“Ah. I’m afraid I can’t help you there.” She squinted at him. “What’s that mark on your eyebrow? Looks like you’re imitating Jason Momoa.”
“Work injury. I was whacked by a kayak I was trying to hang up. We’re going to have to do something about the money.”
“Aren’t you making money at your new job? You are getting paid, aren’t you?”
“Of course! Look, we’re going to have to do something—refinance the house or get an equity line of credit or something. Either that or cut the child support.”
“Hmm. You should have a healthy bank account, Scott. Do you mind if I ask what you decided to invest in?”
“Yes, I mind!” he barked. “That’s not your concern! It’s enough that you realize I’m a little tight and having trouble with expenses and half the mortgage. Unless you start paying support, I’m not going to be able to pay the bills!”
“You’re going to have to leave now, Scott,” she said calmly. “I’ll call you after work to discuss this, but we can’t do it now. This is a law office, and the only people allowed outbursts in here are disgruntled clients. I’ll call you this evening.”
“Fine,” he said, clearly rattled.
Justine watched him go. She walked out into the reception area to note that he had driven from the kayak shack to her office.
“The ex?” Charlene asked.
“The one and only. I’ll speak to him tonight and make sure he understands he can’t bring our divorce business to this office.”
Apparently it had only just occurred to Scott that Justine might not always bring home that fat check he’d always enjoyed. And what would he do? He must not have a plan. And he didn’t know what it felt like to have the pressure of earning fall to his shoulders.
* * *
Adele loved her job every day, even on the days that a client’s story made her want to cry. In fact, sometimes on those days she loved it even more because she watched in fascination as the team of social workers somehow closed ranks against a challenge and found a solution. Sometimes it seemed they just kept paddling along until they ran into a solution.
Something similar seemed to have happened in Adele’s home.
“Over summer the most surprising dynamic shifted,” Adele told Ross. “Of course you knew about Justine staying with me so she can work in Half Moon Bay, but then her girls started sleeping over and for the first time ever, we were a family. It was like Scott’s leaving was almost a good thing. Well, probably not for Justine, but it worked out pretty well for me having more time with my sister and nieces. Then as summer progressed, the girls started spending more time on the beach with local kids. Now they don’t like going home so much. They only live in the San Jose house when they have to because it’s Scott’s custody night, and that’s not going so well, which means they’re at my house more often than not.”
“What’s not going well?” Ross asked.
“He makes a lot of excuses to get home late and leave early, so the girls end up sitting home alone rather than having fun or spending time with their father. He claims it’s work, but they already know the kayak shack isn’t open late. They know it’s more about the woman in his life, and it’s not something they take quietly. Justine doesn’t go back to San Jose as often as she did last spring.” Addie sighed. “More and more of their stuff is taking residence in my house.” Then she smiled. “Our house. It’s still half Justine’s, of course.”
“I take it you’re feeling pretty good about these changes?” Ross asked.
“I’ve been feeling better about a lot of things, and it started with getting this job. I wanted to tell you something. I’m going up to Berkeley to talk with a career adviser. I was over a year into my graduate program, and now I want to change direction. Depending on how many of my credits are transferable and whether I can change grad programs, I think I’d like a degree in counseling.”
“Is that right?” Ross asked with a smile.
“You smile so much more often these days,” Adele said. “When I first met you...” She couldn’t finish. She was afraid she’d already said too much.
“I know,” Ross said. “I’m not cranky. I’m serious, that’s all. There is a difference, but not many people bother to look at the differences.”
“It’s true,” Addie said. “You’ve never been what I’d call angry.”
“Oh, I used to be pretty angry,” she admitted. “Life was hard. I had a terrible husband, a bunch of kids, trouble making money, no one to help, nowhere to turn.”
“And you turned here?” Addie asked.
Ross shook her head. “Not exactly. There were other people along the way who served a similar purpose. My church, my neighborhood, a couple of women in the same boat who I went to school with. But I eventually ended up here, a brand-new social worker when this program was just starting. It didn’t pay well but it got me by. Then I became invested in the program and the people.”
“I think I’m already invested in the program even though I don’t do anything to help.”
“Now don’t you be saying that. You’re the first face most of them see. You’re the first person they talk to. It’s your expression and your encouragement that gets them going, gives them hope. Your position is a very important one. It’s not an easy one to fill. I want you to make the most of your opportunities, but I sure hope we don’t have to replace you too soon. You’d be tough to replace.”
“I hope I can continue my advance degree while working,” Adele said. “It’s all a matter of whether I have to pick up undergrad credits before resuming my graduate studies in a new program. There are lots of possibilities. But there’s something that wasn’t available before—there are tons of online classes.”
Ross’s face grew very soft as she gazed at Adele. She looked as sweet and lovely as Adele had ever seen her.
“I’m going to give you some advice. Advice that was given to me that I struggled with. You’ve had many changes this year, starting with your mama’s death after years of being at home, caring for her. Then you began to grow in so many ways, remarkable ways. I’m so proud of you. We’re all so proud of you. I’m on your side, I promise you. And I want you to achieve your dreams. But while you’re making the decisions that will lead you there, be very careful to take care of yourself. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Don’t make yourself sick or too tired or get frustrated and angry, because what you want to do sounds rewarding and wonderful. Getting there will be hard but worth it. Please don’t overdo yourself. Remember to try to enjoy the process as well as the destination.”
“You’re right,” Addie said. “That’s very good advice.”
But Adele was thinking, It’s this job and these people who made me want to finally find a life that matters to me.
“And I want you to be able to enjoy this new sense of family you have.”
“I’m so surprised by this, and it’s my sister’s broken heart that began to bring us together. We were never really sisters before. I always loved Justine and admired her, but we never really bonded until now.”
“Life happens that way sometimes. Out of the ashes comes the beauty.”
* * *
Justine’s conversation with Scott went badly. She was frankly surprised it had not happened sooner.
“You should have told me you were planning to quit your job,” he said.
“I wasn’t planning to,” she said. “I was planning to stay at Sharper Dynamic for as long as possible, but the company is going through a merger, the positions were rapidly shifting and I was going to be moved to another department and it involved a significant pay cut. Plus my marriage was suddenly over, our assets divided as was our future. We would no longer have a team future. If I wanted to make a change, I could. And I’ve wanted to make a change for a long time. I was always honest about that. I told you I was getting burned out on corporate law years ago.”
“But you didn’t say you were going to quit! When you said you were happy to give me half your earnings for five years, you didn’t say your earnings would be down by a hundred percent! If you were so burned out, why didn’t you quit years ago?”
“Because we were playing as a team, and we had to make decisions like that together! You’re on another team now. Besides, what’s the panic? Didn’t you walk away with over two million dollars?”
“I invested in a business!”
She shouldn’t have been surprised, yet she was shocked. “Oh, Scott, you didn’t! Did you invest in that kayak shack? With the girlfriend?”
“I do have a degree in business. I managed our investments, income and retirement funds very successfully for many years,” he said.
“Except we had the advice of a professional financial planner and accountant. Did you enter into a partnership with that woman? She’s had two bankruptcies, you know. And the business is failing!”
“How do you know that?” he demanded angrily.
“Scott, it’s a matter of public record,” she said.
“You lied to me! You cheated me! You offered me support, knowing you wouldn’t have to pay it!”
“And you offered me a lifetime of marriage, telling me you loved me while you were having an affair! How long have you known we wouldn’t stay married? Because I decided to work for myself rather than for us after you left me for another woman!”
“It’s not the same thing and you know it!”
“How is it different? Admit it, it was easy to end the marriage knowing you’d have a plush income, a healthy war chest and another woman to keep you company!”
“And you’re deliberately pulling the rug out from under me as revenge!”