This is my first effort at this. May well be my only effort.
All characters are fictional and well over 18, despite age gap. Constructive commentary appreciated.
"You are going to miss her, aren't you, Erik?" asked Liz on the ride home. We had just left an office party celebrating Elena, my articling student, who had completed her 12-month position with us. It was time for her to move on. Elena wasn't the first student we had mentored; in fact, we typically have an articling student at the office about half the time. Our practice, which focuses almost exclusively on patent law, had grown significantly over the years. When Jeff and I started the firm fresh out of law school 16 years ago, patent law was considered a bit dull, stodgy even. However, it has since become an increasingly important area of practice, especially with the rise of global commerce.
Our work, though not glamorous, is indeed important. We primarily help new entrepreneurs and engineers protect their intellectual rights as they navigate an increasingly cutthroat global economy. Far too often, I've seen brilliant but naive inventors or engineers put their work out into the world, only to have it stolen before they could secure proper protection. Jeff and I both have scientific backgrounds, which I believe has served us well in understanding the technical aspects of our clients' inventions and innovations. Over the past five years, our practice has nearly doubled in size, and we are still in the process of hiring more staff to keep up with demand.
"Yes, I really liked having Elena around," I admitted to Liz. "She's easily the strongest of the articling students we've had so far. Best lawyer I've seen at her level of experience, and she's only getting better."
"Then why don't you hire her?" Liz asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, you know the protocol," I replied. "We hope to eventually hire her, but we never bring someone on board right after they finish their articling year. We just don't want to create a clone of either Jeff or me. We prefer that new hires gain some experience elsewhere before returning to work for us."
"Oh yes, the protocol," Liz said with a smirk, clearly amused by our 16 year old firm's rigid "traditions".
"As I've said before", trying my best to go into lawyer mode. "It's important that people bring something new to the party. This isn't exactly unique to our practice, or even our industry and we feel that it is still very important to our ongoing development".
"Well, I certainly noticed a couple of things she brought to the party this afternoon!" Liz laughed.
"Do you mean the sparkling conversation or the thoughtful thank-you cards?" I teased, knowing exactly what she meant.
"No. You know very well what I mean."
"The professionalism? And the enthusiasm?"
"Stop it!" Liz exclaimed. "You're not fooling anyone. I saw you staring at those two nice big boobs!"
"Well, they were quite hard to miss," I admitted. "And to be completely honest, I think you were more captivated by them than I was."
"Only because you were obviously more interested in her arse," Liz demurred, "you've never mentioned them before."
"I keep my interactions with my subordinates strictly professional. And you're well aware of that," I responded. "To be honest, I really hadn't noticed before. She normally dresses extremely conservatively--lots of blazers and, well, actually, really just a lot of blazers. I have never seen her out of a formal work setting. Jeff and I have always encouraged fairly formal attire, and she is nothing if not adherent to policy."
What about this afternoon then?" Liz countered. "She certainly wasn't dressed that formally this afternoon."
That was indeed a valid point, and it certainly caught me off guard at the time. She must have changed after finishing the last of her work at the end of the morning and she came to her farewell party in a very pretty low-cut top with a tight mid-length white skirt. Everything was on display.
"Yes, but that makes sense," I replied. "As of 12:01 PM, she was no longer our employee. Therefore, she certainly wasn't subject to any wardrobe restrictions at her going-away party."
"Always with the answer to everything," Liz smiled. "You really did always keep it professional with her? I know I'm being silly, but I always wonder if anyone will catch your eye. You certainly have opportunities."
"Nope. I only have eyes for you," I said softly.
We continued to chat happily on the way home. The truth is, I did find myself somewhat turned on by my young colleague and what she displayed that afternoon, as well as lots of other attractive people at the gathering. I would never, ever under any circumstances step outside my marriage, but I obviously can't help what I see. I've always tried to take the adult's approach to that which to me is to bottle it up when it happens and then take it out on Liz at the next available opportunity.
My excitement continued to build on the way home, as I knew where things were almost certainly heading. We consistently try to make love on Friday evenings.
During the drive home, my thoughts drifted back to a conversation I had enjoyed with Elena about a month earlier. She had been wrapping up her last big project, and things truly couldn't have gone better. Elena made my job easy and, in the process, made me look good. All the credit belonged to her exceptional preparation as we headed into the first court appearance. The case involved one of my favourite clients, who was once again being harassed by a patent troll. While this issue has thankfully become less common, it still arises from time to time. Although these cases can often be successfully dismissed, they still require careful handling.
We had our first case conference with the assigned judge, and it quickly became apparent that our adversary's case was falling apart. Elena's preparation was leagues ahead of what was on offer by our opponent. Their lawyer had submitted little more than a sophomoric generic document dump, while Elena had crafted a careful, cogent, and thoughtful response. In her brief she had outlined all the relevant case law and legislation in a clear, easy-to-follow order, leaving no doubt about the futility of the opposing claims. The judge immediately recognized the strength of our position and, in unusually definitive terms, suggested that the patent troll was wasting the court's time. While it was technically their right to continue, the outcome was obvious.
Shortly after the case conference, the opposing lawyer met with me privately and she indicated that they would likely be dropping the case. Presumably, her client would move on to easier targets. To expedite the resolution, I offered to forego any claim for attorney's fees. Since I was already on retainer with the client, this little episode wouldn't cost him anything, and everyone seemed happy to put it behind them.
For Elena, this case was a real coming-out party. I had let her handle as much of the case as possible, and she excelled at every turn. Her particular strength, which I had identified early on, was her preternatural ability to digest and organize large amounts of information. Most trainees at her stage can gather and present data, but Elena's insight into structuring it into a logical, easy-to-follow pathway set her apart. This skill allowed us to build the strongest possible case, and it was a pleasure to watch her shine.
We received enthusiastic congratulations from our colleagues and then stopped in my office.
"Wow," I said, turning to Elena, "You really crushed it. It's rare to be able to dispose of one of these nuisance cases at such an early stage," I continued, emphasizing just how exceptional the outcome was. These kinds of cases often drag on, consuming time and resources, but this time was different.
"My only question now is what on Earth I'm supposed to have you doing for this last month. You've finished up everything that I've assigned to you and done so well at every turn. As I understand it, your year with us ends at the end of May, and I know that you're starting shortly thereafter at Boyce, Hensler & Co in Sacramento, correct?"
"Yes, that's the plan," she said a little sadly. "I'm really going to miss everyone here in Seattle, but I've known all along that this was a one-year gig."
"That's right," I said. "Please understand that when we're fortunate enough to get someone like you, it's almost irresistible to offer them a permanent position at the end of the articling year to retain them. You aced the bar exam both here in Washington and in California and we know exactly what we'd be getting. However - and I'm sorry - that's not the right approach. You're joining a top firm, lots of government and Silicon Valley work, and if you decide to return in a year or two to work with us permanently, you'll bring more value to us than you might realize. Additionally, it prevents excess early career imprinting. Some of this is normal and healthy but to much makes an organization stale. You're already an independent and strong lawyer, but Jeff and I have always agreed to let our most capable trainees go and then try to win them back. This strategy has almost always proven beneficial for everyone involved in the long run."
"Finally, it's more fair to you. You might come to realize that this firm isn't all that special after all, and you're better off somewhere else." I concluded.
"I know all that," Elena said, "and I appreciate you being such a good boss and mentor. I'm just not quite myself today, despite how well things went."
"Okay," I said cautiously. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"
"Well, to be honest, I broke up again last night. I think I mentioned Scott. It's just another in a series of unsatisfactory romantic relationships. I just don't seem to be able to make a lasting connection with anyone."
"And if you really want to know, I'm just so distressed by not having nearly enough sex for somebody rapidly approaching 30! Sorry - is that too much info?"
It wasn't really, and I was hoping to be able to help. I keep a fairly formal reserved mannerism, and sometimes people think that that means that I would be easy to embarrass, but I'm really not.
"No that's fine, I'm here to help - sorry that sounded wrong" - I flushed, actually managing to embarrass myself after all. "You've been busy and work hard, and I'm sure it has left you short of personal time. I think that we provide a pretty good articling year, but it's always going to be demanding and time-consuming."
"I get that," Elena said, "and I'm not complaining, but again, I'm going to be 30 this year, and that really leaves me with only 10 more years of optimal enjoyment." She pouted.
"Sorry, who says the good times end at 40?" I countered. "Liz and I are 45 this year, and I feel like we're only getting better at it. Now that the kids are away at school things are just better now that we finally have time alone. My vasectomy a few years ago was also a major step. So much more fun when you don't need to worry about birth control."
"Stop it," Elena said, "I don't need to hear about that. And just because you've been with the perfect person all your adult life doesn't mean that you have any special perspective."
"That's true," I said. "I have been very, very fortunate. But it's a team sport, and it's simply a matter of working together, whether it's a long-term partner, even a short-term fling. If both parties focus on the other's pleasure, that's the best way for it to go. It's almost like only the mechanics of this are explained in school, if even that. How to navigate real intimacy and become better at it is left up to our own devices."
"I mean, I'm perfectly aware," I said, continuing, "there are plenty of resources for those that care to look, but I feel like it should be more of a mandatory, automatic thing during the mid-teen years where true education and instruction are given." I said wistfully, "I think back and wonder what kind of fun we could have had in our 20s with a little bit of prior instruction."
"Okay," said Elena, "we're taking this a bit further than I expected, but I'll ask something else: Are you always able to satisfy Liz? Are you always able to get her there?"
"Yes." I answered simply but unequivocally.
"Every time?
