The Way of the Wolf

Two plates of crispy, golden-brown sticks appeared as if by teleporter on the table, courtesy of Marlene. "Still thinking about dinner?" she asked, almost amused in her tone.

Steve twitched in a guilty fashion and flipped open the menu, chuckled, and closed it again. "Actually, the Tuscan ratatouille sounded intriguing. I think I'll try that."

Venus chuckled, flipped open the menu, flick a glance down that entrée column and said, decisively, "I'll have the shrimp scampi, please."

"On the way," Marlene assured them, and vanished as stealthily as she had appeared.

"And ...?" Venus prompted, surprisingly gently.

"Oh, Janice promised not to claim that I had emotionally abused her if I did not seek alimony. We were both making 'young professional money', but she was making more. Jack tried to sue the hospital for not enforcing their morals and non-fraternization policies, but no luck."

"None?" Venus asked, surprised.

Steve shook his head. "He tried. He tried HARD. But no one would crack. In the end we could not prove that they had ever done anything on hospital property or at any official function. Or ANYTHING, period. No registrations at nearby motels, no security camera footage at likely tryst locations, no waitresses who had served them for intimate little lunches. And the hospital's position was that what their staff did on their own time was no business of theirs. Doctors, nurses, techs, even custodial staff are TIGHT in a hospital. In the end he couldn't get anyone to admit in the slightest way that they knew or even suspected any hanky-panky was going on. As far as anyone he talked to, or his PI talked to, would say was that it surprised the heck out of them when the two of them walked into the relocated party hand-in-hand, announced their engagement and spent the evening dirty dancing on the dance floor." He took a -- calming - breath. "He had cut out and cut off his wife, and already locked up the best divorce lawyer in the state, and proceeded to jettison her and their small child. To the point where she had to head back home to Oregon to stay with her folks and start over." There was a dark, significant pause. "I certainly turned out not have any idea what kind of person I married. They deserve each other."

Steve resisted the urge to gulp his drink, and took a sip instead. He had a firm rule of only one drink per event. He did NOT want the reputation as a drinker. In fact, he hadn't gotten drunk since graduation from Pre-Law -- and the night he was served the divorce petition. He had been alone in the event room in the restaurant where he had set up Janice's party. No one had showed up -- except the process server. Jack had found out that the staff he had invited had been told by Janice that afternoon that the party's location had been changed. And Janice's relatives had also been informed that afternoon. According to statements later, the staff had been astonished when informed of the upcoming marital merry-go-round at the OTHER party. He had been left with a LOT of leftovers, a large bill, and an open bar with an embarrassed and sympathetic staff. They had made sure he got back to his half-emptied apartment and poured into his empty queen-sized bed -- with the bottle of champagne in a bucket of melted ice, and rose petals drying up and curling on the floor and quilt. He shook himself. Morose remembrances didn't help. The stabbing pain had faded but the ache had not completely gone.

"I'm sorry that happened to you," she said quietly, then ate one of her sticks to give him some recovery time.

"Well, life goes on," Steve noted with a forced chuckle that was more like a huff. "Business is good. Life is a bit lonely. Parents and grandparents gone. Older sister and younger brother, both w-a-y out of state and safely married, and highly involved with their families." He ate some of his appetizer, and then added, with dark humor. "I guess my only nightmare is wondering if I get into an accident, will I end up on my ex-wife's operating table with her new husband as my anesthesiologist. Will she try extra hard to save me to avoid any embarrassment for not saving her ex-husband? Or will she slip a little to bury any nagging feelings that there is someone out there who knows what kind of person she REALLY is? I know that I won't handle their divorce, if and when it happens."

They finished their appetizers, and Steve noted that Venus also sipped her single drink, and might have her own self-imposed rules. When the entrees came, Marlene told them to enjoy as she swept off the empty appetizer dishes and headed off.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment or two as they regarded their meals and each other. Steve counted, wondering if he had guessed wrong ...

"University of Indiana. Maurer School of Law. Made it through with honors -- and a huge debt. My folks refused to underwrite law school; which I don't blame them, with five kids and five undergraduate tuitions. I moved here to take a position with Castor, Cramer and Connors. And I was immediately thrown into the fight for a partnership. L-O-N-G hours, late nights. Always looking to get on up on the other associates, and completely paranoid about them getting one up on me."

Steve decide to go with his gut feeling. "You're divorced, too."

Venus stared hard at her plate for a moment, and then nodded, reluctantly. "Jimmy Mallon. High school sweethearts. Grew up together. Everyone thought we were perfect for each other. We did too. We went to university together. I was in Pre-Law, he was in civil engineering. We moved in together for grad school. Got married when I graduated law school. He graduated earlier with his masters and got a job for a very prestigious engineer-architect firm. He was their 'Golden Child.' Came right to the attention of the CEO. He was brilliant. Got his P.E. license in record time. While I was burning the candle at both ends trying to make partner, he was a key player in several multi-million dollar deals. He tried to support me like you supported your ex-wife, but I was always stressed out. I took it out on him. Whenever there was a function at his work, I found an excuse to miss it, and work harder. Whenever there was a function at my work, I dragged him along and showed him off -- and then spent little time with him. I spent the time politicking and trying to get that 'one up.' Later I heard that his colleagues thought he had made me up, since they never saw him with a -- wife."

Steve, uneasy at best, stopped eating and paid attention. Marlene bustled by, refilled their water glasses, and vanished again.

Venus heaved a deep, deep sigh which finished with a little shudder. "You know big law firms. They are extremely skilled at holding that partnership carrot just out of reach. And I was determined. A few sessions with a therapist afterwards hinted that subconsciously I was in competition not only with the other associates, but also with Jimmy. I wanted to be at least as successful as he was.

Then one day I got back to the apartment. Very late, as usual, and found all his stuff gone and his ring sitting on top of an envelope with a Divorce petition." She finally looked up. Misery had put on a professional mask, but it was still misery. "I went totally spastic. And I am ashamed to say that my first thought was, 'How could he do this to me?' rather than, 'How could he do this to us?'" She shrugged. "Turns out that while I was single-mindedly pursuing success with laser-focus, Jimmy came to the attention of the CEO's youngest daughter. The CEO, I suspect, saw that as a golden opportunity to make certain that the firm's new dynamo didn't jump ship for greener pastures. I'm pretty sure that both of them, probably all of them, worked on him over the two years that I was emotionally, physically, and, yes, pretty much sexually, absent from what should have been my most important relationship. Knowing Jimmy, I'm pretty sure he didn't cheat on me before the divorce. I don't know if that should make me feel better or not." She picked at her food, as if deep in thought, and Steve wondered if that was ...

"Unlike you, I had a fool for a lawyer. I was bound and determined to get him back. I wasn't going to let him make a fool out of me. I was the great lawyer. So I represented myself. The judge asked three times if I wanted other counsel, and by the third time I was a bit -- snippy -- and told her 'NO'." She looked at him with sad humor. "Bad mistake. And I was up against Jack Hardesty. Your lawyer. Jimmy's boss had pulled out the big guns."

"Ouch," Steve replied without even thinking. In the Family Law pool of the city's lawyers, Jack was a shark. Maybe not the biggest shark, but definitely in the 'Great White' class. Not that it had done him much good, at the time. Janice and the asshole had covered their tracks superbly. As far as any documentary evidence could uncover, they had been nothing but colleagues for months, independently and entirely coincidentally decided to divorce their spouses on the same day, signing off the divorce petitions exactly at noon, fell madly in love in the taxi on the way to the freshly re-located party, and the asshole's second cousin just happened to have an empty apartment for them to move into immediately. He shook himself again. And his first cousin was a high-flying divorce attorney to the stars. Probably an incredible coincidence.

Venus hadn't noticed his little detour into the memory minefield. "I made every rookie mistake a lawyer could make. My goal was to get him back. I was demanding counseling. I accused him of infidelity, without any evidence, trying to bring maximum pressure on him. I should have known him well enough to know that would harden him instead. The judge asked to see the evidence, and I was forced to admit that I didn't have any, but it must be obvious, right? She was noted for favoring the woman, but she found for irreconcilable differences. I forgot Jimmy kept a diary. I couldn't remember a single date and had only hazy recollections of events other than work. When the judge asked me point blank when was the last time I had had marital relations with my husband, and I couldn't remember, and took an obvious wild guess of a 'couple of months ago.' That was like the stake in the vampire's heart. Jimmy's diary showed that it had been sixteen months ago. At that point even my own mother was turning against me. I guess it didn't help that I hadn't sent her even a Mother's Day or birthday card in two years, or a Christmas present. Jimmy had, though. The judge ruled that since I hadn't shown any interest before the filing, there was nothing to show I had changed or wanted to change, so that counselling would be a waste of time. There was more, but in the end it was 'Divorce granted' and Jimmy left with his supporters, and all I had was my mom and dad who were pretty disgusted with me. They weren't happy with Jimmy, but they were REALLY not happy about me."

They both ate for a few minutes in silence, and then Venus sighed again. "Getting flattened in court took its toll, and I was thrown off at work. A few of the guys let me know that they would be glad to 'comfort' me, but had no interest beyond that. I got so bad that I was asked to look elsewhere. I went home, lived out of the family basement for a couple of months, talked to a therapist, and came back and opened my own office. At first I was determined to represent only wronged women. It turned out that that cut out 75% of my potential clients, and I couldn't afford that, not and pay off my loans. So then I was determined to only represent wronged spouses. Well that doubled my potential clients, but still wasn't as many as I might have gotten, so I have compromised to represent anyone and try to get the best settlement for my client." She was briefly silent, then added, quietly, "That didn't keep me from feeling acutely for your client, or relieved for mine."

Steve hadn't expected this kind of download, but sensed that, for some reason, she was feeling safe and needed to unburden some things that might only have ever been heard by her therapist before, so he stayed respectfully and sympathetically silent.

"Well, life moves on. Jimmy and ... Lisa ... are married, have a beautiful little son and a daughter on the way, or so I hear," she added hastily, "and are the perfect couple. He is probably the youngest millionaire in the city. And a wonderful guy." She looked up with pain-filled eyes and swallowed. "And I have to live with the thought that If I had done what your client did, it might have been ME living in that house, with Jimmy cuddling ME at night, and a little guy shouting, Mommy!, and hugging my knees." She smiled at him; a sad, wry smile. "I probably shouldn't be showing a vulnerable side to a potential courtroom adversary."

"Lawyers aren't adversaries, we are representatives, mediators, supporters. I represent those who hire me to the best of my ability. I am sure you do also."

"Thank you." Then she smiled, genuinely smiled, like a patient after the chiropractor has cracked the back and the nerves are sighing in relief. "I don't think I've ever seen that strategy. Did you expect that to happen?"

"Oh, that? I call it 'The Way of the Wolf', and I had high hopes. I know my client had desperately high hopes."

"The way of the wolf? You mean the packs of furry, fanged, bloodthirsty predators that rip apart moose and reindeer and such?" she asked disbelieving.

He laughed in a quiet, engaging fashion and then nodded -- and then shook his head. "That is one side, yes. But they are also fiercely loyal, dedicated pack hunters with strict hierarchy. One for all, and all for one. If a pack member offends or challenges the Alpha, then there are really only three possible outcomes. There is a big fight and the challenger becomes the Alpha, over the previous Alpha's dead body, or they get killed themselves. Or the challenger runs away and becomes a lone wolf. OR ... the offender rolls over on their back and places themselves at the total mercy of the Alpha. Total surrender. The ultimate apology -- my fate is in your hands. The Alpha could easily gut them or rip out their throat, but usually it is just a nip on the throat or ear to show who the boss is. The apology is accepted and the pack goes on." He took a sip of his drink, ignoring Venus' rapt attention. "In divorce terms, the Way of the Wolf is about total surrender, and you can only use it in a situations of complete trust. On the part of the offended spouse, not the offending spouse, of course."

"How often have you used it?"

"Seventeen times."

"How often has it worked?"

"Seventeen times."

Her eyebrows almost disappeared under her hairline. "Really? I find that very hard to believe."

"Not really. I only use it under EXTREMELY specific circumstances."

"Which are?"

"My client would be the offending spouse. And they had to be completely convinced, and convince ME, that their spouse is a totally decent person who still has some good feelings for them, no matter how deeply buried. The final test of that is in the conference room. If the spouse's attorney puts forth a completely and totally fair, or even more than fair proposal, then there is a chance, and I offer up a wolf-like surrender. If the spouse's attorney drops a scorched earth, take no prisoners list of demands, then there is no hope and I have a second proposal in my briefcase which reads nearly identically to yours."

"So that's why your client reacted the way she did? She looked almost hopeful when she was prodding you to present your counter-offer."

"She was muttering under her breath all the way up to the conference room door, 'Please let him offer a fair deal, please, God, let him offer a fair deal'."

"You are a good actor. I thought you were reluctantly presenting the offer."

"That is part of the strategy, and not a lie; some theatrics, maybe. And I don't want a desperately hoping spouse to get those hopes dashed. I guess it's kind of the ultimate 'Hail Mary Pass' in Family Law." He ate some more, chewing in a thoughtful way, and swallowing before going on.

"The client also has to be willing to sign that offer. The offer is not a bluff or a start of negotiations. It has to be and honest-to-God offer. I let them know that to show earnest good faith, they have to sign it. And if their spouse takes it and signs it off exactly the way it is, they have to be willing to live to it. There are a number who couldn't, or wouldn't, risk it, and went on to a divorce. My client today signed it off without hesitation. Heck, she was ready to volunteer to wear a titanium chastity belt and weld it on herself, if that's what it took to get him back. She was mortified at what she had done. Personally I think the creep flavored her drink with a splash of some drug. Not enough to knock her out or send her over the moon, but just enough to make her very susceptible to suggestion. By the third time he was practically blackmailing her that he would tell her husband if she didn't -- do it. That was when her husband caught them. Of course he wasn't in much of a mood to listen, and she didn't have any evidence to offer, so they wound up here."

"That could be viewed as a risk," Venus offered, seeming to pay attention to a plump shrimp, but actually enjoying hearing his voice; it was rich, and reeked of careful thought and complete reasonableness. A snake oil salesman a century ago with that voice would have been a millionaire, but he was selling hope and truth. He was intriguing. Yes, that was the word.

"Well, I don't even offer it up as an option if the spouse has committed a really unforgiveable sin, no matter how remorseful they seem."

"What do you consider unforgiveable?"

He shrugged, toyed, briefly, with the idea of a second drink, and plunged ahead. "If the offending spouse had a cold, calculated, long-term affair, especially with a friend or family member. If the offending spouse gets pregnant by another man or gets another woman pregnant. If the offended spouse found out in a public and utterly humiliating way about the cheating. If the offended spouse cheated with multiple partners. If the offended spouse has recorded evidence that the offending spouse disrespected, demonized, trash talked about them while defiling the marriage bed. If the offending spouse got an STI, especially an incurable one or one that rendered them sterile. If the offended spouse has seen that the offending spouse was performing sexual acts which they were categorically denied, or their spouse had absolutely denied them any physical affection during the affair, well, those are pretty much marriage-killers. Kind of like the asteroid that made the dinosaurs extinct. If that kind of cheating spouse dictates their own 'total surrender' offer, I will put it on the table and it is up to your client about what to do. I will submit the request for counseling if that is what they insist on offering. I am their representative, not their judge. Though I will always offer my true and honest opinion that they are wasting their time." He sighed. "That is unusual, but it usually happens if I am representing an offending spouse who stands to wind up quite poor due to a pre-nup."

"How many have just signed off and had to live up to that agreement?"

"Three. The other fourteen made some kind of changes to make it more balanced. And two of the three so far have come back to amend the post-nuptial agreement. The third let the divorce go through, saw her live up to the agreement without a complaint, and remarried her on the first anniversary of the divorce."

"I am glad it is working out for them. Really glad." She looked at his slyly. "But how do you know that I won't use it against you?"

"You won't," Steve smiled. "You can't."

"What do you mean?"

"Let's say you get an asshole spouse, and you find out I am representing their spouse, and you tell them that if they offer an entirely fair settlement, they can get their spouse to agree to come back as a virtual slave. So they tell you to go ahead; practically rubbing their hands and cackling maniacally. Well, if the spouse is that much an asshole, I'm pretty sure that my client will know that and tell me. It's probably why they had the affair to begin with. Not that I condone that -- the right way is divorce first, THEN new love interest. So, if you put a completely fair agreement on the table, and my client signs it and walks out, where is your client? Where are you?"