Against the Wind by J. F. Freedman

Author:J. F. Freedman [Freedman, J. F.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense
ISBN: 9781480423930
Publisher: Signet
Published: 1991-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

PART THREE

I’M SITTING IN THE BAR of the Albuquerque Airport, waiting for my flight. In the background the radio’s playing a medley of my favorite Christmas hits: “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” Cheech and Chong’s “Santa Claus and His Old Lady,” “Jingle Bell Rock.” In half an hour I board a plane for Seattle, bearing gifts. Christmas in a strange town, with my daughter in her new digs.

It’ll be my first time there. I could’ve had her for the holidays—that’s part of the agreement Patricia and I made—but it doesn’t seem right, Claudia’s traveling back and forth right out of the box, like a yo-yo. Let her be with both of us, get accustomed to her new surroundings. It’s got to be hard.

I catch the bartender’s eye, cock my finger. Una más. José Cuervo, you are a friend of mine. Actually, it’s Johnnie Walker. Same difference.

It’s been a shitty couple of months, to put it mildly. The Monday after the verdict came in I received the final divorce papers. Holly cleaned me out; the house, all the furniture, her car, most of the joint account, the works. What’s yours is mine and what’s mine is mine. Fuck it, I didn’t care, truth be known it’s a relief. The slate wiped clean, no reminders.

I didn’t give her alimony; she works, art gallery management, good money. We didn’t have kids; she was ‘never ready.’ Thank God in retrospect, sharing one is tough enough. She took her own name back, plans on selling the house and moving to Taos. Fine with me—if I never see her again it’ll be too soon.

A week after that, Andy and Fred lowered the boom. They’d decided a long time ago, probably the day they made me take the leave of absence. If I’d won the trial they might’ve reconsidered.

But I lost.

For the record it’s an amicable parting, conflicting directions philosophically about where each of us wanted to go with the practice. It cost them $200,000, but it’s spread out over four years, which won’t do much more than cover my office expenses.

Some of my clients came with me. Fred made vague noises about restricting the exodus, but it was strictly the clients’ choices, I kept my mouth shut. Secretly, of course, I was pleased. Susan came with me, too.

I won’t starve to death, and I’ll have enough work to keep my mind from turning inward, where the self-pitying sleeps.

At least I suckered Holly. Not the way I wanted, but when you’re on a losing streak any victory tastes sweet, even if you have to eat a ton of shit to taste it. She won’t get a penny of the buyout; if they’d made their move two weeks earlier she’d have an extra hundred thousand in her account. She’ll feel cheated and put-upon when she hears about it. Isn’t that too fucking bad. Like I said, I’ll take a victory any way I can get it.

Fred wanted to trip the door, knowing my timetable on the divorce.

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