Broken

Broken Part 2

Alice 

 The clock on the stove read 11:15am. Alice had plenty of time to make the lemon meringue pie for thanksgiving dinner at her mother in laws. She decided she would go for a walk first, since Richard was in his study going over paperwork. She grabbed her iPod, flipping to the upbeat playlist Jess had made her before tying her running shoes. She needed a walk to clear her head. It had been a week since the argument over the ovulation test. Alice could not understand why Richard was so angry. It's not as if they were trying to prevent pregnancy and she was poking holes in condoms! He confused her sometimes. On her walk, she passed dozens of yards littered with toy dump trucks, play sets and strollers. How could she be expected to put her dream of becoming a mother on hold when she was surrounded by the very thing she was missing out on? Sure, she and Richard were a 'family' in one sense, but not the traditional way. Alice felt they needed their baby to make it official. They should have kept their condo downtown. This neighborhood was too populated by young families to allow her to forget. She gently stretched her calves on the front veranda before heading inside for a shower. She looked over to see a new mother next door juggling her infant and diaper bag into the car. The woman, whose name escaped Alice in this moment, caught her staring and smiled. Alice nodded awkwardly, embarrassed to have been caught gawking. She quickly went inside. The hours passed quickly that afternoon. She showered, whipped the meringue for the pie and hummed along with the radio as she buzzed about the kitchen. The phone rang at three thirty; it was Dee. "Would you mind coming a few minutes early to help me set up?" she asked, "my arthritis is acting up again." Dee had rheumatoid arthritis that affected her hands most of all. When the weather was damp she seemed to have the most trouble with it. The aching got so intense that she had to retire from her part-time, pre-retirement job as a pharmacy assistant last month. Richard often asked Alice to go keep her company on days when he was feeling especially guilty for being so busy. She didn't mind at all. Dee was great company, and a real friend to Alice. "Of course I will." She replied. She packed the pie and bottle of wine she bought for Dee and gently placed them both in the front seat of her small sedan. Alice had always been modest with her car selections, although Richard would just as soon see her drive a racy sports car like his own (for appearance if nothing else.) She gently knocked on the door to Richards study. "Time to go sweetie – your Mom needs help getting the table set and mashing the potatoes." The locked clicked softly and Richard appeared in the hall. Alice rolled her eyes. "What?" he asked. "Why would you bother locking the door, Richard? Am I really that disruptive when you're trying to get work done?" She frowned at him. "No love. Force of habit I guess. I do it a lot at work when I'm on a time crunch and don't want to be disturbed. Let's not be testy – it's Thanksgiving." With that he kissed her softly on the cheek and went to get in the car. "We're taking my car!" she shouted down the driveway. She felt the need to maintain some sort of control. These days, Alice felt as if nothing were her own. 

Richard

Thanksgiving had been a success. Alice had been a big help to his mother as he sat at the kitchen table texting back and forth with Vincent, another partner at his firm. Of all the lawyers in their office, he found Vincent to be the most relatable. He too was a son of an immigrant single mother who'd worked his way up the ladder of success much like Richard had; with sheer determination and no trust fund. They golfed together on weekends and ate lunch together nearly every day at a small pub on the corner of Barrington and Sackville. Although the past few weeks had been so hectic that Meghan had brought in his favorite lunch (roast beef on rye with French onion soup) and set it at his desk with a smile by noon each day. He had felt bad for not pitching in with the preparation of dinner, but he knew that Alice could use the distraction. Besides, he had far too many details to iron out with Vincent before their big case went to court in December. Alice often asked about his cases, but he was strict with the confidentiality of his clients. Until information went public through the media, he was tight lipped about the specifics. He had to be – he had a reputation to protect. Today was a relatively relaxed day at the office. It was 'bring your kid to work day', a tradition the city upheld annually on the first business day after thanksgiving. Since Richard didn't have a 'kid', he found this tradition annoying. They were usually behind in their work after the holiday weekend and all he wanted to do was focus and catch up. In spite of himself, he still usually enjoyed this day. Most of the other lawyers had school aged children who came in on this day. Vincent always brought his son Max, who was now fourteen. Vincent and his wife had done things a bit backwards; he accidentally got her pregnant in his last year of law school then married her the year after graduation. It had worked out alright though – Max was an amazing kid. Richard may have been a little jealous of Vincent in that regard. Vince had such a laid back home life; a son to play ball with and a wife who seemed to never nag him about anything. A knock on the door brought Richard back to reality. He cleared his throat. "Come in." Meghan peeked her head in. "You have a visitor Mr. Fitzpatrick." He frowned. "Thank you Meghan, and again, please call me Richard." There was something about the way she said 'Mr. Fitzpatrick' that unnerved him. "Right, sorry Mr, uh...Richard." She smiled then laughed nervously. That was better. He would rather her sound awkward than enticing. He didn't like distractions. Meghan shifted to the right to allow full view of his visitor; a lanky boy with scruffy hair and a smattering of acne across his nose and forehead. "Max!" Richard shot up from his chair to give him a warm hand shake, and then hug. "How've you been old boy?" Max took a seat near the door, glancing down the hall every few seconds."Good....good. How old do you think she is?" Richard laughed loudly. "She's too old for you, you poor sap!" Max reddened. "Hey, what's that you've got there?" he motioned his head toward the guitar case at the boy's feet. "Tell me your father bought you a Gibson or a Les Paul!?" Max's complexion returned to normal. "You play?" he asked. Richard stood and cracked his knuckles. "Give me that thing."