See Me(117)

While Barney may have appreciated Jill’s sentiment, Maria saw him twitch as he brought a hand to his chin. “Five months paid for Maria is a bit high. I’m sure the partners will balk at that. Now, three months I could probably swing…”

“Don’t misinterpret my high hopes for others here as a chance to negotiate, because we aren’t negotiating. This is a one-time, take-it-or-leave-it offer. Which ends the moment that Maria and I walk out the door and she starts on the EEOC paperwork. Frankly, she’s asking for far less than what you’re going to have to shell out to the others. So right now, you should be thanking her, not trying to lowball.”

Barney took his time before answering. “I’d still have to talk to the other partners,” he finally said. “I can’t make this kind of decision on my own.”

“Sure you can. We both know the partners will follow your lead, so let’s stop playing games, all right? Are you in or out?”





“Five months’ salary?” Maria exclaimed. They were standing in the parking lot near Maria’s car. A few minutes earlier, Maria had stashed the few personal items she’d had in the office – primarily photographs of her family and a few she’d taken while paddleboarding – into a small box and had carried it outside, placing it in the trunk. At Barney’s request, she hadn’t said good-bye to anyone, nor had anyone seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary regarding her departure. Jill had been waiting for her.

Jill smiled. “Pretty good, huh?”

Truthfully, she was reeling. No more Ken; no more weekends trying to keep up with Barney’s demands, and five months’ salary, straight into her savings account. She’d never, ever had anything close to that; what had just happened was akin to buying a winning scratch-off lottery ticket. “I’m still in shock.”

“I probably could have gotten you more.”

“That’s more than enough. I feel guilty for getting that much.”

“Don’t feel bad. Because, believe it or not, you were sexually harassed. It may not have been as obvious to you as it was to others, but you were. You deserve this. And believe me when I say that Barney is breathing a massive sigh of relief right now, or we wouldn’t be standing here doing a mini-celebration.”

“Thank you so much.”

“You don’t have to thank me. If our positions were reversed, you would have done it for me.”

“I’m nowhere near as good as you are. You took on Barney. And you won.”

Jill offered a sheepish grin. “And you want to know the crazy thing?”

“What’s that?”

“Leslie is way, way better than me.”

The thought made Maria’s head spin. “Thank you again for taking a chance on me.”

“You’re welcome. But I know exactly what I’m getting.”

Maria motioned toward the building. “It’s strange to think that I’m not going to work tomorrow. And most likely, I will never walk through those doors again. It happened so… fast.”

“Like what they say about bankruptcy? It happened slow at first and then all at once?”

Maria nodded. “I guess. As much as I dislike what Barney was trying to do just now, I still hope he’ll be okay.”

“Barney’s the one attorney you never have to worry about. He’ll be fine, no matter what. And between you and me? It wouldn’t surprise me if he leaves the firm, too.”

“Why would he leave?”

“Because he can. And would you want to keep working with Ken?”

Maria didn’t answer, but then again she didn’t have to. Jill was right, and while Maria was still trying to process her day, she suddenly found herself thinking about Lester Manning and the things Margolis had told her. She crossed her arms.

“What would you do if you were me? About Lester, I mean?” Maria asked.

“I don’t think you know enough yet to reach any conclusions. I know that probably doesn’t help you, but…”

She trailed off, and Maria couldn’t blame her, since even to her, the pieces simply didn’t fit.





Maria drove through heavy traffic to Mayfaire, an upscale shopping complex. As she drove, she tried to process the fact that she wouldn’t be heading in to work tomorrow, or even on Monday. The last time that had happened had been after she’d quit her job in Charlotte…

She shook her head, forcing the thought away. She knew exactly where it would lead, and the last thing she wanted was to think about Lester or the boyfriend or anything Margolis had told her, since it would lead exactly nowhere. Unless confusion was a place.

No more Ken, she marveled. No more weekends that Barney could ruin. In two weeks, she’d be working with Jill. And five months’ salary. On the career front, she doubted it was possible for things to get any better, and that called for a celebration of sorts, maybe even a splurge. She could trade in her car and get something sportier – as long as it wasn’t a red Corvette – but as quickly as the thought entered her mind, she knew it was just a fantasy. She was too frugal and she had no intention of trying to explain to her dad why she’d bought a car instead of paying down some of the student debt she owed from law school or opening an investment account. Or simply saving the money, since she’d probably need to buy into the partnership in a few years.