“Yeah, I guess so. I feel like that about my family,” Diana told her. “I’m a mom, a wife, and a daughter, and I can’t think of anything more important.”
Jess’s eyes snapped open with the shock of being judged by her best friend, but before she could think of what to say, Rachael came to her rescue.
“And that’s perfect for you, Di. Having a family is what you’ve always wanted, and you’re living your dream. I think what Jess is saying is that she has another dream, and in order to feel fulfilled, she needs to do this.”
“Maybe,” Diana said. “Or maybe all of this is just a midlife crisis. Have you even thought about that?”
“If it’s a midlife crisis, it started when I was twenty,” Jess snapped.
“I’m just saying that perhaps you should’ve booked a second therapy appointment instead of completely changing the trajectory of your entire life in one afternoon.”
“It wasn’t in one afternoon,” Jessica ground out. “I’ve wanted this for a quarter of a century.”
“Well, I don’t know what you want me to say, Jess. If you want me to say you did the right thing, I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. You made a decision about what you wanted without thinking about how it would affect your family. That’s just…not something I would do, and it’s not something I would expect from you. You’ve always put Mike and your kids first.”
“And you don’t see anything wrong with that?”
“No, I don’t. Mike puts you first too, all the time,” Diana told her.
Oh, does he?
“Mike also has his own life,” Rachael said.
“So does Jess!”
“What? The pottery studio? That’s just glorified babysitting,” Rachael said. Turning to Jess, she added, “Good for you. Shake things up.Reallylive.”
“Oh my God, shewasliving,” Diana snapped. “She was living a full, ordinary, good enough life. You act like Mike had her chained to the stove.”
“Why should she have to settle for ordinary?” Rachael asked.
“Becauseeveryoneis out there having an ordinary life. And guess what? Being a lawyer is ordinary! I’m sorry, but it is. There are millions of lawyers in the world. And you know what else? People generally don’t tend to think very highly of them.” Diana pulled a disgusted face. “People use words like pond scum and say that lawyers are what’s wrong with the world, and for the most part, I don’t disagree with them.”
Jessica’s head snapped back. “Wow, tell me how you really feel.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sure you won’t be one of the morally bankrupt ones,” Diana said, her tone calming some. “I’m just saying don’t expect everyone you meet to be super excited when they find out what you do for a living.”
“It’s not like she’s going to school to become the next leader of North Korea,” Rachael said. “And there are plenty of good lawyers out there. My divorce lawyer, Pauline—amazing woman. Full of compassion. That’s how Jess will be.”
“Thank you, Rach. Yes, I want to help people.”
“Do you?” Diana asked. “Because you’ve been helping people your whole life, but apparently it’s not enough for you.”
“Not like fetching paint for someone. I want to do something important to help people. Somethingmeaningful.”
“So, being a mother isn’t meaningful?” Diana asked, blinking back tears.
“Oh, come on. Don’t make this about stay-at-home-moms versus career moms,” Jess told her. “My kids are almost grown. They don’t need me like they used to, so there’s nothing wrong with me wanting to use my brain to do something bigger.”
“Bigger,” Diana muttered before standing up and clearing her dishes.
“What are you doing, Di?” Rachael asked.
“Leaving.”
“This is just a little difference of opinion.”
“No, it’s not. It’s my best friend telling me my life is worth nothing.”
