meeting to listen to at her office and walked back slowly. She stopped to grab some taquitos from the food truck in front of the court house and munched on them as she walked. She realized what had been bothering her. Walker had said that he wouldn't be ready to discuss the division of assets by Wednesday. She wondered why. Even if he got around to bringing up the stock portfolio, the Thompson funds were pretty basic: the checking and savings had already been divided, the stocks were in a secure mutual fund. If the judge declared that the portfolio be made liquid, then the Thompsons would lose a lot of money in the cash-out, but still there would be a couple of million left to be fought over. But that wouldn't happen unless a judge made that determination. So what was holding Walker up? Or was this just another one of his tactics? Sure he would be putting off Mr. Thompson's desire to wind this up quickly, but Mrs. Thompson wasn't going to want moss to grow under her feet. So, what was Walker's thinking?

At the meeting on Wednesday, Teri asked Patty to make sure the coffee was strong and ready on the side table, along with a platter of pastries. She had reviewed the notes from the previous meeting and was surprised that Mrs. Thompson had asked for so much time with the children. She had met with Mr. Thompson yesterday to discuss their next step.

When Walker showed up, Teri and Mr. Thompson had eaten a danish and had a second cup of coffee in front of them. Teri stood, and held out her hand, as she greeted Walker. “Mr. Walker, welcome. If you would like to get some coffee or pastry, they are on the side table. We have reviewed your list for visitation rights and when you are ready we can discuss them.”

As Teri shook hands with Walker, she felt a shock of energy surge up her arm. She quickly released his hand and took her seat, wondering what had caused that sensation. Static electricity, she thought. Must be. As Walker turned to get his coffee, she wiped her hand down her skirt, wanting to get that sensation off her skin.

Once he was settled, he began with his demands. Full custody but with the basic visitation rights. It was almost as if he were quoting from Visitation Rights 101. Teri noticed that Mr. Thompson's eyes were wide with surprise, but he kept quiet. Teri was shocked that Mrs. Thompson had demanded so much time with the children. It seemed as if she was a more involved parent than Teri had suspected.

So, did they give into the demands or counter? She looked over at Walker who looked odd. Was he ill? No, wait, he looked nervous. But why? Because he wanted this or didn't want this? Hmmm. She wrote a brief note on her notepad and showed it to Mr. Thompson. The note said, “Accept this or stick to plan A?” Mr. Thompson pointed to plan A.

“Mr. Walker, Mr. Thompson accepts full custody of the children. However, the children, while not wanting to cut all ties with their mother, are, understandably confused as to her behavior toward them. So, Mr. Thompson is countering with this proposal: a) two weeks in the summertime; and, b) alternating visits for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. The children have no desire at this time to see their mother every other weekend and there is concern that this will interfere with their weekend activities of soccer and dance classes. However, they and Mr. Thompson are willing to make arrangements for weekend visits when those visits do not interfere with the children's planned activities.”

Teri paused and took a drink of her coffee. “Obviously, there is some concern by the children, well actually, anger towards their mother's actions which they are working out with the help of a counselor. The children, at this time, don't really want to see their mother at all. However, Mr. Thompson feels, as does the counselor, that, with time, the children may wish to spend more time with their mother. So, he would like to stipulate for the record that should the children become more amenable, that more joint visitation time could be arranged in the future.”

She paused. “However, Mr. Thompson insists that, prior to any visits with their mother, that: a) a social worker determine that Mrs. Thompson's apartment be reviewed to make sure that the children would have their own bedrooms, that they would have a place for some clothing and belongings, and that Mrs. Thompson has some planned activities. Neither child wishes to spend their entire weekend or weeks stuck in the apartment with nothing to do. The second part is that the children will not spend time with Mrs. Thompson's... companion. When the children visit they should spend their time with their mother and not have to share her attention.”

Teri watched Walker's face carefully as she gave the counter offer. She was very interested to see his reaction.

Daniel Walker was a bit nervous entering Teri Jackson’s offices. On the one hand he and Mrs. Thompson were in reasonably good shape on the custody issue. Thank God, neither Jackson nor Mr. Thompson had seen his feint for what it was. Mr. Thompson had acted on his own truthful desire, and probably anger, and asked for full custody of the children, which as exactly what Mrs. Thompson wanted. However, by demanding full custody, the Thompson/Jackson team had allowed Mrs. Thompson to look just a little bit the aggrieved party. Susan Thompson needed every bit of help she could get. And, that’s why Daniel was nervous. This fucking case, he knew, could slide away from him at any moment.

Daniel accepted Jackson’s offer of coffee gratefully and allowed his appreciation to show in a barely audible “thanks”. Reciprocating her handshake was so perfunctory that he was barely even aware that he was doing it, but when their hands touched Daniel was jolted into full consciousness. Something about their handshake was different. He didn’t know what, but the differentness was clear. He must have shaken hands with Teri Jackson dozens of times over the last couple of years, every instance of which was thoroughly forgettable. But not this one. What bothered him even more is that he couldn’t tell what the difference was, and whether it was coming from him or from her, or form both of them. He did note that she withdrew her hand a bit more rapidly than usual, but that wasn’t it. Daniel had to force himself to get this thought out of his mind and concentrate on the case, but he could feel a strange, unnamed tension rising.

Daniel listened carefully to their offer. Keeping his poker face on was not easy; they had handed him a golden opportunity. Daniel wasn’t sure how deeply Mrs. Thompson felt about the biweekly visits, but he suspected that she could live without them. The Thompson/Walker team could go on record strongly opposing the offer and demanding more visitation. If they “won” Mrs. Walker would simply have what she had said that she wanted. If they “lost” and got only limited visitation, they would “win” by reducing somewhat the image of Mrs. Thompson as the one-and-only bad guy.

Daniel could feel his steam building up for a great theatrical, righteously indignant reply to their proposal. He was ready to roll, as long as he didn’t let his emotion run away with him. This was a challenge, he could feel, because the unnamed tension was still there and getting stronger.

“Thank you, Ms. Jackson, for Mr. Thompson’s clearly stated proposal. I will, of course, relay your proposal exactly as you have presented it to Mrs. Thompson. The decision to accept or reject your proposal will, of course, be hers, but I will advise her to reject both your visitation proposal and…” Here, Daniel stopped to look Teri Jackson straight in the eye, “your proposal with regard to any ‘companion’ that Mrs. Thompson may have.” Daniel tried, unsuccessfully, to slow himself down. “Other than demanding full joint custody, Mrs. Thompson has simply asked for what is, essentially, the standard visitation schedule in the U.S. for divorced couples who live in the same area. Your exceptionally restricted schedule of visits is off the charts and insulting to my client.”

Had he been able to hold his emotions more in check, Daniel would have been pleased with his response. But, he had already himself used more pejorative terms than he should have, and he wasn’t finished, yet. “As for the ‘companion restriction clause’”, here, again, Daniel paused trying to calm himself down, “you’re not even in the legal precedent ballpark. I’m sure that you, counselor, know that our state supreme court ruled in Landis v. Landis that the presence of a non-custodial parent’s romantic partner, married or unmarried, in that parent’s home is not, per se, grounds for restricting parental visitation rights.” Sweat was now pouring down Daniel’s face, which was getting redder by the moment. Losing complete control, he wheeled to look directly at Teri Jackson. “And, counselor, the term isn’t ‘companion’, it’s ‘lover’. In case you don’t know this, unmarried men and women actually have sex.”

Daniel knew instantly that he’d blown it; maybe the whole case. Rule number one of litigation was to never lose your cool. Quickly grabbing his papers, Daniel said, “I will speak to my client tomorrow and call you ASAP with our reply.” With that, he turned and left abruptly.

Exiting Jackson’s office Daniel quickly called Mrs. Thompson. Trying to hide his anxiety he briefly outlined the other side’s proposal and set up a meeting with her for the next morning. Daniel was beat. He was in turmoil. He had let his emotions run wild, and he didn’t even understand what the emotions were. Daniel had little other pressing business. He called his office, reserved the conference room for his meeting in the morning, and told his secretary that he wouldn’t be in until tomorrow.

Walking down the street in something of a daze Daniel wandered in to Quincy’s, the bar in Silver Lake that the town’s lawyers favored. Sitting himself at a table in a far corner, he ordered a 16 ounce glass of the only IPA they had on tap. He almost never drank during the day. “I think,” Daniel thought through his dazed brain, “I’ll sit here and have this beer, and then…maybe, I’ll have another or two.”

Teri's eyes opened wide as she stared at Walker's back as he stormed out of the conference room. There was dead silence in the room for several moments. What was wrong with that man? Teri knew the case wasn't going to be easy, but never in a million years would she have predicted Daniel Walker throwing a fit and storming out of a meeting. Did he not know the meaning of the word, compromise? Remembering how red his face had gotten, she wondered if he was ill. Should she have called for the paramedics? He certainly felt well enough to storm out, so maybe he was physically all right. But mentally? Whew! Something was off that was for sure.

Turning to Mr. Thompson, whose mouth was also hanging open, she looked at him and shrugged. “I don't know what to tell you. I have worked a few cases with Mr. Walker and that was the first time I have seen that behavior. I can't tell you whether it will be good for us or bad. I just don't know.”

Mr. Thompson nodded, “It was an impressive display of a hissy fit, that is for sure.”

Teri laughed, “Yes, it certainly was. Well, I am sorry to have taken your time for that. I thought we would accomplish more towards compromising on the visitation rights. I am not sure Mr. Walker understands the concept. But, if he can't give us something substantial to work with, we will have to take it to the judge and get a ruling. At this point, with Mrs. Thompson's affair and Mr. Walker's style of discussion, I think going through the judge might be the reasonable step to take.”

“I just want her to see the children as little as possible because that is their wishes at the moment,” said Mr. Thompson. “I am not trying to “win” anything, I just want the children to have access to their mother should they want it in the future. Is that asking too much?”

“No,” Teri said soothingly. “It is your job as their father to protect them and mine to protect all of you. I think I will contact Mr. Walker and see what his client has to say. Then we will know where to go next. It might be a good idea to let the children's counselor know that she may be asked to speak to the judge as to the children's wishes regarding their mother.”

“All right, I can do that. Please, call me Paul. All this Mr. and Mrs. Thompson is getting to be old hat.”

“As you wish, Paul. However, in meetings with other people I will be using Thompson to refer to both of you as that is expected in those settings,” Teri responded with a smile. “In my office, then please call me Teri. You are right all this last name stuff is rather formal.”

As Paul stood to leave, Teri shook his hand. “I will let you know what I find out,” she said. “Then we can set up the next meeting at that time.”

After Paul left, Teri sat at the table. What a weird morning! With a sigh, she called Walker's office to see if he was calm enough to talk about a future meeting. The receptionist informed her that Mr. Walker was out for the rest of the day and she would pass a message on to him when he returned. How strange!. Teri wondered for a moment if Walker really was ill and had rushed off to the doctor. She felt an odd emotion surface which took her a moment to recognize as sympathy. She didn't want to wish for any other person to be sick. That just wasn't her style.

Picking up her belongings she took them back to her office. She had expected to spend several hours in the conference room discussing the case. It was early, but she was hungry. She stopped by at Beth's office, to take a sandwich order and also asked Patty what she would like. Then she walked down the street toward Quincy's. Quincy's was the local watering hole and many lawyers hung out there especially after court was out. It was also one of the best places in town to get pastrami sandwiches. Lean pastrami, sourdough bread, stone ground mustard, and giant pickles. Teri didn't eat there often, but today, she felt like splurging on lots of carbs and proteins.

She entered the dark saloon, and went up to the bar. Ordering three sandwiches, chips and drinks, she talked to the owner, Quincy for a few minutes while she waited for Al to put her order together. Teri didn't know where Quincy found Al, but he was a gold mine. His sandwiches and bar food were known all over Silver Lake.

When her order was ready, she gathered everything up and turned to leave. Her jaw dropped open for the second time that day. In the far corner huddled over, what looked to be several empty glasses, was Daniel Walker. So, he was sick and needed the day off? Really! Teri turned and quickly left, she didn't want Walker to know that she had seen him. Why? She wasn't sure, but for some reason, she wanted out of there quickly.

She walked quickly back to her office and handed out the food and drink. The three ladies settled into Beth's office and ate. While they ate, Teri told them about Walker's melt down, the message that he was out of the office for the day, and seeing him at Quincy's. They all gave various reasons for his behavior, but no one really had a good reason why he would be sitting in a bar, drinking heavily, before noon. “Maybe he got some bad news,” Teri surmised. “I hope it isn't his family.”

The ladies expressed thoughts of concern and then changed the topic of discussion to the latest movie showing at the Silver Lake theater.

Daniel Walker didn’t notice Teri Jackson as she walked into the bar at Quincy’s, ordered takeout, and left. He was just beginning his fourth 16 oz. draft at that point, and had neglected to order one of Al’s delicious lunches. As a big guy and the grandson (on his mother’s side) of a hard-drinking Irish grandfather, three large draft beers didn’t put him under the table, but they were having an effect. Not the effect that he wanted, though. The unnamed tension that he experienced while in Jackson’s offices had calmed down some, but it was still there. His inhibition, however, was decreasing more rapidly.

Ordering and devouring one of Al’s pastrami sandwiches while he finished his fourth beer, Daniel decided to call Susan Thompson back rather than waiting until tomorrow. He could do that from his home. Fortunately, Mrs. Thompson presented herself on the phone in her more competent guise, rather than the love-struck teenager persona that she often donned when meeting with her husband and the lawyers. She quickly understood Daniel’s summary of the other side’s proposal and his recommendations. Unfortunately, from Daniel’s point of view, she readily accepted the very limited visitation schedule. Apparently, she had not been as interested in her children as her initial proposal would have suggested. Her acceptance would reduce some of the conflict and, perhaps, make her look conciliatory, but would also decrease any claim that she had to being “wronged”. She agreed immediately with Daniel’s position on the “companion” restriction. “As I explained,” Susan Thompson said as she slid back into her more dreamy mode, “my new husband and I may be starting a new family. I would want my children by Paul to be included into the new grouping where appropriate.” Having come quickly to their position, and after Daniel strongly advised his client to not refer at all to possible remarriage, Daniel and Susan cancelled their planned meeting for the next morning, having met their objective.

Since arriving home Daniel had opened a bottle of beer from his own cache, which he finished while talking to Susan. He sat for a few minutes deciding on how quickly to present their counter offer to the Jackson/Thompson team. Grabbing yet another bottle of brew he decided to forge ahead, calling Jackson’s office number by memory. Delightfully, Teri Jackson took his call immediately.

“Ms. Jackson,” Daniel began politely as he pulled on his beer. “I have presented your proposals to Mrs. Thompson, and we are ready to make a counter offer that we hope will be an acceptable compromise to Mr. Thompson.” Daniel paused for a moment before continuing with a partial lie that he suspected Jackson would see right through. “Mrs. Thompson is exceptionally reluctant to give up the proposed, standard bi-weekly visits by her children, but she does want what’s best for them, and, also, she readily acknowledges that Mr. Thompson is a good father. So, as painful as it is for her, she is willing to consider the visitation schedule that you proposed. However, as I predicted, she is completely opposed to the ‘companion restriction’ that Mr. Thompson wants. Should she ever become attached to someone as a quotes ‘companion’, she sees no reason why that would interfere with the children’s visits. So, we are proposing a straight up quid pro quo. Mrs. Thompson will reluctantly accept the very sparse visitations in exchange for Mr. Thompson dropping his ‘companion restriction’ requirement.” Daniel paused for a few moments before ending his planned speech. He was feeling mysteriously conciliatory, even though the 5+ beers had not made his unnamed tension go away entirely. “I know that you will need to present our counterproposal to Mr. Thompson, and he may need to think this over. So, we will await your reply at Mr. Thompson’s earliest convenience. Thank you.”

Daniel was now nearly done with beer number six, and it was really beginning to show. He had managed to get out their counterproposal without slurring his speech, but his inhibition was now almost entirely gone, and in his gut, somehow he didn’t want to end this conversation with Teri. Whatever the tension was that he felt earlier in the day when he shook Teri’s hand, that drove him to burst out at the end of the meeting with her and Mr. Thompson, and that led him to having four beers at Quincy’s broke the dam. He should have just hung up, but he drove on instead, his speech now noticeably affected by the alcohol.

“By the way, Teri,” Daniel began, tossing aside the requirement to address her formally, “I have been defending you in the court of local, male lawyer opinion, which convenes occasionally at Quincy’s. All of the other guys believe that you wear that very tight blouse when you are in legal proceedings to intentionally distract your male opposition. But, I objected. I said ‘No, no. Teri Jackson went to a fancy law school in a big city. She just learned to dress well as a young professional woman. That’s all.’ I mean, Teri, these guys buy their everyday suits at Sears for Chrissake. Let’s face it. You and I are the two best lawyers in this town, and we dress the part appropriately.” Daniel and his alcohol were on a roll now. He went for the coup de grace. “And…about half of the guys, well…they think that your…or, what they perceive as your tight-ass, competitive personality is so rigid that you may have never let a man put his hands on that gorgeous body of yours. But I said, ‘Oh, no…hold on. Teri Jackson is much too hot to have been celibate her entire life. No, she’s…she’s probably just…just on a…a…a long dry spell, you know…uh…well…kinda….uh..kinda like me.”

The silence on the other end of the line was deafening. What little remained of Daniel’s rational brain told him that he’d gone over the edge. “Shit,” he mumbled as he tried, unsuccessfully, to hang up his landline phone without banging the receiver against the cradle. Daniel slumped back on his couch, belched loudly, and passed out.

Teri would have given any amount of money to have recorded the phone call she just received. She sat at her desk and went over what Daniel Walker had just said/mumbled in her ear. Working backwards through the various insults, she was surprised to find that she wasn't angry or even upset. She was amused. It was obvious the man was drunk. Forget recording the call, what Teri would pay dearly for was to see his face when he realized what he had said. Now that would be a photograph for the ages.

Chuckling, she worked her way past all the garbage to get to the heart of the message. Hmm, so Mrs. Thompson decided to agree to the limited visitation? That was interesting. Teri didn't think this was due to concern about her children but rather a lack of disinterest in her children. She wrote the information into her notebook. Then typed it into the court required documentation for decisions regarding children. Copies would be sent to Paul, Walker, and the court.

As far as the companion clause, Teri knew that it wouldn't fly, but Mrs. Thompson's quick response told Teri that this man was of importance to Walker's client. She called Charlie.

"Charlie," she said once he answered the phone, "I want to know how long Mrs Thompson has been seeing this man and how serious of an affair it is. Look into this guy's financials and see if you can get a read on what kind of guy he is and what his thoughts are regarding the Thompson kids and custody. See if you can find out what future plans he or they have. Thanks."

Charlie agreed and they both hung up. Teri wrote a few more thoughts into her notebook and then headed down the hall to tell Beth about the drunken call. But when she got to Beth's door, she realized that she didn't want to share that with her best friend. For some reason, she felt almost protective of Walker. She decided that no one needed to know about his breach in professionalism.

She said her good nights to Beth and Patty and headed up to her apartment. When she got to the top of the stairs, she realized her jaw ached from the wide grin on her face. He had been remarkedly off base. So far off that it was hilarious.

Teri dressed professionally because she was a female and in the legal world women were considered inferior to male lawyers. A male lawyer who was good at his job was held in high esteem, a women that was good at her job was considered masculine, overbearing and other derogatory terms. Teri wore her blouses and suits when she was working because they made her feel good. She didn't own many suits, but what she had were quality made. Quality made clothing lasted longer and looked better. But, she grinned, as she took off the suit and blouse and hung them up carefully, she also liked her casual clothes. Taking out a pair of cut-offs and a t-shirt, she dressed quickly and then went in search of her cupboards to see what she could scrounge up for dinner.

The next day, she called Paul to tell him the settlement for the children and to see if he was all right with it. Then she called Walker to set up an appointment to begin discussing the financial aspects of the case. She looked down at her clothing and wondered what he would think if he saw her in her slacks and button down blouse and blazer jacket. She saved the suits for meetings with lawyers and the courtroom. In her office she dressed much more casually. In fact, the blazer she wore had come from J.C. Penney. She chuckled. Walker was such a idiot! Granted, he was too good looking for his own good, but still, he was an idiot that drank too much.

Daniel awoke from his drunken stupor around 7::30 that evening, fixed himself a decent dinner, drank just about as much water as he could stand to ward off dehydration, took some Tylenol, and went back to bed. His self-prescribed treatment worked fairly well. Arising and showering a little after dawn he was pleased to find that he didn't have a head-crunching hangover. He was still a bit foggy, but he had seen worse in his college days.

Since he had cancelled his morning meeting with Susan Thompson, he was in no rush to get to work. He anticipated a paper-work day with no other appointments. Abandoning his usual oatmeal and yogurt breakfast in favor of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee - another anti-hangover maneuver - he breakfasted leisurely on his back porch. As he did Daniel experienced a phenomenon that recurred occasionally for him. He began to recall dreams of the previous night, even though he had not remembered them on awakening.

And the recalled dreams solved the mystery of the great tension that he felt yesterday, but was unable to name. In his dreams he and Teri Jackson were lovers, a dating couple engaged with one another intimately and socially when they weren't frolicking in bed. "Holy shit!," Daniel actually said out loud as the realization poured over him. He was very attracted to Teri Jackson as a single, eligible woman. He always knew that he held Teri in high professional esteem based on her extraordinary competence, even when he was feeling so competitive with her that he wanted to grind her case into the dust, but he had never before considered, even for an instant, that he was attracted to her. "My God," he thought, "how blind I have been to my own emotions."

As disturbing as his realizations were to him, they were also sort of pleasant. In truth Daniel had no social life at all in Silver Lake. C & W and the other male attorneys ranged in age from being old enough to be his much older brother to being his father, or even older. As much as he liked the outdoor life that Silver Lake offered, Daniel had difficulty relating in anything more than a superficial way to the 30-somethings in the town who were, at best, high school graduates. And...Daniel hadn't had a date in the 2 1/2 years since his divorce from Jill. To say that on occasion he was over-the-top horny would be an understatement. Flying solo gave some relief, but was a pale shadow of the real thing.

Oddly, Daniel felt almost as though he were suddenly reborn. Maybe he was being influenced by the "starting over" mentality of his client. In any event, he hatched a plan. Donning his more casual attire, nice open-collar shirt, good jeans, no tie, he biked to his office. Waiting just long enough that Teri would likely be in her office, he called and asked to speak to her directly. Again, she answered promptly and professionally. "Ms. Jackson", Daniel began in his politest manner. "First, I want to reiterate that my client and I understand that you and your client may need some time to consider our counter offer on visitation. We believe that the two parents can come to a reasonably mutually acceptable position without having to have a judge make the call. In addition to clearing things up for all concerned, especially the children, that would allow us to move on to negotiating property settlement issues.”

Daniel paused for just a moment, deciding whether to move forward with his plan. “Second, uh…, I realize at our meeting yesterday in your office I made some unnecessary, critical comments to you, and that then, I, uh…compounded that by making really off-the-wall more personal comments to you on the phone yesterday afternoon. Ms. Jackson, that was wrong and unwarranted. I apologize directly to you for my both unprofessional and unseemly behavior. Please be assured that such won’t happen again. Um…um…I realize that I can’t truthfully do anything that will entirely make up for my outlandish behavior, but, uh…I would like to make at least some amends by offering to buy you a lunch sandwich at Quincy’s at, uh…a day of your choosing.”

Yesterday, Walker's actions and words had amused Teri, but now she was confused. Was he asking her for a date? Was he just wanting to get together to discuss the case? Was a date with Walker something she wanted to consider? Whatever was racing through her head, she needed to respond to his call.

"I appreciate your apology, Mr. Walker. I am sure you were not feeling yourself. I am glad you are feeling better today. If you look through your email you will see that Mr. Thompson has agreed to your visitation compromises. The paperwork has been sent to the court as part of the paperwork on file. We are ready to discuss the division of assets whenever you are. In fact, we have been ready since the first meeting. As for lunch, if you would prefer to have a working lunch, then I can call Mr. Thompson and ask when he is available. When would you like to meet to discuss financials?"

While Teri waited for him to check his calendar, she wondered if he had meant to ask her for a luncheon date. Surely not. It would be totally inappropriate to date the opposing counsel during an on-going case. Still, there was a small part of her, the lonely part, that wondered what it would be like to be close to Walker. Was he really the jerk he acted in the meetings or was there, buried deep inside, a nice guy? There weren't a lot of men around her age that were available for dating in Silver Lake and it had been a long long time since she had been on a date. Too long. Perhaps, that was all that there was behind her fascination with Walker. That made more sense than actually being attracted to him. She was just feeling a bit lonely, and everyone knew, that agreeing to see someone when you are feeling lonely is a bad situation. Before Teri could bring her mind around to some kind of clarity, Walker was back with a time for the next meeting.

Once he had finished his opening comments about the visitation offer, Daniel was so focused on his not-quite-a-date offer to Teri Jackson that he nearly didn't hear her reply about the visitation proposal. The good news finally did get through, though, and, if anything, it emboldened him some. Somehow he and Teri seemed less like opponents.

As for lunch, if you would prefer to have a working lunch, then I can call Mr. Thompson and ask when he is available.

Daniel had realized that Teri might perceive his lunch offer in a number of different ways, including that he was inappropriately asking her for a date while they were on the opposite sides of a case. As he biked in to work he had tossed the ethical question over in his mind. Was dating the opposing counsel, per se, inappropriate? Heck, there were law school legends, perhaps untrue or exaggerated, of married couples being opposing counsel. Besides, he thought, "I'm not exactly asking Teri for a 'date'. It's not like I'm going to try to kiss her after lunch or anything." But...his proposal was more than a bit edgy, and he knew it. Teri's question about a working lunch with Mr. Thompson actually offered him an opportunity to clarify his offer.

"Ms. Jackson, I am delighted to hear that Mr. Thompson has accepted our proposal and that you have forwarded the paper work. I will inform Mrs. Thompson as soon as I hang up. I know that she will be pleased with the news. As for having a working lunch with Mr. Thompson and you, well, um...I do acknowledge that I really owe Mr. Thompson an apology also for some of my remarks during yesterday's meeting, but I am sure that Mrs. Thompson will want to participate in-person in the discussion of dividing up the assets. So, I don't think that a working lunch with you and your client would work at this point. Actually, per my comment, I was thinking of treating you to a quick lunch at Quincy's. On reflection, if you would also like to invite Beth Samuels to join us, that would be fine. She wasn't directly on the other end of my outlandish comments, but she and you are, after all, partners in your practice. Of course, we couldn't discuss the case, though."

As he awaited Teri's reply Daniel had to suppress a chuckle. God, this felt almost like high school. Had he just invited a girl on a date but included her girlfriend in hopes of reducing the first girl's reluctance? "Oh, well," Daniel mused, "maybe you never really outgrow certain things."

Teri held the phone away from her ear and stared at it. What on earth? He wanted to have lunch and invite Beth along? He may be the best looking guy in the entire town, but this was just... weird. What did he think she was, 15?

She put the phone back to her ear and still had no idea what to say. After a few more moments of silence, she cleared her throat and said, "Mr. Walker, I agree that both of the Thompson's should be included in the discussion of the division of assets. You didn't really give a time or date for a meeting. Perhaps you could see if your client is available for Friday morning or afternoon? My conference room is available and so is the one at the courthouse."

She paused again, still flummoxed by the lunch thing. "Regarding lunch? Perhaps the best time for that would be after the settlement papers have been submitted to the court. This is a small town. I would not want either client to feel that their lawyers were on "friendly terms" and thereby not ready to give that client a fair, impartial service. While I believe you and I could be professional and impartial, I would not like to give the clients any concerns. I am sure you can appreciate that."

Teri could not explain why, the words felt so correct and yet she felt a tinge of disappointment. Really? She needed to figure out this attraction/dislike she had for Walker. Her emotions seemed to be all over the place and she didn't like that. Not one bit.

"So get back to me on that meeting date, Friday or when you both are available. I am sure Paul...uh.. Mr. Thompson will be ready to meet when you are."

Several thoughts and emotions flooded Daniel's mind as Teri Jackson replied to his revised lunch offer and his comments about having a conference with all parties present. He was pleased with the suggestion of a Friday meeting; he knew that his client would accept that. He also knew almost instinctively that the best venue for his client would be meeting in the courthouse conference room, but his new-found personal interest in Teri Jackson made him want to be as friendly as possible. He paused long enough to pull his head together and remember that his first duty was to his client.

On the lunch "date" front: he decided that he had scored at least a partial victory. Teri Jackson did not say "No"; she left the door open. Moreover, she likely saved him, and herself, from making a really impulsive mistake. She was right; they should wait until the settlement papers were in order, all the more reason to get this case settled. Daniel had worked his way quickly through his flooded thoughts and felt ready to respond calmly. He was about to do so when:

I am sure Paul...uh.. Mr. Thompson will be ready to meet when you are.

Paul? What, Teri Jackson was on a first-name basis with her soon-to-be divorced, affluent, not-too-bad-looking client, but he was still "Mr. Walker". A spurt of jealous anger rushed through him. OK...got it...I can play, too.

"Ms. Jackson", Daniel said somewhat icily, "let's meet in the courthouse conference room. Thank you for agreeing to make the reservation. And, your thoughts about lunch really do make sense. So, as soon as the settlement papers are in, let's find a day and time to meet at Quincy's." Daniel paused just long enough for effect. "Oh, and as for scheduling on Friday, go ahead and pick whatever time the conference room is available. Susan uh...I mean..Mrs. Thompson and I can be available at any time that day."

My goodness, Teri thought. This man has more moods than an octopus has arms. First he sounds like he wants a date, then his voice gets so cold it is a wonder the lines don't ice over. Shaking her head, she suggested a 10:00 meeting time and agreed on the courthouse conference room.

After she hung up, she called Patty and asked her to reserve the conference room and to order pastries and coffee for the meeting. She then called Paul and let him know about the date and time. He agreed to be there.

"I know it has only been a couple of weeks, but I am tired of all of this," he said. "I just want it to be done and over with. The girls and I need to figure out how to move on with our lives. So far, they have been handling it pretty well. Thank goodness you recommended the counselor. We are learning how to deal with anger and abandonment issues and how to proceed as a family of three. I have come to accept that I will never understand how Susan could do this, but it is what it is. I appreciate your support through the process."

"I am glad you and the girls are working things out, Paul. I can't imagine what you are going through, but I will do my best to make sure that you receive the best offer we can get. After Friday's meeting, if opposing counsel manages to make it through the meeting, then we will be moving into the final steps. Once an agreement has been reached regarding financial assets, then the case goes to the judge for any clarification they may want. Then the judge will make a ruling. You will then have a 90 day waiting period before everything is finalized. As for Friday, I think, since you have main custody of the children, that there will be no problem with you keeping the house. However, we may have to do some compromises with the stock portfolio and the beach house and boat. If there is anything specific that is a non-negotiable item, please email me before Friday and let me know. Think about this carefully, as we will try to keep as much as possible, but we won't get our way on everything. Mrs. Thompson so far has really only shown interest when monetary items are discussed, so I think we can assume that she will want everything she can get her hands on. At least the children's college fund is protected."

After a few more words, they hung up. He really is a nice man, thought Teri. It is too bad he has been treated so poorly. It only goes to show you that marriage is a terrible idea.

She began reviewing the Thompson portfolio, looking for those items that would be good negotiating points. But she found, as she worked, that her mind kept distracting her with thoughts of Walker. What a shame that such a good looking man should be slightly insane. As much as her body might have some slight attraction to him, he was just too moody for Teri. Still, she chuckled, when he was drunk he was highly amusing. Too bad that he had to be drunk to have any kind of sense of humor.