The Wrong Lawyer Read Free Page B

through
the gates of Heaven.
    “Oh, Jim, this is
glorious. I can’t wait to see the rest of the unit.”
    Corbett wasn’t
finished with his dog and pony show.
    He pressed a
button on the wall and the drapes automatically opened on both the south and
east windows.
    He switched off
the lights and the city of Kingston was spread out before us. It wasn’t Las
Vegas or Paris, but I had to admit it was still a very impressive night-time
display.
    When the lights
came back on, Jim asked what everyone wanted to drink.
    Lynne opted to
join Jim in savoring a snifter of Courvoisier.
    Linda just wanted
coffee and I decided to have the same.
    “Tom, why don’t
you put on a pot of coffee while I show the ladies the rest of my humble abode
and prepare our liqueurs?”
    “I’ll stay out
here and keep Tom company while you show Lynne around,” Linda insisted.
    Jim and Lynne
sauntered off arm in arm on the grand tour.
    “It is a beautiful
apartment,” Linda acknowledged.
    “Corbett earned
it,” I replied. “He worked crushing hours for decades and he seems to need
visible signs of his success all around him.”
    “What about you?”
Linda asked.
    “I’m just wired
differently. I was also quite successful financially and worked fairly hard,
but my frugal upbringing has stuck with me. It hurts me to spend money
unnecessarily.”
    “I’m probably
somewhere in between,” Linda opined. “I don’t mind spending money on something
I really like, but the obvious display of wealth in here makes me uncomfortable
rather than envious. You may be right about Lynne soiling her dress. This is
precisely up her alley.”
    We made small talk
while the coffee was percolating and then we carried our cups into the
living-room and sat side-by-side on one of the large sofas.
    “Have you been
married?” Linda asked.
    “Yes, for 15
years, but I’ve been on my own for the past 15 years.”
    “What about Jim?”
    “Our marital
histories are almost identical, give or take a few months. How long were you
married?”
    “Paul and I were
together for 31 years. Do you or Jim have any children?”
    “Neither of us
ever had kids. How about you?”
    “I’ve got a son
who is 29. Jeremy lives in Ottawa with his current girlfriend.”
    “Now that you’re
living in Kingston, are you planning on getting a job somewhere?”
    “The jury’s still
out on that issue. Since Paul died I’ve been busy settling the estate and
selling our house. For the time being I’m living back home with my parents. It
seemed sensible to live in Kingston for a while before deciding whether to buy
or rent here. I can certainly get by without a job but I’m not yet confident
that I’m ready for a life of leisure on my own. I just turned 55 last month and
a job would certainly fill a lot of my time.”
    “I retired about
six weeks after my 60 th birthday and I just hit 61 in July.”
    “Do you like
retirement so far?”
    “I can’t say that
I’m crazy about it. I don’t miss work at all, but the time does tend to drag a
bit now. I don’t play golf but I do play duplicate bridge two or three times a
week. It’s a bit disquieting to feel unproductive all the time.”
    “Do you date
much?”
    “Hardly at all;
it’s been a few years since I’ve even been out on a date and I haven’t had a
serious girlfriend since I got divorced. While I was working, I never really
had the time to develop a relationship. Running the business was extremely
time-consuming and I was never good at delegating responsibility. Now that I’m
retired, I have felt lonely at times.”
    “What about Jim?”
    “He was regularly
getting hit on after his marriage broke up, so Jim was dating a lot for quite a
while after his divorce. For the past few years I guess we’ve both been remiss
in that department. It was unprecedented for us to attend that dance tonight. I
assume that Lynne is seldom without a boyfriend.”
    “My sister has
loads of opportunities to meet new men, but she generally