Chapter 3
1118 Words
JEAN’S POV
I sat at the corner of my new favorite joint in town. It was a small restaurant a few blocks from the hotel where I was staying. I liked the calmness and simplicity of the place. The waiters were kind and I particularly loved the music they played.
For a renowned lawyer like I with a booming career and a great bank account balance, it was suffice to say it was rather awkward to be eating at such a restaurant. I could afford a much better restaurant. I mean, I was currently staying at a one of the most lavish five star hotels in town. For me though, this simple place gave me the much sanity and calmness I needed.
Here, I was not an incredible career woman, who people thought had her life together. I was just a regular customer, and I liked that.
“What will have today ma’am?” a young waiter asked, reviving me from my thoughts.
“Oh, hi. I think I’ll have a glass of orange juice.” I mumbled. It was lunch time but I really didn't feel like eating anything.
“Is there anything else?” he proceeded to ask.
“No, nothing else.” I smiled at him and he walked away.
I shut down my laptop and placed it in my bag. For the past seven months, work was all I had been thinking of. I drowned myself in work so much that my friends started complaining.
“You need to stop overworking yourself and get over it.” My best friend Sherry had particularly said.
To be honest, the past year had been a really difficult one.
My life before then had been great.I had a good well-paying job that I loved, which I still had thank God. A loving husband and a very handsome baby boy. Life was perfect, I dare say. Coming home in the evening, making dinner for my husband and play time with my baby before bedtime was my usual routine and I loved it.
I met James at Harvard University where I was studying law. He was an engineering student and a very funny character. We become friends for a while before things elevated and we started going out. Five years later, we had gotten married in a small garden wedding and had a son, Scott was his name.
James was an excellent dad and a good husband. His work wasn't doing as well as mine was but we never let that get in the way of our relationship. I paid most of the bills and supported him in every financial way that I could.
However, after Scott had turned three, things begun to go south. James started coming home late and drunk. Sometimes he would even spend the nights out and wouldn't want to be asked about it.
At first I was sympathetic with him and tried to understand that maybe he was having difficulties in his job. I would clean up after him and go pick him up late into the night at clubs where he would be really drunk and mostly blacked out.
I would help him nurse his hangover and the following day and he would go out again.
This went on for about four months before I felt like I had had enough. I tried to talk to him about it but he had gotten really violent. He beat me up and broke my arm.
Being a law advocate, I knew this was unacceptable and against the law. James had however tricked me into forgiving him and promised that he would change. I believed him, like the good naive wife that I was.
Months later, I caught him cheating on me and that was it. I had immediately filed for a divorce. Funny enough, he did not even seem apologetic for his actions. I got custody of our son and we moved out to a different apartment.
The first few months had been difficult with my son constantly crying and asking about his dad’s whereabouts. I on the other hand was going through denial, as Sherry would say. I had refused to accept that I was hurting. I indulged myself into work constantly to try and forget everything.
My mother moved in with us to help take care of Scott. Eventually I started accepting the fact that my once perfect marriage was over. It was hard but I knew that that chapter of my life was over and that love and marriage was maybe not meant for me.
Seven months into the new life and I was adapting pretty well, or so I thought. My job was doing well enough and I loved it more than ever. I had recently been hired by one, Miss Loise Hathaway over her husband’s murder case. She had been a suspect, but there was no evidence to convict her yet. I was there to prove her innocence.
For the past week, I had been staying at a hotel so I could concentrate better on the case.
“Excuse me ma’am. Are you okay?” the waiter tapped my shoulder and I almost jumped out of fright. I was so deep in thought.
I looked at the table, and there was the juice I had asked for a while ago. I didn't even notice he had brought it.
“Yes I’m okay. I just got lost in my thoughts.” I smiled at him.
I looked at my watch; it was a quarter to 2 pm. I was scheduled to go look at my client’s statement at the police station at two and later meet up with my friend, Sherry.
I quickly gulped the juice, which was unladylike like but no one here really cared. See, that’s why I liked this place.
I placed a few bucks on the table, picked my bag and walked out to my car.
***
It was a five minute drive to the police station. I looked for a parking space and walked into the building.
I was walking up the stairs, while frantically searching for my phone in my bag when I bumped into someone.
“Oh sorry!” I quickly said without looking at him.
“Are you always in a hurry like this?” I heard him ask. I looked up and thought his face looked familiar.
“Huh?” I asked wondering what he was talking about.
“Forget it.” He said and continued walking downstairs.
“Weird.” I thought as I made my way to the Sheriff’s office.
- Writer
