{"id":144,"date":"2016-09-03T13:00:20","date_gmt":"2016-09-03T17:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.herbheineman.com\/?page_id=144"},"modified":"2024-07-26T12:55:06","modified_gmt":"2024-07-26T16:55:06","slug":"chapter-6","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/edensgarden\/chapter-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 6: Necessary Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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PART I: 1970<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Frank wasted no time. \u201cCome tomorrow at ten.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ll be there,\u201d Karen answered. \u201cI was afraid I\u2019d have to get in line.\u201d<\/p>

Frank chuckled. \u201cMary Carmody also has a ten o\u2019clock. Be here early and look worried. I\u2019ll have Becky tell Mary it\u2019s an emergency.\u201d<\/p>

Karen knew Mary Carmody. Mary was the kind who gave plaintiffs\u2019 lawyers a bad name. She had an ugly scar from minor surgery on her arm. Frank thought it matched the rest of her and saw no reason for suing. But Bill Clemens had referred her, and Bill also sent good cases.<\/p>

At five minutes to ten Karen entered the offices of Frazier & Drummond. Despite her familiarity with every wall, floor, and ceiling, she had a sensation of not quite belonging. This visit was neither social nor daily work routine. She was there as a job applicant, and she looked around through the eyes of a newcomer. For the first time she tried to estimate the size of the oriental-style carpets covering the hardwood floors and wondered about their price. Her eyes took in the oak paneling of the walls, the leather furniture, the crystal chandeliers. She imagined herself a client, matching the attorney\u2019s fees with the cost of furnishing this refuge for victims of tort. Evidently someone had researched the subject and concluded that a plush office promised damage awards of like value. Yes, as a client she would feel reassured.<\/p>

Walking to the reception desk, she looked worried as instructed. Sure enough, there was Mary Carmody with a bandage on her forearm. Karen nodded curtly before turning to Becky.<\/p>

\u201cMr. Frazier will be with you in a moment, Mrs. Avery. I hope things work.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThanks,\u201d she replied and began pacing the twelve-by-fifteen carpet.<\/p>

\u201cUrgent matter?\u201d asked Mary.<\/p>

\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI hope it isn\u2019t as bad as my case. You can\u2019t believe how those doctors disfigured me for life. I\u2019d show it to you, but you\u2019re upset enough already. Well, I\u2019m going to make \u2019em pay.\u201d<\/p>

With consummate satisfaction she sat back to await the restitution she was entitled to.<\/p>

The buzzer sounded.\u00a0Once safely in Frank\u2019s office, she broke into a voiceless laugh.<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s OK,\u201d Frank said. \u201cThe office is soundproof. Isn\u2019t she\u2019s a piece of work, though? A real caricature. Take your time. I need a breather to steel myself for the coming ordeal.\u201d<\/p>

Karen sat down. \u201cI want to come back to work,\u201d she said, wiping away a mirthful tear. \u201cDespite Mary.\u201d Again she began to laugh.<\/p>

\u201cThere\u2019s plenty to do. When can you start?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAs soon as I\u2019ve made daycare arrangements. Once that\u2019s done, I\u2019ll want to stick around just long enough to make sure Edie\u2019s adjusted. A couple of weeks, maybe?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cTake care of what you have to. Make sure everything\u2019s under control, because I don\u2019t want you to stop once you\u2019ve started.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThanks, I appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHow available are you?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou mean, how many hours a day, how many days a week?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou know how it is. The work piles up. I remember some of your twelve-hour days . . .\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOh yes. It\u2019s amazing, looking back. I never felt those hours were a burden. And Alan was so busy with his residency, he didn\u2019t miss me at home.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThe \u2018good old days\u2019?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cGood old days never last, do they? Else we\u2019d still be living them instead of talking about them. Mine were numbered from the beginning. Two years ago I was still trying to deny it.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIf it\u2019s not too personal, was the final decision really yours, or was it made under protest? I recall your saying that Alan was leaning on you to have the baby.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThere was pressure, and it was decisive in the short run. But I\u2019d made a commitment, and sooner or later I\u2019d have had to honor it, for my own conscience if nothing else.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI should have known. You\u2019re not the person to cave in to pressure from without.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAnyway,\u201d Karen said with a short sigh, \u201chere she is now. It\u2019ll be years before I can ever\u00a0think of going back to the schedule I used to keep. First you play with them; then you help them with their homework and take them to music lessons; then guide them through puberty; then try to keep them out of trouble.\u00a0All the time modeling a healthy, well-balanced life.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhich a sixty-hour week is not,\u201d he finished her thought. \u201cBut don\u2019t worry, with parents like you two, Eden\u2019ll be in college while her cohorts are still struggling through junior high!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYeah, sure. Well, she\u2019ll never get that chance. Children who get too far ahead of their age group have social problems. If we should be so blessed, I\u2019d rather find extracurricular programs where she can develop other talents, and keep her with her peers. But coming back to the here and now, it\u2019s strictly part-time.\u201d<\/p>

He rose from his chair, walked to the window overlooking the river, and sat on the sill.<\/p>

\u201cSo, how many hours are we talking about?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI was thinking four hours a day, five days a week. How feasible is that?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWe have work for you.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhat kind of work?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cResearch, case evaluation, client interviews, Mary, preparation of complaints and interrogatories, lots of things. Basically, as my assistant.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWorking with you I can\u2019t help but learn, and I\u2019m thankful for that opportunity. Of course, you would<\/em> have to throw in Mary.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019d rather throw her out. Actually, I wish I hadn\u2019t said her name. Now I\u2019ve reminded myself that she\u2019s out there. Call me as soon as Eden\u2019s all squared away so we can get started.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThanks. I can\u2019t tell you how much I appreciate everything. Can I ask just one question?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou said nothing about trials or depositions. You know, the real head-butting stuff.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThose things often as not take all day. We can\u2019t limit the hours we\u2019re available.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cSo, the real meat of trial law I\u2019m not going to get my hands on. That\u2019s it, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>

Frank spread out his arms in a helpless gesture. \u201cYou just gave me your hours! Let\u2019s see how things go. The important thing\u2019s to get started.\u201d<\/p>

With mixed feelings she left the office, smiled at Mary, and turned to look for Janine.<\/p>

\u201cOh, by the way,\u201d Frank added as she was leaving, \u201cwe have a new associate. Six years with Sturgis & Best. Husband\u2019s a writer. I\u2019ll introduce you when you start back.\u201d<\/p>

Karen felt the adrenalin effect instantly.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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<< Chapter 5<\/a><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Chapter 7 >><\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PART I: 1970 Frank wasted no time. \u201cCome tomorrow at ten.\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll be there,\u201d Karen answered. \u201cI was afraid I\u2019d have to get in line.\u201d Frank chuckled. \u201cMary Carmody also has a ten o\u2019clock. Be here early and look worried. I\u2019ll have Becky tell Mary it\u2019s an emergency.\u201d Karen knew Mary Carmody. Mary was the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":21,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-144","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":894,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/144\/revisions\/894"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/21"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Eden\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}