behind him. As soon as they were gone, Dave, Ted, and Paul turned to Kevin.
"I thought he was going to get angry there for a moment," Dave said. "When you said 'Jesus. . .'"
"Why would that anger him?"
"If there's one thing Mr. Milton can't tolerate, it's an attorney feeling sorry for a victim when he has a client to defend. That has to be first and foremost," Paul explained.
"It's especially true for Dave's case," Ted said.
"Why is that?"
"Because Dave's client, unlike our two, hasn't got a pot to piss in. Mr. Milton is bankrolling his client all the way."
"You're kidding?"
"We kid you not," Dave said. "He saw a breakdown in the system and he went after it. That's his style."
"And that's why we're so successful," Ted said proudly, even arrogantly.
Kevin nodded and looked at his new associates again. They weren't knights and this wasn't the Round Table in Camelot, but they would become just as legendary, Kevin thought. He felt sure of that.
Miriam feared her face would remain permanently creased in a smile. She had been smiling and laughing since Kevin left. Norma and Jean were unendingly entertaining.
When one slowed down, the other picked up. At first Miriam thought those two had to be on something, uppers. How could two women be so energetic, so talkative, so ecstatic for so long a period without being juiced?
But their philosophies about life seemed to suggest otherwise. Both were health fanatics, which explained the sugarless muffins; and Miriam had to admit they looked like prime examples of the good life: trim figures, clear, creamy complexions, beautiful white teeth, bright eyes, positive self-images.
Although neither worked or pursued a career, both appeared to have full lives. They went so far as to schedule and organize their days in order to be able to do all that they wanted. Cleaning and cooking took place in the morning, followed by their aerobics classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday was set aside for grocery shopping.
Thursdays they went to the museums and galleries; and of course, Saturdays and Sundays they went to the theater and movies. Most of their evenings were plotted out with dinners, shows, regular get-togethers.
Furthermore, it was immediately obvious to Miriam that Norma and Jean, along with the yet unmet Helen Scholefield, formed a close knit, self-sufficient group. They didn't talk about any other people. Apparently, the three couples went everywhere together, even taking vacations together whenever court schedules permitted it.
As Kevin had suggested, these urban women were continually on the go, their lives comfortable, interesting. She couldn't imagine them spending an afternoon leafing through magazines, watching soap operas, just waiting for their husbands to return from work, as she had been doing lately. It had become increasingly more difficult to get any of her Blithedale friends to come into the city for a show or shopping or anything.
It was always "such an effort to buck the traffic and crowds."
But these two were absolutely impervious, oblivious to any difficulties the city might present, and they lived just as well, if not better, here—no sense of insecurity or fear for their safety, no inconvenience, and, most importantly, perhaps for someone like Miriam who had been brought up on the Island, no feeling of being closed in. Their homes were just as spacious and bright as hers.
Norma's apartment was done in a traditional decor, much like hers and Kevin's back in Blithedale, only Norma and Dave's colors were more conservative. Jean's apartment was brighter, with light colors and wider spaces, her furniture ultramodern, lots of squares and cubes, plastic and glass. Although Miriam wasn't fond of it, it was interesting. Both apartments had the same beautiful views as hers and Kevin's.
"We've been talking and talking," Norma finally realized. They were sitting in her living room sipping white wine from large goblets. "And not giving you a chance."
"That's
"I thought he was going to get angry there for a moment," Dave said. "When you said 'Jesus. . .'"
"Why would that anger him?"
"If there's one thing Mr. Milton can't tolerate, it's an attorney feeling sorry for a victim when he has a client to defend. That has to be first and foremost," Paul explained.
"It's especially true for Dave's case," Ted said.
"Why is that?"
"Because Dave's client, unlike our two, hasn't got a pot to piss in. Mr. Milton is bankrolling his client all the way."
"You're kidding?"
"We kid you not," Dave said. "He saw a breakdown in the system and he went after it. That's his style."
"And that's why we're so successful," Ted said proudly, even arrogantly.
Kevin nodded and looked at his new associates again. They weren't knights and this wasn't the Round Table in Camelot, but they would become just as legendary, Kevin thought. He felt sure of that.
Miriam feared her face would remain permanently creased in a smile. She had been smiling and laughing since Kevin left. Norma and Jean were unendingly entertaining.
When one slowed down, the other picked up. At first Miriam thought those two had to be on something, uppers. How could two women be so energetic, so talkative, so ecstatic for so long a period without being juiced?
But their philosophies about life seemed to suggest otherwise. Both were health fanatics, which explained the sugarless muffins; and Miriam had to admit they looked like prime examples of the good life: trim figures, clear, creamy complexions, beautiful white teeth, bright eyes, positive self-images.
Although neither worked or pursued a career, both appeared to have full lives. They went so far as to schedule and organize their days in order to be able to do all that they wanted. Cleaning and cooking took place in the morning, followed by their aerobics classes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Tuesday was set aside for grocery shopping.
Thursdays they went to the museums and galleries; and of course, Saturdays and Sundays they went to the theater and movies. Most of their evenings were plotted out with dinners, shows, regular get-togethers.
Furthermore, it was immediately obvious to Miriam that Norma and Jean, along with the yet unmet Helen Scholefield, formed a close knit, self-sufficient group. They didn't talk about any other people. Apparently, the three couples went everywhere together, even taking vacations together whenever court schedules permitted it.
As Kevin had suggested, these urban women were continually on the go, their lives comfortable, interesting. She couldn't imagine them spending an afternoon leafing through magazines, watching soap operas, just waiting for their husbands to return from work, as she had been doing lately. It had become increasingly more difficult to get any of her Blithedale friends to come into the city for a show or shopping or anything.
It was always "such an effort to buck the traffic and crowds."
But these two were absolutely impervious, oblivious to any difficulties the city might present, and they lived just as well, if not better, here—no sense of insecurity or fear for their safety, no inconvenience, and, most importantly, perhaps for someone like Miriam who had been brought up on the Island, no feeling of being closed in. Their homes were just as spacious and bright as hers.
Norma's apartment was done in a traditional decor, much like hers and Kevin's back in Blithedale, only Norma and Dave's colors were more conservative. Jean's apartment was brighter, with light colors and wider spaces, her furniture ultramodern, lots of squares and cubes, plastic and glass. Although Miriam wasn't fond of it, it was interesting. Both apartments had the same beautiful views as hers and Kevin's.
"We've been talking and talking," Norma finally realized. They were sitting in her living room sipping white wine from large goblets. "And not giving you a chance."
"That's
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