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1
Naughty
A gust of cold air whooshes past me, ripping the front door of Sal’s Tavern right out of my hand. It smacks the wall behind it with a thud, and I scramble to get it shut.
“You’re letting the cold air in,” Ben yells from across the bar.
I flip him the bird as I brush a wayward hair from my face.
“Leave her alone,” my sister, Danielle, says, nudging her best friend and business partner in the side. He grins, and she gives him a goofy look before turning to me. “How was work?”
“Exhausting.” I shrug out of my pea coat and hang it and my scarf on a hook beside the door. “I’m lucky I got out of there when I did.”
Danielle frowns and looks at her watch. “It’s nine o’clock at night.”
“I know.” I take a seat on one of the barstools and smile at a fellow Sal’s regular. “Hey, Bill.”
He tips his hat. “How’s it going, Naughty?”
I roll my eyes at my childhood nickname.
At the ripe age of five, Danielle and I were nicknamed Naughty and Nice, mostly because one of us—Dani—was as sweet as sugar, and the other—Sam, that’s me—was not.
Dani has always been a people pleaser. Never one to rock the boat or tell someone no, she’s quiet, kind, careful, and considerate. She’s the it girl everyone loves and turns to when they need something.
I, on the other hand, have always been an outgoing, rebellious risk taker. I speak my mind, push the envelope on just about everything, and I’ve been called, brass, opinionated, fun, and downright naughty.
Dani and I may be identical, but our physical features are where the similarities end. In fact, we couldn’t be more different if we tried, which is how I, Samantha “Naughty” Kringle, ended up a cut-throat, highly sought-after divorce attorney.
“Another day another divorce.”
Dani slides a mug of my favorite ale across the bar top. “You mean another day another dollar?”
“That too.” I take a sip and let the alcohol seep through my veins and wash away the craziness of the day. This is my happy place.
Good food, beer, company, and music.
No scorned housewife harping in my ear:
He cheated.
I want half of everything.
He can have the penthouse in Manhattan, but I want the house in Napa.
You better make sure I get full custody of the kids.
What did I ever see in that bastard?
I love my job; I really do, but it’s no wonder I haven’t settled down and gotten married.
Men cheat.
Women cheat.
Everybody cheats.
What happened to wedding vows and commitment and the Tenth Commandment? People today are quick to seek comfort elsewhere if they feel their marriage isn’t working. But it’s more than infidelity. It’s the my-way-or-the-highway mentality, independence with an inability to ask for help, and unrealistic romantic notions about what a marriage should look like.
Men want sex, sex, and more sex.
Women want money and prestige.
But who wants love?
