Caroline

Chapter 23

As she sat in the outer room to the office of "Terrence Duke, Atty.", Caroline allowed herself to reminisce about other times she had been there. One corner, in particular, was special to her. Low shelves containing objects appropriate for a small child had been placed there just for her, or so she had been told. As she couldn't recall ever seeing any other children there, she had to assume it was true. The things she found there changed as she grew older. Balls and dolls made way for coloring books and crayons, which were replaced by Legos, then art supplies and simple, hand-held games. When teen fan magazines began to show up, she took pity on her father's friend and informed him that she no longer needed to be entertained. If she felt the need to peruse Tiger Beat while he and her father talked, she could supply her own.

Terrence was still in the next room with his last client of the day. She didn't know what had become of the others who worked there, but suspected he had directed them elsewhere after she had called to say they needed to talk. She knew she had made the right decision when he didn't question her need to do so in person.

Muffled male voices became louder as the door to his office opened and two men entered the room where she was sitting. She felt vaguely uncomfortable as they continued talking, and made a point to clear her throat and shift in her chair to make her presence known. The older of the two men glanced in her direction and smiled.

"Afraid I'll have to stop you there, Dalton," he said, gesturing in her direction. "As you can see, my next appointment is waiting."

Startled, the second man turned to see her for the first time. She tried to smile politely, but could see that he was flustered about whatever he thought she may have overheard. This, of course triggered her embarrassed blush, which seemed to fluster him even more. Terrence observed them both with an innocent expression that Caroline knew was just for show. He was enjoying this. Finally, out of pity for them both, or concern about his own schedule, which was just as likely, he escorted Dalton out the door with a hearty "Thank you!" and "Take care!", followed by a lower-voiced, "I wouldn't worry about it, really."

After locking the door, he turned to her and opened his arms. She rose and walked into his big bear hug and returned it, thinking of all the times through the years she had done the very same thing. After a moment, she lifted her head to look at him with a smirk.

"Found an entertaining one, huh?"

"Carrie...." he said warningly, invoking a nickname that only he had ever been allowed to call her.

"Terry......" she replied in the same tone, returning the favor. "Have any of your clients figured out what an evil man you really are?"

"Finding amusement in the foibles of others is not evil," he huffed, with false indignation. "It's merely an exercise to keep myself sane in this wretched business." But the glint in his eye couldn't be hidden, and a wide smile soon joined it. "But, yeah I get the feeling this case is going to be a hoot!"

She laughed and squeezed him around the waist again as he dropped a quick kiss on her forehead.

"So what brings you back to the city so soon, Baby Girl?"

Again, she pulled back to look at him, raising her eyebrows slightly, but she said nothing. Terrence looked silently back at her for a long moment before saying, "It's time, then, is it?"

"I sure as hell hope so."

He nodded, then guided her into his office, to a cozy seating area in a corner.

"Would you like anything before we settle in?"

She gave him a small, wistful smile. "Do you still keep English tea and butter cookies here?"

"I'm not the one who left the comforts of civilization, " he scoffed. "Be right back."

She allowed herself to look around. Terrence had kept up with changing technology, for the most part, but the basic decor and feel of this room never changed. Photographs positioned on side tables had been added to rather than replaced. Many of them were of her at various stages of her life. Interestingly, she noticed a casual shot of Hannah, Mikey, and herself holding up a string of fish caught one summer, years ago, sitting not very far from a photo of her and Derek at their engagement party.

Terrence had always been a part of her life, a sort of surrogate uncle. He surrounded himself with the trappings of an earlier time, exhibiting an air of Old South gentility. His intellect and wit in a courtroom were both feared and admired. But Caroline also knew him as an excellent source of piggyback rides, an astute judge of the merits of cherry vs grape Kool-aid, and a master bedtime story teller. He was also the photographer of both of the photos that had caught her eye.

On the surface, he and her father had had nothing in common, a friendship of opposites. The story she was told was that their respect for each other had come grudgingly, at first, when they were forced to work on a school project together. The more they interacted, the more they realized that their views were not so dissimilar, but differed just enough to make conversations interesting. How many times had she fallen asleep to the sound of the two of them happily arguing with each other into the night?

The rattling of a rolling cart carrying a china tea service interrupted her thoughts. She smiled at the sight of the familiar blue and white pattern as he settled the cart between two upholstered chairs. As he had done at their very first "tea party", he draped a cloth over one forearm and stood very still and straight as she seated herself in one of the chairs.

"Shall I pour, ma'am?"

She gave him her most regal nod. "Please do."

This was as far as their formal/play ritual had progressed for some time. Terrence relaxed into preparing tea with cream and sugar while Caroline arranged two cookies each onto small china plates.

Unwilling to delay any longer, she asked softly, "How much do you know?"

He stirred the contents of one cup silently, then passed it to her with a saucer. "All of it, I suspect," he answered.

She took a sip of her tea, appreciating that he still knew the way she liked it, then set the saucer and cup on a table beside her. She clasped her hands in her lap and stared down at the floor.

"Daddy had an affair."

"Yes."

"With Brenda Morris."

"Yes."

She heard the clink of the teaspoon against his cup, but still didn't look at him.

"While Mamma was carrying me." Her voice was barely above a whisper.

He sat down in the second chair and took a sip of his own tea before answering.

"It... began some time before that." he finally said.