Page 13 of The 1 Lawyer

I was out of my chair in a wink. “Hey, honey. Good to see you. Mason and I were just talking about you.”

Carrie Ann was wound up, her eyes flashing. I considered giving her a peck on the cheek but thought better of it.

Mason said, “Stafford Lee just said he’s a happily married man.”

“Well, that’s a big fat lie,” she said. She dropped into the seat Liz had recently abandoned and focused pointedly on my beer bottle.

Her accusation wounded me; I hadn’t intended to lie. Admittedly, it was an exaggeration. “Carrie Ann, can I get you something from the bar? Or Scarlett can bring you a sandwich or a shrimp basket.” I took a step, intending to flag the waitress.

“Sit down, Stafford Lee.”

I sat.

Mason tried to calm the waters. “How’s everything over at the high school, Carrie Ann? Stafford Lee tells me they’ve put you in charge over there.”

“That’s another fib. I’m the assistant principal, not the principal. Jim Boyd is still in charge.”

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Mason scooted his chair away from the table. “I’m going to see a man about a dog. Nice to see you, Carrie Ann. You’re looking good.”

As Mason walked off, I studied her. Her face had lost some of its softness; her cheekbones were prominent. Could she have lost a noticeable amount of weight in five weeks? Or had I not been paying attention for the past few months?

“Are they working you to death over there?” I asked, genuinely concerned.

She narrowed her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I was treading on perilous ground, walking through a minefield, but I couldn’t shut up. “You look kind of tired, that’s all.”

She tilted her head to the side and eyed me with disbelief. “Really? I’m the one who’s putting in too many hours? I’ve sat alone in that house for seven years while you stayed night after night in your office.”

It was an old argument. I had been almost thirty-five when Carrie Ann moved to Biloxi. As soon as I met the pretty new middle-school teacher, I fell hard for her. We married in a fever, just like that old song goes. But Carrie Ann was younger, and I was set in my ways. It was tough for us to adapt. “Carrie Ann, you know what trial practice is like. It’s not a nine-to-five job.”

She talked over me. “Here’s what’s funny. Now that we’re separated, you’re free to work as late as you like. But you’re not at your office in the evenings. You think I don’t hear the talk, Stafford Lee? You’re in the bars every night. They have to kick you out at closing time.”

It wasn’t strictly accurate, but there was a kernel of truth to the gossip.

She lowered her voice and said, “You’re turning into a damned drunk. That’s a deal-breaker for me, Stafford Lee.”

I started to deny it, but she cut me off again. “I didn’t get married to be your nursemaid and designated driver. I refuse to be an enabler. I’m not my mother.”

Her nose reddened as she teared up. She shook her head, plucked a paper napkin from the metal dispenser, and dabbed at her eyes.

Carrie Ann wasn’t a crier. She hated to let anyone see her break down, even me. I wished we were alone. We could fight it out, hopefully end up in bed together. I had to settle for reaching out and clasping her hand.

When she didn’t pull away, I said, “I have been spending more time here at the Salty Dog and some other places. Goddamn, Carrie Ann, sitting around in that hotel room makes me crazy. I miss you.”

A tear ran down her cheek. She turned her head away.

“Carrie Ann, I want to come home. I’m not like your father. I’ll cut back on my office hours. Tell me what you want, I’ll do it.”

She breathed out a ragged sigh. When she spoke, she wouldn’t meet my eyes. “I don’t know what I want anymore.”

After seven years of marriage, my spouse should be an open book. But when she chose to, Carrie Ann had the capacity to lock me out.

“Tell me about the new job. I know you were afraid you’d miss the classroom, but you are a natural for the assistant-principal spot.”

She shrugged. “I don’t know about being a natural.”

I still held her hand. I squeezed it. “Well, you are good at kicking kids’ butts and keeping them in line. You got a lot of practice on me.”

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