In Practice

(To read from the beginning, click here)

Katie stood for a minute in the hallway staring at Ed’s card. She flipped it over and thought back to their conversation. The whole thing had been kind of strange.

She heard a thump from next door.

“I think I’m done for today,” John shouted as he exited the bedroom.

“Did you find anything?” she asked, noting the dusty front of his shirt.

“No, but we’ll come back tomorrow when there’s more light. The sky’s a bit gray out. I think it’s a storm coming up.”

Katie smiled at the local expression.

“Sure, good idea about tomorrow,” she replied. “Can I walk you back to the office?”

“Nope. I think we’re going to head home. We’re parked here at the house. We’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Oh, okay,” Katie answered. “See you tomorrow.”

She watched John and Rachel climb into a late model white van. It was surprisingly utilitarian; it looked more like a construction van than transportation for seniors. It didn’t seem to fit the demure couple.

But then who am I to say? she thought. I don’t even have a car.

She glanced up at the sky that was turning more gray by the minute.

I imagine it’s about 6:00 p.m. by now, she thought, adding, I really do need to get a watch.

But then, she always thought that and never really meant it. She glanced again at her hands.

And, I need to stop biting my nails. She actually meant that, but she never really did it.

With that, she walked back across the parking lot to her office. The light was, of course, still on. Jim would be there for at least another hour. He was obsessive compulsive when it came to his practice. It was contagious. Since she’d started at the firm, Katie had pretty much ploughed in nonstop, too. It was a different world from her law school days. She had expected law school to be really difficult and extremely time-consuming. But, like college, Katie felt the need to spend little time outside of class studying. But even so, she felt the need to socialize, and always ended up feeling she had no time. Every Thursday evening, her law school classmates went out to blow off some steam.

Typically, Katie decided where they’d go; her cohort sometimes jokingly referred to her as “Julie, the cruise director.” And it was a good thing. Left to their own devices, many of her classmates would opt for the cheesy, dance club atmosphere on Delaware Avenue with “theme bars” like Aztec and Egypt. Lots of smoke and lights, overly sweetened fruity drinks and techno music. It was not her scene. She preferred the Center City bars where she could have a real drink, preferably without fruit or an umbrella, and simply sit and chat. Generally, that meant heading for some place like McGillins Ale House or the Black Sheep Pub, or occasionally the New Wave, when she was in a dive mood. Katie was often in a dive mood. She could go for hours, often shutting the place down with friends.

But that all changed after graduation.

None of her law school friends wanted to go out anymore and just have fun as a group. It was all very couple-y. Even Elena had relegated evenings spent to watching TV indoors with Michael.

Ugh. Why is it that, at some point, we all end up like Noah’s Ark? Paired up by twos with no room left over for the singles? It’s so damn depressing.

She let herself into the office.

“Just me,” she called towards Jim’s office headed down the hall. She pushed open the door to the office. It was so bland, her office, so ridiculously colorless. White walls with no art and no diplomas. A big oak lawyerly desk with a leatherette chair - not real leather like Jim’s. What saved her from going stark raving mad was the window. She did have a nice sized window. Granted, the view was mostly of the parking lot out back - but it was a view. She sat down in her chair and whirled around to stare out of the window. The empty house across the way seemed to stare back at her.

“Creepy,” she muttered.

“What?” It was Jim, standing at the door.

“Nothing,” she said. “I was, uh, talking to myself.”

“Long day?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Oh yeah,” she answered. “What was that all about anyway?”