Page 3 of I Changed for You
“Y’all can have that. I just got out of a relationship and still need some time to heal,” Camela professed.
My heart went out to my friend. She and her boyfriend had been together for three years before they called it quits. Camila wasn’t ready for what that man wanted, so he ended up walking away from her. Jada and I had to be there for her for over a month until she was able to pull herself back together. She still cried sometimes over a love that was lost.
Jada, Camila, and I met during our freshman year of college. We had classes together, and we shared a dorm room. During our junior year of college, we shared an apartment. That was a time I had enjoyed, but I would never do it again. When we first met, we clicked instantly. Although we got on each other’s nerves, we somehow managed to make our friendship work in college and into adulthood. Blood couldn’t have made us closer.This law firm was our baby, and we did everything we could to keep it up and afloat.
I lifted my arm to gaze at the watch on my wrist and frowned. “Ain’t the client late?”
Jada eyed her watch, too. “Yes, he is. I hate waiting around for people. I heard he was an important man though.”
I shrugged, narrowing my eyes at her. “We are important too.”
One thing I hated was when a client was late. Then, if we didn’t give in to their needs, they wanted to bitch about it. We were family and divorce lawyers. I always tried to make decisions in my career that would sit right with me morally. My parents and I often butted heads because of that, but I didn’t care. There were many times when I made sure a child stayed with the right parent, regardless of who was paying for my services, because I wanted to be able to sleep well at night knowing I had made a positive difference.
A small knock came at the door before a large man stepped in with dark brown skin. His eyes bounced from Camila to Jada to me. I gulped when he pressed his lips together.
He frowned. “Where are the men?”
One of my eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”
He shook his head as he stared at the door and back at us. “I was expecting a man to represent me, not a bunch of women.”
Jada stood up, but Camila was quick to pull her back down by the arm. She was a hothead and wasn’t afraid to speak her mind. I told her plenty of times that her mouth was going to get her into trouble.
I stood up as well and entwined my fingers together. “Umm, sir. If you booked an appointment at EJC, you were actually booking an appointment with a group of women. No men work here besides the security guards,” I explained.
He stared dumbfounded at me before he shook his head. “This has to be a mistake.”
I pressed my lips together, trying not to snap. It was bad enough that my stomach wanted to hurt. Now this...
“Okay. Umm… How about we cancel your appointment for today, and you think about what you want to do, okay?”
He gave a curt nod before he turned back around and exited the conference room.
“Can you believe him? I want to knock his fine ass out!” Jada snapped, pounding the table with her fist.
I turned to peer at her. “You’re really calling that asshole fine?” I asked, even though I knew she wasn’t lying at all.
Camila dropped her head, trying to hide her laughter.
“He was fine. You can admit that, right?” Jada tilted her head to the side and studied me.
I waved her off and retrieved my purse. “Whatever. I’m going to my office.” I swirled around and left the conference room.
With quick strides, I made my way to my office and closed the door behind me. Leaning against the door, I closed my eyes and willed the nausea to go away. That was wishful thinking since it had a hold on me.
“Please get it together,” I whispered, walking to my mini refrigerator and taking out a ginger ale.
My office was just like my bedroom at home, except it didn’t have a bed. It had a couch with a bookcase filled with romance and urban romance books. I was a diehard reader, and during my free time, I enjoyed reading. When I had nothing scheduled during the day, I’d curl up on my couch and read or take a nap. My office was my home away from home, and I decorated as such. Of course, the office’s theme was purple.
In the middle of the room stood my glass desk, housing my iMac, MacBook, and iPad. I had to have all three. Several files crowded my desk. I had a vast window that overlooked the lakein the park. Sometimes after work, I’d go to the park and watch the ducks or the parents playing with their kids.
Uncapping the top of the soda, I took a long swig from it. I moved swiftly to my desk and took a seat behind it. Finally, I was alone and could be in my thoughts. Each morning, I liked to be alone for at least an hour to get myself together. I had clients to see throughout the day, even if it was just for counseling. Still, I didn’t want to be bothered at the moment.
After years of being a lawyer, I was ready to be a stay-at-home mother and a wife. It got tiresome sometimes. At thirty-three, I longed to hold a baby in my arms or even have a husband to go home to. With the help of my parents, I achieved what I set out to do in life and became a partner at a law firm. However, I was now ready to see what else life had to offer me. I didn’t want to grow old without having the pleasure of holding a baby in my arms or having a husband.
As much asI wanted to cry, I didn’t as I pushed forward into my office. I had a hard time getting ready for work since I kept stopping due to the dizzy spells I was having. When I woke up this morning, I had to rush to the bathroom to puke up my guts. Tears flowed down my face as nothing came out of my mouth but air. I didn’t know what the hell was wrong with me. Even home remedies didn’t work. I’d soon have to go to the hospital to get checked out.
I went inside my office and closed the door without saying anything to anyone this morning. With my eyes closed, I leaned against the door, trying to pull myself together. I didn’t need anybody asking me questions about what was wrong with me. I wouldn’t know what to tell them. Hopefully, I’d be able to makeit through the day. The only thing I wanted to do was crawl back into bed with my Kindle and a bowl of popcorn. That was my favorite snack, and I could eat it at any time of day. However, since I had stomach pains, I hadn’t picked any up at the store.
