“Reid took care of Max before I met him, and got him into AA. He’s a member of the Eternal Glory Church, which Max goes to, now; and Max lives with him.”
“You know what you call a nun who’s passed her bar exam?” Angela says, idly scanning the legal complaint that I faxed to the office after my initial phone call. “A sister-in-law.”
Beside me, Zoe laughs.
“There you go,” Angela says. “As long as you can make a good lawyer joke, there’s still hope in the world. And I got a million of them.” She sets down the fax. “There’s a lot of religious language in here. Could Reid be a part of Max’s decision to file the lawsuit?”
“Or Clive Lincoln,” Zoe says. “He’s the pastor who runs it.”
“Lovely man,” Angela replies, rolling her eyes. “He threw a bucket of paint at me once on the steps of the Massachusetts State House. Was Max always religious?”
“No. When we got married, we even stopped going to Reid and Liddy’s house because we felt like we were being preached to.”
“What was Max’s attitude about homosexuality back then?” Angela asks.
Zoe blinks. “I don’t think we ever really talked about it. I mean, he wasn’t openly intolerant, but he wasn’t advocating for gay rights, either.”
“Does Max have a girlfriend now?”
“I don’t know.”
“When you told him that you wanted to use the embryos, did he say anything about wanting to use them himself?”
“No. He said he’d think about it,” Zoe says. “I came home and told Vanessa I thought we’d be good to go.”
“Well, we never know people as well as we think we do.” Angela puts down her pad. “Let’s talk a little about how this case is going to proceed. Zoe, you know you’re going to have to testify—and you, too, Vanessa. You’ll have to speak very openly and honestly about your relationship, though you might get flak for it even in this day and age. I called the clerk this morning and learned that the case has been assigned to Judge O’Neill.”
“Is that good?” I ask.
“No,” Angela replies flatly. “You know what you call a lawyer with an IQ of fifty, right? Your Honor.” She frowns. “Padraic O’Neill is about to retire—something I’ve personally been praying for for the past decade. He has a very traditional, conservative outlook.”
“Can we switch?” Zoe says.
“Unfortunately, no. If courts let us switch judges just because we don’t like who we’ve drawn, we’d be switching judges all the time. However, as conservative as O’Neill is, he still has to abide by the law. And legally, you have a strong case.”
“What’s happened before in Rhode Island with cases like this?”
Angela looks at me. “There are none. We’ll be making law.”
“So,” Zoe murmurs. “It could really go either way.”
“Look,” Angela says. “Judge O’Neill’s not the guy I would have picked, but it’s who we have, and we’ll tailor our case in a way that lets him see how you two are the best solution for the disposition of the embryos. Wade Preston’s entire argument is based on the protocol of the best traditional family, yet Max is single. He doesn’t even have his own home to raise a kid in. On the other hand, you two present the image of a committed, loving, intelligent couple. You were the first one to broach the subject of using the embryos with the clinic. Ultimately, this case will come down to you two versus Max—and even a judge like Padraic O’Neill will see the writing on the wall.”
There is a soft knock behind us, and a secretary opens the door. “Ange? Your eleven o’clock is here.”
“Great kid, you ought to meet him. He’s transgendered and wants to join the high school’s traveling soccer team, but he hasn’t had his surgery yet, and the coach says they can’t afford an extra separate hotel room. I amsogonna win this one.” She stands up. “I’ll let you know what’s next,” Angela says. “Unless you have any questions?”
“I do,” Zoe says, “but it’s sort of personal.”
“You want to know if I’m a lesbian.”
Zoe blushes. “Well. Yeah. But you don’t have to answer.”
“I’m straight as a two-by-four. My husband and I have three rugrats and a house full of constant chaos.”
“But you . . .” Zoe hesitates. “You work here?”
“I eat kung pao chicken like it’s going out of style, but I’m pretty sure I don’t have an Asian cell in my body. I love Toni Morrison novels and Tyler Perry movies although I’m not black.” Angela smiles. “I’m straight, Zoe, and I’m happily married. The reason I work here is because I think you deserve that, too.”
