Lustly(6)

“Sure.” I watched her disappear down a hallway. The female that had given me the advice left promptly without speaking to me again. I found it odd, but maybe she’d gotten terrible news and just needed to distance herself from people to evaluate her options.

When another figure appeared a few moments later I didn’t turn my head, assuming it was just the front desk clerk again. Then a deep raspy voice caused me to frighten from my seat. “Are you Mrs. Ross?”

I looked over quickly, snapping my head forward as I gave him an answer. “Yes.”

He held out his hand and I looked into his deep brown eyes, surrounded by dark olive skin. I wasn’t sure of his nationality, but based on his appearance he was either Italian or from somewhere close to that. His bright white smile revealed one crooked canine that gave his teeth character. I tried to smile like I wasn’t noticing his features, but I was certainly failing terribly.

He was one of those men that a woman sees and can’t help herself. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Elias Polleras, but my friends just call me Eli. Come on back and tell me why you’re here today.”

He led me down a long hallway, where other lawyers were inside of offices, meeting with clients. When we got to the last door on the left, he motioned for me to enter. Once I got seated in a large leather chair across from his desk, I looked around the room. Upon walking in, two chairs sat facing one another, while two more matching chairs faced his desk.

Mr. Polleras sat across the desk from me and opened up a folder. He wrote down my name with a fancy gold pen and then looked directly into my eyes. “So tell me what’s brought you in today.”

I folded my hands over my lap and looked down at my old jeans. I was hardly dressed for a meeting with a fancy lawyer. My brown hair was up in a fancy bun, and I was wearing my cleaning clothes, proudly displaying years worth of bleach stains on both my pants and my t-shirt. I refused to look up at him as I spoke. “My husband is having an affair.”

I could hear his pen moving as he wrote. “You’re not the first person to come into my office for that very reason, Mrs. Ross. Unfortunately this type of thing happens more than I’d like to admit knowing to. Lucky for you there are people like me that are willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you are taken care of.” I knew he was talking professionally, but for some reason, after feeling so worthless, I imagined what it would be like to experience a man like him. I’d never considered cheating on my husband, but knowing that I never wanted to be with the man again left me wondering if there was ever going to be something else out there for me.

“He’s f*cking my neighbor,” I rudely announced, using profanity as if I spoke like that to professional strangers all of the time. “Sorry. I’m a little brutal these days.”

Mr. Polleras began to laugh. “We’re grown-ups, Mrs. Ross. You can say f*ck without judgment here.”

Was it wrong that when he used that word I wanted to smile and ask him to say it again? I needed distractions, remember?

I smiled, but still felt uneasy. Something was wrong with me if I couldn’t control myself. I had to get it together before this man told me to get lost. “I’m not usually so rude. It’s just been a bad week.”

“How about we start over and I ask a different question. Tell me the main reason you’re here. Do you want a divorce, Mrs. Ross?”

I stared, with tear filled eyes out the window. “I don’t know. I guess. It’s all so surreal to me. I thought we were happy.” As stupid as it was I began to weep. That poor man did not go to work to hear my sob story, but I was giving it to him. I sat there and told him all about the shin guards and the shower scene that was scorched into my mind to replay again and again.

He played with his pen as he listened, never writing anything else down. When I finally finished, he leaned forward and handed me tissues. “In my experience men don’t cheat because their wives aren’t good enough. They do it because they aren’t happy with themselves.”

“I’ve heard that before.”

“It’s the truth.”

I wiped my eyes and shrugged. “What, do you know from experience?”

I didn’t mean to ask if he’d been married before. For sure I wasn’t implying that, but as his eyebrow started to rise on the right side I realized the question went two ways.

“I’ve never been married, Mrs. Ross. Before you rethink using me as your attorney I want to reassure you that I’m good at what I do. I spent my twenties building a name for myself, and my thirties wondering where my twenties went.” He laughed before continuing. “If you want me to represent you, I will do everything in my power to get you the best result. I know you feel like there is nothing to look forward to, but I’ve gotten my clients justice, and a means to have a comfortable life. You’re not the first mother to walk in here with nothing but the clothes on her back.”

I shook my head and started crying again. “That’s just it. I don’t have a job. I met my husband when we were in college. We got married and started a family right away. He told me that he’d take care of the finances and my job was to take care of the house and our children. I have no means to pay you. We have separate accounts and he gives me a certain amount every month for expenses.” I stood up ready to leave. “I shouldn’t have wasted your time. I’m sorry.”