Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 82165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Sitting down, I stared my mother down. “You’re right, Mom. You didn’t raise me, Sally did.”
“Kian,” my father warned.
I held up my hands. “I’m sorry, cheap shot.”
“If this is because of the settlement, you need to realize we are doing what is best for the families and more importantly, the firm.”
“You’re right, Mother. You always put the firm’s needs above all.”
She frowned, but I lifted my briefcase and opened it, and before she could say another word, I declared, “I’m tired.”
“Go home and sleep, son,” my father stated. “Why don’t you also take a few hours off tomorrow morning.”
I glanced up at him and smiled. I pulled out my resignation letter and handed one copy to him and the other to my mother.
“I already sent this to HR.”
They both read it and looked up at me.
“Is this some kind of joke?” my father asked.
Standing, I shook my head. “No. I’m tired of not having a life. I’m tired of burning both ends of the candle, and it’s time to make some changes.”
My mother looked at the letter then back to me. “If you need some time off, Kian, we can certainly work with you on that. Why don’t you take that trip to Scotland like you always wanted to? I heard you can stay for several months. Maybe you need to backpack through the Highlands or something a man your age would want to do.”
I laughed. “I don’t think you are understanding what I’m telling you. I never wanted to be a lawyer; I did it because it was what you and Dad wanted, just like Macy did. The only smart one was Mark.”
“Did she talk you into this?” my mother asked. I swore I almost saw steam coming from her ears.
“No, she had nothing to do with it. It was actually something a stranger said to me on the subway this morning.”
Letting out a gruff laugh, my father asked, “A stranger?”
I nodded. “Yes. He was a lawyer once upon a time, and what he said hit home.”
My father stood and made his way over to the bar cart. “Fine. You can go off and find yourself, son. We’ll need six months, and that should cover all your cases.”
It was my turn to stand. “Today is my last day…you have my letter of resignation.”
“What?” they both said in unison.
“Come on, all I do is look over cases, write briefs, and babysit.”
“That is not true at all. You have more billable hours than half the partners.”
Standing, I cleared my throat, picked up my briefcase, and said, “Jim Larson will be handling my caseload. He will assign what he can’t handle to a list of people I suggested for him.”
If I hadn’t known better, I would have sworn my mother looked like she was about to pass out.
“Where are you going to work?” my father asked.
“That I haven’t figured out yet. I’m going to put my condo up for sale, and I think I’ll head home for a bit.”
“To Moose Village?” my mother asked. “We’ve been thinking of expanding the satellite office there. Your uncle seems to be pretty busy, and if it warrants it, maybe you could join him there.”
“Lacy,” my father warned. “Can we leave the boy alone for five minutes?”
Holding up her hands in defeat, she sighed. “Right, right. Will you think about it, though?”
Walking over to her, I kissed her on the cheek. “I love you, Mom.”
She patted my back as if she didn’t know how to hug me. “I love you too, Kian.”
Turning to face my father, I held out my hand, but he pulled it in and hugged me. With a hard slap on the back, he said, “You are always welcome back after you take this silly sabbatical of yours.”
“I’ll talk to you both soon.”
And with that, I turned and left. I had no intention of ever stepping foot in this building again.
The light streaming in from the windows caused me to quickly sit up. A brief panic set in before I realized I didn’t have to be at work today, tomorrow, or the next day. I was free to do what I wanted when I wanted.
“Thank fuck,” I whispered as I dropped back down onto the pillow and let out a long sigh.
Turning my head, I glanced out the window and smiled at the sight before me. My family home was in the Adirondack Mountains, and the view from my parents’ house was breathtaking. I had forgotten how beautiful it was up here. Moose Lake was calm and reflected the sky in its calm waters. It was named Moose Lake because someone once said it looked like a moose antler.
After lying in bed for a few more minutes, I sat up, swung my legs over the edge, and stood. I needed a quick shower before heading into town to get some food. Once I cleaned up, I grabbed my wallet and keys. It was strange to drive my car. In New York City, I kept it parked in the garage of my building more than it ever saw the light of day. Driving up last night was the longest I had ever sat in the damn thing.