Page 70 of That's Not a Thing

Well, that’s a shocker. Ian definitely did not mention that tidbit to me when he gave me the recap on all that had happened with Wesley at Mount Sinai while I was at NYU with Gladys and Aaron.

“I don’t understand. Why?” I’m squinting at her, and I don’t even attempt to hide my skepticism.

“Look, you got to me, okay?” She starts fishing around in her leather tote bag and pulls out a ChapStick. “You, with all your pro bono work and your ideals.” She waves a hand in the air, dismissing something, the Chap-Stick suspended between two fingers like a chunky cigarette flopping along for the ride. Then she drops the ChapStick back into the abyss of her bag without having used it and pulls the satchel closer to her body. “I heard Ian at the office, talking about how you called him because Wesley had fallen, how he was alone because you couldn’t get here, and, I don’t know ...” She sounds exasperated. “So I came, too. I’m just trying to be a little more”—her eyes dart back and forth while she searches for a word—“good.” She shrugs and then adds, “Like you.”

We’re both silent for a couple of seconds, perhaps equally surprised by what she has said to me.

“Look, I just thought, you know, that visiting Wesley after everything he’s gone through was the right thing to do. Something you would do. And clearly ...” She motions toward me with both hands and doesn’t finish her statement. I suppose she’s trying to indicate that yes, I am indeed visiting Wesley.

“Oh. Well, great.” I guess. “I think he’ll be happy for the visitor when he wakes up.” What else can I say?

“He probably won’t remember me. We were only with him a few minutes, and he was in pretty awful shape. We left as soon as Katie Sue got here. Still.” She shrugs again, everything about her falling like a whim.

“Wesley remembers everyone. He’ll know who you are.” I motion that we should walk back toward his room. If not from seeing her before surgery, he’ll know her name from all the times I complained to him about my intolerable office mate. I try not to laugh thinking what a kick he will get out of seeing her transformed into Nicola the Beneficent.

“Do you have a new job lined up yet? Are you leaving law?” she asks, her voice hushed as we pass by other hospital rooms, and she actually sounds curious, not snarky.

“I’m still thinking public interest.” I don’t mention the interview I had last week at the Tri-State International Advocacy Group or the fact that I still haven’t heard from them. “I’m trying to see what’s out there.”

She nods, but I can tell her focus has shifted already. “Can we see if he’s awake? I don’t have that long.” She pulls a phone from the pocket of her blazer and checks the time.

When we return to the room, Wesley is still sleeping, his head turned toward us on the pillow. I think it’s best for a man in his condition to get the rest he needs, so I don’t disturb him. I look at Nicola and raise my eyebrows, as if to say there’s nothing I can do to facilitate her visit. She raises her eyebrows right back at me, and I don’t know whether she is mocking me or trying to indicate that she agrees with me, that we’re a team. Then she reaches into her cavernous bag again, and this time she extracts a small gold box that looks to be Godiva chocolate. She leans over and whispers in my ear, “Tell him I left these.” She hands me the box, which is so small that it must contain only two chocolates, at best, and sashays out of the room. Her spicy perfume lingers after her departure, and I hope that I will again become desensitized to the thick, sweet aroma, like I did day after day in our office.

I resume my post in the green synthetic recliner and wonder what Nicola’s angle is here. I might think she was putting the moves on Wesley, but for the fact that he’s a condemned man and she knows it. Maybe she really meant what she said, that she’s had some sort of epiphany, is trying to be a better person. Well, I hope so.

Opening my computer back up, I nearly jump when I see an email waiting from the Tri-State International Advocacy Group, subject heading:Your Application.I glance again at Wesley, nervous to open the message on my own, wanting reinforcements, but he hasn’t moved since I’ve been back in the room. After a few more seconds staring at the screen, I berate myself for my inaction and click the link. Holding my breath, I read:

Dear Ms. Altman,

Thank you for meeting with us last Wednesday. We are delighted to offer you a position as an associate at The Tri-State International Advocacy Group with a starting date of August 7, 2017. Jeanine Hall, head of Human Resources, will contact you to take care of logistics. We look forward to having you onboard.

Best,

Joe Reiser, Chief Legal Counsel

The Tri-State International Advocacy Group

I let out a triumphant yelp as I read the email and then clamp my hand over my mouth, hoping I haven’t disturbed Wesley’s slumber. I release a breath when I see that his eyes are still closed, and then I read the email two more times, amazed that something positive is actually unfolding for me.

“What happened?”

I look back up to see Wesley staring at me.

“Shit. I woke you.”

“Maybe,” he rasps with a halfhearted smirk. Recently, everything he does seems only halfhearted. “It’s hard to sleep with all the sunlight coming out of that ridiculous grin on your face. What’s on that computer?” He swallows hard, twice, and I can tell he wants to say more, that he’s adjusting something inside himself. He gets himself back in gear and adds, “You finally start perusing Internet porn?”

“Shut up.” If he weren’t in such a fragile state, I would have thrown a pillow at him. “No, you perv. I got the job!” I squeak a little in my excitement.

“I knew you would. Congrats, babe.”

“Oh, you just missed a visitor. Nicola Shore was here to see you.” I reach for the windowsill where I left the chocolates and shake the box for him to see.

“Ha. She’s probably here for her fee.”

“Fee?”

“Yeah.” He stops talking, and I know he’s seeking the energy to continue, so I wait. “Before the surgery,” he finally continues, “I was only with them for a second, but all she could talk about was how I should make a will with Ian.”