Jasmine smiled. Everyone knew there were two impediments to Jasmine accepting Hannah’s offer to move to New Orleans: she didn’t want to leave her parents and she didn’t want to give up her condo. However, circumstances beyond her control made it possible for her to reverse her decision.
She told Hannah about her cousin and her offer to let Amelia live there for as long as she wanted.
“I remember you telling me about her,” Hannah said. “That she couldn’t handle your divorce because she was going through one herself.”
“Her dirt bag of a husband was worse than Raymond. He’d been married before and had two children with his ex-wife when he married Amelia. At that time she was a junior partner in one of the most prestigious Buffalo law firms. She bought a beautiful house with enough room for her husband’s children to come and stay with them during the summer months. Amelia was made full partner and her salary was high six figures. Meanwhile her husband had sued his ex for full custody of his son and daughter, and won. My cousin, who always wanted children, underwent a total hysterectomy at twenty-four after a Pap smear indicated cancer. She embraced her stepchildren as her own and they all lived happily. Then her husband came home one day and blindsided her by telling her that he wanted a divorce based on alienation of affection.
“Whenever she was assigned an important case she’d put in long hours and occasionally bring work home. He also asked for spousal support because as a schoolteacher he only earned a fraction of her salary. My cousin, who I’ve never heard a single curse word come from her mouth, let him have it. She told him there was no way she would have the stamina do her job, which allowed her to keep a roof over the heads of him and his kids and food in their greedy ass bellies if she gave into his demand to let him screw her twice a day.”
With wide eyes, Hannah stared at Jasmine. “You’re making this up.”
“No, I’m not. The man claimed he was a sex addict and he needed to release himself at least twice a day.”
“Were they going at it like rabbits before she married him?”
“No. Apparently he was taking some herbal shit that had affected his libido and gave him a perpetual erection.”
“That’s crazy. Why didn’t he just stop taking the herb?” Hannah questioned.
“Come on, Hannah. Get real. He had to feel like a stud walking around all day with a hard-on.”
“Did mister cocked-and-loaded ever get his spousal support?”
Jasmine burst out laughing, startling Smokey who jumped off the chaise and scurried away. “No. Amelia had one of the partners from the firm handle her divorce. Unbeknownst to her hubby, the partner and the judge handling the case were golfing buddies. Amelia hadn’t adopted his children, and the house and the cars were all in her name. His lawyer claimed his client and kids were used to a certain lifestyle and he needed the spousal support to maintain the same standard of living. In the end he was denied spousal support and told he earned enough to take care of himself and his children. Amelia did give him one of the cars so he could get to work and take his kids to school.”
Amusement shimmered in Hannah’s green eyes. “So he got nothing?”
“Nada, zippo, zilch.”
“Well damn!”
“Last Amelia heard he’d moved back with his children’s mother and they’re one big happy family. My cousin finally left the firm to work for a nonprofit because she was facing burnout. She sold the monstrosity of a house and rented an apartment. Unfortunately her last job was a nonprofit that has closed down and she’s looking to move from Buffalo to be closer to New York City. She’s a brilliant attorney and I don’t think she’ll have much of a problem landing another position.”
“Practicing law is hard work. It doesn’t matter if you’re a litigator, prosecutor, or a public defender.”
“Do you miss it?” Jasmine asked Hannah.
“No. I became a lawyer because Daddy made it look easy. He used to take me to his office on Saturdays where I’d do my homework while he’d search through stacks of law books to find what he needed to win a case. Years later when he was a judge I’d sneak into the back of the courtroom to watch the cases he adjudicated. He would listen intently to both sides and in the end render his judgment. He was like King Solomon because once the trial ended both parties seemed willing to accept the verdict. Everyone called him Judge, which really tickled his fancy. When I told Mama I wanted to be a lawyer she went into hysterics, claiming it was a man’s profession while insisting I go into education because it was a more genteel vocation for a woman.”
“Did you?” Jasmine asked, totally intrigued listening to Hannah talk about her family.
“Yes, because Mama could be quite nasty when provoked. I majored in early elementary education at Vanderbilt, but never really taught. By that time I’d married Robert and he was stationed at a naval base in California. I was a married woman, living thousands of miles away from my controlling mother and that’s when I decided to apply to law school. It wasn’t until my son had gone to school on the base that I’d begun studying for the LSAT, scoring high enough to be accepted to Stanford Law. I finally went to the University of San Diego School of Law because I didn’t want to be away from my son. Although I was disappointed that my mother refused to attend my graduation, I was able to experience a measure of independence for the first time in my life. That day I vowed no one, not my mother or husband, would ever determine my future.”
“Good for you.”
Jasmine stared at the woman who’d grown up in a centuries-old mansion, no doubt with household help. She had married a midshipman from a prominent Louisiana family who’d graduated at the top of his class from the US Naval Academy. But her life was far from perfect when she’d had to deal with an overbearing, controlling mother and a husband who’d repeatedly cheated on her during their thirty-year marriage.
“What are you thinking about, Jasmine?”
“Us. Women. It’s as if we have to deal with so much crap before we’re able to get our lives together. You grew up privileged yet you had to deal with a controlling mother and betrayal from your duplicitous late husband. Amelia had to fight for what was hers when a man she married attempted to pimp her for all she’d worked for. Then, there’s Tonya who had to escape a controlling husband who refused to support her goal to become a chef. Next up is Nydia, whose life mirrors my cousin’s because her boyfriend was looking for her to take of him. Then, there’s myself. I grew up with an adoring mother and a protective father who indulged and encouraged me to become whatever I wanted to be. However, the drawback was when it came to men. I trusted them because I’d believed they’d all be like my father. I was barely legal when I slept with a man thirty years my senior.”
“No!”
Jasmine laughed at Hannah’s shocked expression. “Close your mouth, Hannah. He didn’t take advantage of me. In fact if it hadn’t been for him I never would’ve been able to establish my own decorating company. He also gave me the money for the down payment on my condo six months before he passed away. Gullible Jasmine believed all men were like her father and lover, and when she met a man who said he loved and adored her she fell for his sweet talk hook, line, and sinker,” Jasmine continued, referring to herself in the third person.
“And despite all that we’ve gone through we’ve survived. Nydia finally got rid of her bum. You married St. John, and you’re now looking forward to a new business venture. Tonya left her idiot behind, realized her dream to become a chef, and will marry her fellow chef and prince in another three weeks. Amelia is looking to start over in a new city and no doubt will land a position with a salary commensurate with her experience.”
“What about you, Jasmine?”
