Becky was sitting on the edge of the dresser with her arms folded in front and a scowl on her face.
"I don't understand why you won't go. You love Buckingham's Ale House. She said in a pleading tone.
"I'm just not up for it, that's all, I'm...ah, little under the weather." I said very weakly.
Buckingham's represented an old way of life that no longer existed for me.
Becky's face wore a mask of suspicion.
"When are you going to tell me what's wrong? You've been acting weird since you broke up with Will last summer."
Nothing was wrong. Becky was the one person who was capable of comprehending the changes but her acceptance of the changes inside of me was the dilemma I faced.
"Debra, I've known you since elementary school and your behavior is completely out of character." She remarked.
The look of concern on Becky's face brought tears to my eyes. She, more than anyone else, deserved an explanation.
"All right, but I need something to drink." I said in a sad tone.
Becky grabbed two beers from the fridge, a bottle of "Jack Daniels" and two shot glasses. I drank three shots consecutively and drained almost the entire bottle of beer as a chaser.
"It's that bad?" Becky remarked to no one in particular.
"It depends on how you define 'bad'." I said mysteriously.
The soothing effects of the alcohol were bolstering my courage and with Becky's attention focused on me, I started my tale of discovery.
When I finished, Becky regarded me with a mixture of pity and revulsion. She wanted the old Debra back and that person was gone.
"My Comeuppance: A Valuable Lesson Learned"
Will and I had been dating for two years when I noticed some changes in our relationship. The list is commonplace among couples who are having difficulty in their marriage or relationship: He was working later than usual, not as romantic, emotionally distant, sex was less frequent and more perfunctory; well, you get the picture.
The fact that we were both twenty something attorneys employed at the same firm, made the situation even more unbearable. Every time I asked him if there was a problem, he would clam up.
I was determined to find the cause for the awful strain in our relationship and when I started thinking like an attorney, I slowly put the pieces of the puzzle together.
On a time line, I charted the approximate dates when the changes occurred and low and behold they all transpired after the hiring of his new legal assistant.
Andrea was a very pretty blonde with a "California Girl" look that had most of the male associates salivating. She was lean and hard bodied with smoldering green eyes. I suspected she was interested in Will but I naively thought we had a strong relationship.
One Saturday in June, Will informed me that he was planning a golf vacation with some college buddies over the 4th of July holiday weekend. With the steady decline in our relationship, I knew it was a lie.
"Are you taking Andrea?" I questioned with bitterness in my voice.
Will tried his best in a lawyerly and argumentative way of convincing me otherwise but I was no fool.
"Get the fuck out of my apartment, You lying, cheating, bastard!" I screamed into his face.
With the fury of a woman scorned, I tossed Will and his belongings out of my apartment. However, when my rage dissipated, I was heartbroken. Only a few months prior, we discussed marriage and decided that Christmas was the ideal time to get engaged.
The first week of Will's absence in my life, I walked around my apartment crying at the slightest reminder of his presence. At the firm, I had to maintain a professional attitude but if I saw him in the hallways, I would lock my office door and weep at my desk. My legal assistant, Trish, was sympathetic and tried to comfort me.
Trish was one of the few legal assistants who could tolerate working with me. My overbearing demeanor and abusive treatment of the assistants and secretaries had most of them running for the exits in less than a week.
When I returned to work after the long July 4th holiday weekend, I discovered that Will and Andrea's brief affair was over. My mood went from bad to worse and Trish insisted that I go for drinks with her after work on Friday.
Trish wanted to go to a bar downtown but I've always been partial to Buckingham's Ale House. Will was a wine drinker and favored the wine bars near the law firm while I was a confirmed consumer of beer.
With Trish as the designated driver, I downed several pints of draft beer and a couple of shots hoping it would dull my emotional pain. My head was buzzing from the alcohol when I heard Trish gasp out loud.
"Don't look! But, Andrea just walked in." Trish announced in a whisper.
Ignoring Trish, I turned around and saw Andrea at the opposite end of the bar accompanied by a woman who resembled her very closely. I was already "half in the bag" and just the sight of Andrea made my blood curdle with rage.
Trish knew I was seething inside.
"Just ignore her" Trish implored.
But, my anger was building with each gulp of beer. With my wounded pride and bloated ego, a confrontation was inevitable. I failed to recall an ages old proverb: "Pride goeth before a fall" and disregarded Trish's sound advice.
Trish grabbed my arm but I pulled free and strolled in a cocky manner to where Andrea was standing. I stood and glared at her smug face.
"I'm done with the wimp, want him back?" Andrea said in a voice dripping with sarcasm.
What a bitch! She steals my boyfriend and is giving me attitude. My lower class upbringing and three older brothers turned me into a scrapper. Thankfully, an intelligent mind, excellent grades and parochial schools were my ticket to a better life. I struggled to pay my law school tuition but graduated with honors.
