The Contract

This is my forth installment on my first submission. This chapter is from the point of view of Paul Beckson's lawyer, Carol Bernstein. I hope you enjoy.

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I walked out to my car and got in. It was late, and I wanted to go home. It had been a long, but profitable day. The cell phone rang again. I really didn't want to talk, but I picked it up and answered it, anyway.

"Hello, this is Paul Beckson's cell phone. How may I help you?"

"Who the hell are you, slut?"

"Why hello, Tonya. This is Carol Bernstein, Paul's blood sucking lawyer. And I wish I could say that I am recording this, but I am not. Oh, well, so much for filing charges against you."

"What are you doing with Paul's phone, and where's Paul?"

"My my, so many questions. I have Paul's phone because I am doing my job, and protecting Paul. Paul is in a hotel room right now, and I am hoping he is not tearing it apart, and dwindling down that little nest egg that you two built together. Do I get to ask you some questions?"

You can if you tell me if Paul is OK? How is his knife wound?"

I was starting to get irritated at this one sided conversation. I was giving information, and getting nothing in return. I was ready to call it a day, but I decided try once more time to see if I could get something useful out of this phone call. I tried again, but I was about to lose my patience with this woman.

"Tonya, there is no knife wound. The jerk, Lenny Goodwin, missed on his first swing, and Paul took the guy down with his return blow. Thank you, for your concern about my client."

"You're welcome."

OK. She was at least polite to me. Now, to dangle a carrot in front of her. "I have the parking lot video of "the incident" on my laptop, and I could show it to you, if you would like."

"Yes, I would."

"It would help me to know what you wanted to do that this point. Do you want to try and patch up your marriage, or, do you want to separate from Paul, and move on with your life. I could show you the video, if you would be willing to answer a few questions."

"Not unless you bring Paul with you."

"OK Tonya, it been nice talking to you." I hung up. I knew Paul was in no condition to start dealing with Tonya face to face, and I really just wanted to go home to my husband, and fuck his brains out. Paul had called me earlier this evening and ruined a romantic dinner that I was giving George in celebration of the settlement that I had received earlier today. I had just dipped my toes into the chocolate and George was licking it off when the phone rang. I almost didn't answer it, until I saw that it was the benefactor of my settlement.

I dressed so quickly that I almost forgot to remove the strawberries from my vagina!

I looked over that the folder that I had taken from Paul. I knew Tonya's Lawyer, and I couldn't believe that Joyce had actually opened up the negotiations with such a lopsided settlement. I knew she was a man hating bitch but this was insane. The house was undervalued to the point that the equity was zero, Tonya's stock was excluded, and Paul's piece of floodplain was included and way overvalued. Tonya was to get 65% of the assets and Paul was going to pay one sixth of his take home pay in alimony. It all looked rather simple on paper, and I knew that the party with the lower income is sometimes given more money to "cushion" the adjustment to single life, but this was ridiculous!

When I drew up my counter offer, I did it knowing that Paul was fired, so to speak, and now HE was the party with the lower income. I then flipped the settlement back on them. I used their estimate of the house, but I gave it to Paul. I excluded Paul's farm, and included Tonya's stock, and I asked for 65% of the assets for Paul. Paul had asked me to go for alimony, so I asked for half of Tonya's take home pay; after all, Paul was unemployed, and Tonya was now the sole provider! I knew it would never fly, but I wanted Joyce to see how lopsided her claim was.

Paul originally was wanting do to an even split, but he had also outlined a scorch and burn option. After Tonya had Paul served in front of her lover at the football game, I was starting to understand why he had put forth such an option. Paul had been scarred emotionally by Tonya's callousness, and I wanted to see Paul heal quickly from this. I was going to try and avoid the scorch and burn option at all costs. I wanted Tonya and Paul to separate on good terms, because I knew that Paul would heal faster and move on with his life, if he did.

Paul's cell phone rang again. Damn! I still wanted to go home to George!

"Hello, Paul Beckson's cell phone. How may I help you?"

"Carol, you have a lot of nerve to do this to Tonya!"

"Why, Hello Joyce! It's good to hear from you!"

"How can you expect anyone to sign this piece of crap!"

"Well Joyce, I just reversed what you did, and gave it back to you. SO, how DID you expect my client to sign such a piece of crap!"

"And this severance package! How could you let Paul sign his right to sue for wrongful termination away! From what Tonya is telling me, Paul was a hero, not a villain. I can't believe how incompetent you were."

"Slander will get you nowhere Joyce. Would you like to sit down and talk?"

"I want you to let Tonya talk to Paul, and let him see reason to this situation."

"Not going to happen, Joyce. Would you like to see the parking lot video? It could be just the two of us, if you'd like. And I have some other documents that you might like to see, but only if you share some information with me."

There was a pause, and some talking in the background. I now knew that Joyce and Tonya were together. I would have to share the clinic's reports, if I showed the fight scene in the parking lot, but nothing more. The other evidence that I had would not be throwing them a bone right now, it would be more like opening a coat and showing the pair of 44 magnums that I was packing. Joyce may not have known it at this point, but this was my first day on this divorce, and I was already loaded to bear.

I had four sets of videos, and I had not looked at all of them. The parking lot views of the fight, a series of clips that Mary Brooks had made, Paul's video form Thursday night, and the Football game video. I had looked at Mary's video this afternoon, and I must say that when Ben dumped Mary, she turned into a bit of a stalker! I did download two bits that were very relevant. Mary had followed Ben to the Beckson home the night of the banquet. On that night, I had Mary's video record of Ben going over along with Paul's audio recording of Ben and Tonya making love. Mary had caught another tryst between Tonya and Ben on a school trip to Orlando last spring. Ben should have made sure that the curtain on his hotel room was completely closed!

I started to hum the Jeopardy song. The only information I had gotten so far was that Joyce had come over and had seen the counter-proposal. I wanted to know about the home. Since Paul didn't want the home, I needed to know if Tonya wanted it, or it was going to be sold. Joyce finally answered me.

"Carol, if you could come over to the Beckson home, Tonya and I would both like to see the video."

"OK Joyce, I'll be there in ten minutes, could you have some coffee ready?"

DAMN! It's just work, work, WORK! I guess it was a good idea to untie George after all! He probably has taken off that slave thong by now, and gone to bed. And I was only six blocks from home! I turned on the next street and headed to the Beckson home.

***** *****

After I parked, I pulled out my briefcase and laptop and headed to the front door of the Paul and Tonya Beckson's home. Joyce opened the door and we traded pleasantries."

"Vampire!"

"Dyke!"

I was starting to like being called a vampire. I had a client who was a dental technician who actually offered to make me a dental appliance to put over my front teeth for Halloween two years ago. I wondered if George would like THAT game. Hmmm.

"Hello Tonya. I am willing to tell you about your husband's severance package and show you the parking lot video right now, but I would like to get some answers from you first. I don't think either party is ready to sign an equitable settlement right now, but I need some direction on how to proceed. Where would you like to talk?"

Tonya gestured over to the living room, which already had an extension cord set up to plug the laptop into. I took a chair and let Tonya and Joyce sit on the sofa together. Once everything was plugged in and ready. I started up on my questions.

"Do you want to see if you two can work out your differences and stay married?"

Joyce countered, "No questions until we see the video."

"Joyce, I have already been asked five questions from your client, and I have answered each of them. I will give you two documents, and a video, but you need to pay front."

Joyce grimaced, "OK, three questions for two documents, and the video."

I asked the question again, "Tonya, do you want to see if you two can work out your differences and stay married?"

Tonya shook her head, "No, but I want to explain myself to him."

"OK. Tonya, when Paul calms down, I will arrange a meeting. I hope you are happy with Ben, or whoever you end up sharing you life with."

Tonya turned to Joyce, "You said she was ruthless, She's nice!"

Joyce retorted back, "When she gets her way, she is. She was trying to see if you would admit to an affair with Ben just now, by making a statement and not using up a question."

"Oh".

I smiled back a Joyce, and turned to Tonya, "This is a very good neighborhood. Do you want to keep the house?"

Joyce touched Tonya's arm with her hand. "If the settlement is equitable, then Tonya can afford to stay in this house."

I smiled, "You didn't answer my second question. Let me rephrase the question. Would you be willing to decide the house on a coin flip?"

Once again Joyce touched Tonya's arm. "This is a way to get both parties to agree on the value of an item in a divorce. The item is given a value and a coin is flipped. Either the person gets the item, or the value of the item added to the funds they receive in the settlement. This is done to keep two parties from bickering about the value of an item, and using it as a bargaining chip in the divorce."

Tonya nodded. "OK, but I want the house."

Joyce cringed. Tonya had given me information that I wasn't supposed to have. I thought I already knew that, but I could use that information to push the agreed value of the house a bit higher, and then pass on the coin flip. Paul could then get more money this way. I knew that Paul did not want the house, because Ben and Tonya had made love in their bed. This was starting to make the actual settlement go a bit faster.

"And for my final question, I want you to consider how far apart our settlements are. I would like a measure of how cooperative you two will be. Would you be interested in settling before Paul's leaves for classes in the northwest?"

Joyce answered again, "We will be willing to sign any REASONABLE offer, before Paul leaves."

"I'll take that as a YES."

I smiled and reached into my briefcase. "Thank you for your cooperation. Now I have a copy of two documents to give you, and then we can look at the video clip together. Thursday afternoon, about three hours before the event in the parking lot, Paul received this notice from a family planning clinic. Paul has Chlamydia, and he suspects that Ben Everson gave it to Tonya, and Tonya gave it to him. I am not accusing you at this point, I am just telling you about what Paul thinks. I would like to keep this divorce discreet if possible, so I have not followed up on any leads to confirm his suspicions. Tonya, I would like you to be tested, and if you are positive, I would expect you to inform Ben Everson that he needs to be tested, if you have had relations with him."

Joyce took the copy of the document and winced. Even though infidelity no longer had any weight in deciding a financial settlement, giving your life partner a STD did.

I then pulled out a second document. "This is the sperm test done at the same time. Paul had not been rendered infertile by being infected by Chlamydia, and is presently in the process of being cured."

Joyce relaxed, and Tanya winced. "You mean I may be infertile?"

"Yes, Tonya. And I am sorry to have to inform you of this, but this STD can cause infertility in a woman by scarring up their uterus."

Joyce had relaxed because the financial settlement was usually increased if the STD was incurable, or had caused some permanent damage. Tonya was now despondent.

I tried to consol Tonya. "Tonya, we don't know for sure. You can be tested tomorrow, or should I say, later this morning."

Joyce fought back, "This proves nothing, many people do not show any symptoms of Chlamydia, and so never get tested. Paul could have given it to Tonya."

Tonya glanced at Joyce, and then at me. I nodded, "Joyce is right, this just shows that Paul has Chlamydia, and does not tell me how he got it. I do not want to argue who gave what to whom with you. I am only trying to tell you that Paul found out just three hours before the event that you are going to see, that he knew that he had been infected, and that you might be infertile. I am trying to give you knowledge about his mindset at the time.

"Paul told his supervisor, Richard Davidson, that day that Tonya had been unfaithful to him. Richard gave Paul the afternoon off, but Paul returned to work after going to the clinic. My guess is that Richard Davidson may have been informed that Paul had a STD at that time. I do not know, and I didn't want to give Morton Packaging any additional information, so I didn't ask."

I looked over at Tonya. "Tonya, I am not accusing you of anything, I am just trying to tell you what the company knew about Paul's state of mind when he entering the parking lot. Richard Davidson also knew that Paul was a Black Belt in Kendo. I want you to understand that Morton Packaging believes that Paul was goading three men to attack him. That is why he was fired, even though he looked like a hero. The person who starts a fight may not be the person that threw the first punch."

I queued up the video and turned the screen towards the two women. "You will see three men harassing a woman as she walks to her ride home. You will see Paul ignore the woman and not ask her if she needs help, but block the path of the three men, which made company think that Paul was not actually interested in helping the woman at all. You will then see Paul, who has eighteen years of martial arts experience, and a black belt in Kendo, give ground to the three men, which the company believes is feinting weakness. You will then see the fight, and see Paul taunting the other two to attack him. You will then see the lady thank him, and after a moment Paul will walk away."

I played the video, each time Paul talked to the men, he backed up. I had finished the clip where I had stopped it for Paul.

"Paul only was attacked by one person; the company is using this image to show that Paul was not pleased with what had happened. Morton Packaging believes that Paul wanted all three to attack him, and even though Paul didn't throw the first punch, they believe that he caused the fight to happen".

I turned to Joyce. "Do you understand the justification that Morton Packaging would be using against me in the wrongful termination suit?"

Joyce nodded, "You may not win."

"I also want to mention that by bringing a case of wrongful termination suit, the fact that Paul thought that Tonya was being unfaithful would be made public. If it is proved that Tonya Beckson and Ben Everson were having an affair, then their jobs may be in danger because of the "Morals" clauses in their teaching contracts.

Joyce and Tonya both winced, they had not thought about this side effect.

"I got what I could for Paul, without endangering the jobs of Tonya and Ben. Paul has received three months severance pay, along with his accrued vacation pay. He will now have to put on every application that he was fired for fighting. He is going to try and start a company, and he will have to do so with whatever he can get from the divorce and his severance. He may be able to do some odd jobs, but his career as a company employee may be over."

"Paul told me to seek alimony from you, Tonya, for having him served in front of your perceived lover. I had done so, but I am not expecting you to sign that settlement. I am just following instructions. Two people have already lost their jobs because of this situation, Paul Beckson and Len Goodwin. I do not want to have two more people lose their jobs. I have heard that there is a petition circulating at Morton Packaging to re-instate Paul. It is possible that Paul may get his job back, I don't know. But I do know that Paul is at a crossroads in life, and he is hurting. I want you to give Paul a few days to recover, before proceeding on. Please do not try to contact him at all, and work with me on this. Paul has already talked about a "Scorch and Burn" option, and I do not want to go there."

"I have put Paul in a hotel because everything around him was not his to break. I did not think he would hit Tonya directly, but he is now hitting Tonya by proxy. I was afraid that if he saw anything that reminded him of Tonya, that he would break it to try and vent his frustrations at the current situation. He vented in the parking lot, and lost his job, he vented at school, by trying to beat up your office. The one good thing is that he has demonstrated that he is not a danger to you. He will heal, and then you can talk to him. Please do not put out a restraining order on him, because that will push him further.

The mood was very solemn as I turned the laptop around and shut it down. I was also a little bit on edge about the whole situation myself. I had made my point, and I would have a couple of days to get my client into a better state of mind to face Tonya.

I left the Beckson home, and told Joyce to call me. I didn't actually lie to them, but I didn't tell them the whole truth. The severance package for Paul was layered in several documents, and I had only given Joyce and Tonya the default document that went into effect if Paul never passed his requirements to be re-hired. The people at Morton understood what Paul wanted to cut out any alimony from the divorce, and had complied.

I still had a wild card roaming about in Mary Brooks. She had been my client in her divorce, but she could ruin everything. I knew that she was helping Paul, but to what end? I didn't know if she was trying cause the divorce so that she could go after Paul, or, if she was trying to break up Ben and Tonya, to go after Ben. After looking at the video clips, I thought that she was stalking Ben Everson, but Mary told me that she had found a new partner. I was hoping that she was on Paul's side, and I could count on her.

I didn't think that Beckson Glassworks would actually provide enough income for Paul to live on, but it might supplement his income to the point where he could recover from the divorce quickly. I simply saw him as one of the artists that might have a booth in a craft fair three of four times a year, and possibly having some stuff on consignment in a store somewhere.

As for the line of what the company had thought about, THAT was actually my opinion of what had happened. I didn't think Paul was a bully, but I thought that he had snapped. What I saw on the video frightened me. I was worried about Paul. I trained myself to look for visual cues from body language, and Paul had one of the best poker faces in the world. It seemed that his movements were thought out and controlled better than anyone I had ever seen. I didn't blame Tonya for wanting to divorce Paul, and I felt sorry for her. Considering the evidence I had, Paul could end her career as a teacher in a heartbeat.