Primary Justice

44

BY FIVE O’CLOCK, MOST of Ben’s belongings were in boxes. He hadn’t really had time to accumulate much in his office, so there wasn’t much to pack. Mostly textbooks and other paraphernalia from law school. Once boxed, his possessions were supposed to be delivered to his apartment by the firm clerks.

Ben heard a tiny throat-clearing noise. Bertha and Emily were standing outside the door to his office.

“Have you read and signed all the papers?” Ben asked.

“Yes, sir,” Bertha replied.

“Just leave them with Maggie. After the judge signs them, someone in the office will send you a certified copy. I would do it myself, but I’m afraid I won’t be working here anymore.”

There was an awkward pause. Bertha obviously wanted to say something, but she wasn’t sure how to begin. “I … I have some idea what you’ve been doing. For me, I mean.” She looked down at Emily. “For us. I just wanted to say … thank you.” She nudged Emily’s shoulder.

“Me, too,” Emily said, smiling. “Thank you, Mr. Kincaid.”

Bertha put her hand in Emily’s, and they walked away.

Ben packed the last book and sealed the box with heavy brown masking tape. He chuckled. Thank you, Mr. Kincaid.

He stopped suddenly. Thank you, Mr. Kincaid? She remembered my name, Ben thought. We’ve been separated for over an hour—and Emily remembered my name.

Ben walked out into the hallway. He felt a smile spread through his entire body. The hell with Derek and his crowd, anyway. She remembered my name.

He met Christina at the elevator. They rode down to the ground level together, then walked across the catwalk and into the parking garage.

“I got canned,” he said.

“I know,” she replied.

“Of course. I should have realized. You probably knew yesterday.”

“Well …” She let the sentence trail off. “Let’s say I suspected.” They strolled a little further. “I for one don’t think they treated you properly, Ben. So I quit. In protest.”

“You quit!”

“You heard me.”

“My God, Christina, you can’t do that!”

“I can—and did.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to find another job?”

“I already have.”

Ben was incredulous. “Already?”

“Of course. I didn’t quit job one till I’d located job two. What do you take me for, a fool?”

“Anything but,” Ben muttered. They walked down the first row of automobiles. “I don’t know how I can find work without leaving Tulsa,” he said. “The Raven fatcats are bound to smear my name. I may never work in this town again.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Christina said. “They don’t exactly come out of this sewage leak smelling like a rose. I lay odds they’ll keep their mouths shut. Even Derek. You’ll find work.”

Ben shrugged. “I hope you’re right.”

“But it may take you awhile to find something. And I don’t suppose you’ve had time to build up an enormous nest egg.”

“Hardly. Good thing my rent’s paid up till the end of the month. After that …”

Christina turned to face him. “I’ve got bad news for you, Ben. Today is the last day of the month.”

Ben blinked. “Is that right? I guess it is. I’ve completely lost track of time.”

“I’ve got a decent apartment, Ben. Not plush, but highly adequate. You can stay with me for a while, if you like.”

“Christina …”

“Don’t worry. No strings are attached. You can sleep on the couch; you can leave on a night-light. And you don’t have to worry about your reputation. We won’t tell Mother. Word will never get back to Nichols Hills.”

Ben frowned. “Christina—”

“It’s just an idea. You don’t have to.”

“Christina, stop!” He held her in place and looked into her eyes. “I don’t know if it would be fair to you.”

“So be unfair. Please. Life is short.”

They both grinned.

“Hey, guess what?” Ben said. His eyebrows bounced up and down. “She remembered my name.”

Christina’s brow wrinkled until she realized what he was talking about. “Congratulations,” she said.

Ben looped her arm around his, and they walked toward his Honda. Maybe congratulations were in order. He knew he should feel miserable about losing his job, but instead, for some reason, he was elated. The gnawing sensation in the pit of his stomach seemed to have vanished. Perhaps, he thought, somewhere in the midst of this fiasco, he had done something right. Perhaps it was all right to feel happy now. It would only last a moment. And what is life but moments?