Ned
A dark-haired woman crosses the empty row of cushioned waiting seats, her steps almost echoing in the hall. She sits at about half-way, crosses her arms to wait. The heel of her stiletto taps nervously in place on the floor. Why is there no one else here, except for the officer? Is no one else getting out today?
After just a few minutes of waiting, there are steps, heavier. When she sees who’s coming, she straightens her back, stops tapping. There’s a short halt to the steps, before he heads in her direction. He sits beside her. He leans his elbows on the hard, wooden armrests and hunches a little; though he’s still a very stately sight, with his muscular arms, polished outfit and clean-cut hair.
“You didn’t have to come,” she says first.
“You didn’t have to come either,” he says quietly.
“Of course I came. Of course I had to. We are still married,” she says and adds almost muttering under her breath, “Much as you’d wish otherwise.”
He glances at her and thinks that it’s best not to give more reason to allude to anything.
“Whatever makes you say that?”
“Never mind,” she says. But here they are, sitting side by side and waiting. Quite daring of him to come sit with her, she thinks. “How have you been, Peter? I don’t think I’ve seen you since the hearing.”
“Very well, thank you. You?”
“Yes, me too. Very well. Oliver just started first grade.” She reaches for her handbag and wallet, where there’s a portrait taken a few weeks back. She shows it to him – they used to be friends after all, and she never passes an opportunity to show her handsome boy.
“Dear Oliver. He grows so fast,” he manages to say.
“Yes. I rather suspect he won’t even recognize him, he’s grown so much,” she says with bitterness as she shoves the wallet back into the bag. Despite the exaggeration, it becomes evident to Peter that she and Oliver have not visited Ned. He wonders if he’s had any visitors during this time.
There’s a moment of heavy silence. She decides to break it first, again.
“Will he be able to come back, do you think?”
“I don’t think there’s a coming back from this.”
“But he was quite a good lawyer, before. For his clients,” she says. “Petty notions of conscience never bothered him.”
“Come now”, he says softly. “That’s a pretty bleak picture of us.”
“Just of him. I’m not saying anything of you, I know you walked away from a fair share of cases,” she says. “And he was good, wasn’t he?”
“He really was.”
“He knew how to pick them, at least,” she says wryly. “And so, here we are. Well, I thought maybe you’d have him back, now that his ego is bound to have deflated.”
“He was never like that,” he says tepidly.
“Oh, he was insufferable,” she answers curtly. “Always talking about how much better he was than the lot of you. I never understood how you got on so well. But he’s always been a good talker.”
It isn’t lost on him that she seems to imply Ned has somehow had him fooled. But he knows, he knows how Ned used to think about himself in relation to the others. Many times he’d had to be the one to tell Ned that he was justified in feeling better than them. He was.
“Don’t be upset, Peter,” she says, thinking that she has wounded him. “Surely you know by now, what he’s like.”
“I know what you think he’s like.”
“He was convicted.”
“I’m not negating that. I mean that he was a different person with you.”
Now she’s the one to feel irritation.
“Don’t flatter yourself!” she exclaims. She draws a breath to collect herself. “He did that to me too, at first, being different with ’only you’. It’s a thing he does, has done since forever. It fits with his looks. He’s like an altar boy, isn’t he? Poor, angelic Ned. I’m almost glad Oliver didn’t inherit any of that, he can’t get away with things that easily.”
Peter stays silent, and this time it serves more as a quiet protest. She sighs.
“I shouldn’t be saying all this,” she says. “You’re probably right; you’re the exception and you’re the one that’s turned Ned into a modest and caring person. Please just take him back.”
“It’s out of my hands, anyway. The firm won’t take him back, no firm will.”
“Well then you take him! Just take him with you, you obviously want to, since you’re here.”
“No, I’m- I’m just here to provide my support.”
“Yes, that’s how you could do it! Look, I really don’t want him. I’ve long since made my peace with you two. But if you want to make it up to me, now would be the perfect opportunity.”
“No, he belongs with you, with his son.”
“Definitely not. He hasn’t had anything to do with Oliver in a long time and he’s not going to. After this is over, I’ll get full custody.”
“Well…”
“Just take him.”
“I think it’s his decision to make.”
A startlingly loud buzzer rings out in the hall. Opposite of where they are, they can see a door opening behind the bars.
“There he is,” she says, and they both stand up.
There he truly is, collecting his belongings from the warden. He’s already changed out of the prison clothes, t-shirt and baggy trousers. He looks remarkably like himself, sleek and sharp, and boyish, his blond hair coiffed. He’s led toward the barred entrance. Not looking anxious at all, barely even worn out. In a moment he’d be back. But do either of them really want him? She doesn’t, but then again, there is an undeniable fluttering of some feeling when she sees him. He doesn’t know – maybe he does, but living with him? Something about the thought scares him, and he hesitates. But he tossed the coin, when he came, he sees that now.
It all boils down to Ned: who would he choose?
Then he’s out, and he sees them. Two large dimples appear on his cheeks when he smiles.
After just a few minutes of waiting, there are steps, heavier. When she sees who’s coming, she straightens her back, stops tapping. There’s a short halt to the steps, before he heads in her direction. He sits beside her. He leans his elbows on the hard, wooden armrests and hunches a little; though he’s still a very stately sight, with his muscular arms, polished outfit and clean-cut hair.
“You didn’t have to come,” she says first.
“You didn’t have to come either,” he says quietly.
“Of course I came. Of course I had to. We are still married,” she says and adds almost muttering under her breath, “Much as you’d wish otherwise.”
He glances at her and thinks that it’s best not to give more reason to allude to anything.
“Whatever makes you say that?”
“Never mind,” she says. But here they are, sitting side by side and waiting. Quite daring of him to come sit with her, she thinks. “How have you been, Peter? I don’t think I’ve seen you since the hearing.”
“Very well, thank you. You?”
“Yes, me too. Very well. Oliver just started first grade.” She reaches for her handbag and wallet, where there’s a portrait taken a few weeks back. She shows it to him – they used to be friends after all, and she never passes an opportunity to show her handsome boy.
“Dear Oliver. He grows so fast,” he manages to say.
“Yes. I rather suspect he won’t even recognize him, he’s grown so much,” she says with bitterness as she shoves the wallet back into the bag. Despite the exaggeration, it becomes evident to Peter that she and Oliver have not visited Ned. He wonders if he’s had any visitors during this time.
There’s a moment of heavy silence. She decides to break it first, again.
“Will he be able to come back, do you think?”
“I don’t think there’s a coming back from this.”
“But he was quite a good lawyer, before. For his clients,” she says. “Petty notions of conscience never bothered him.”
“Come now”, he says softly. “That’s a pretty bleak picture of us.”
“Just of him. I’m not saying anything of you, I know you walked away from a fair share of cases,” she says. “And he was good, wasn’t he?”
“He really was.”
“He knew how to pick them, at least,” she says wryly. “And so, here we are. Well, I thought maybe you’d have him back, now that his ego is bound to have deflated.”
“He was never like that,” he says tepidly.
“Oh, he was insufferable,” she answers curtly. “Always talking about how much better he was than the lot of you. I never understood how you got on so well. But he’s always been a good talker.”
It isn’t lost on him that she seems to imply Ned has somehow had him fooled. But he knows, he knows how Ned used to think about himself in relation to the others. Many times he’d had to be the one to tell Ned that he was justified in feeling better than them. He was.
“Don’t be upset, Peter,” she says, thinking that she has wounded him. “Surely you know by now, what he’s like.”
“I know what you think he’s like.”
“He was convicted.”
“I’m not negating that. I mean that he was a different person with you.”
Now she’s the one to feel irritation.
“Don’t flatter yourself!” she exclaims. She draws a breath to collect herself. “He did that to me too, at first, being different with ’only you’. It’s a thing he does, has done since forever. It fits with his looks. He’s like an altar boy, isn’t he? Poor, angelic Ned. I’m almost glad Oliver didn’t inherit any of that, he can’t get away with things that easily.”
Peter stays silent, and this time it serves more as a quiet protest. She sighs.
“I shouldn’t be saying all this,” she says. “You’re probably right; you’re the exception and you’re the one that’s turned Ned into a modest and caring person. Please just take him back.”
“It’s out of my hands, anyway. The firm won’t take him back, no firm will.”
“Well then you take him! Just take him with you, you obviously want to, since you’re here.”
“No, I’m- I’m just here to provide my support.”
“Yes, that’s how you could do it! Look, I really don’t want him. I’ve long since made my peace with you two. But if you want to make it up to me, now would be the perfect opportunity.”
“No, he belongs with you, with his son.”
“Definitely not. He hasn’t had anything to do with Oliver in a long time and he’s not going to. After this is over, I’ll get full custody.”
“Well…”
“Just take him.”
“I think it’s his decision to make.”
A startlingly loud buzzer rings out in the hall. Opposite of where they are, they can see a door opening behind the bars.
“There he is,” she says, and they both stand up.
There he truly is, collecting his belongings from the warden. He’s already changed out of the prison clothes, t-shirt and baggy trousers. He looks remarkably like himself, sleek and sharp, and boyish, his blond hair coiffed. He’s led toward the barred entrance. Not looking anxious at all, barely even worn out. In a moment he’d be back. But do either of them really want him? She doesn’t, but then again, there is an undeniable fluttering of some feeling when she sees him. He doesn’t know – maybe he does, but living with him? Something about the thought scares him, and he hesitates. But he tossed the coin, when he came, he sees that now.
It all boils down to Ned: who would he choose?
Then he’s out, and he sees them. Two large dimples appear on his cheeks when he smiles.