At the end of the week Emily is excited to meet with her friends for a drink, but Jake has some unexpected news about their friends' divorce. Taken by surprise, they discuss the details of the situation and the couple's family attorney.
It had been a strenuous week for Emily. Work had kept her late the past few days for a project with a deadline that seemed a little too near. Emily didn't mind the extra work,
but after a few days of additional effort she definitely needed a release.
Her weekly get-together with her old friends from back home was always a prime motivator to get through the week, but on this Friday there was a little bit more of a spring to her step as she traversed the gravelly road to the hangout spot. The run down sign marked "The Tavern" squeaked as she opened the door. The Tavern wasn't the fanciest establishment, but that was part of its charm.
Inside, she saw Jake sitting alone at their usual booth. Jake was her childhood best friend that had moved into the city with her years ago. When their old high school buddies Patricia and John moved down the street a few years later, they'd started their weekly ritual of drinks at The Tavern and hadn't missed a week since. The couple was nowhere to be found, however.
"Hey Emily. Looks like it's just the two of us tonight." Jake slid Emily's usual martini across the table as she slipped into the booth.
"Oh? Where are Patricia and John tonight?"
"We might not be seeing much of them together for a while..." Jake looked into his drink as he swished it aimlessly around the glass. "Patricia told me today that they're getting a divorce."
Emily nearly fell from her seat. "What? What happened?"
"I'm not really sure. Patricia hasn't told me much and I haven't spoken with John. She says that it's for the best and that the meetings with Torvald have been going well."
"Torvald? Who's Torvald?" Had Patricia already moved on? Emily didn't think Patricia to be the type to have an affair, but then again she'd never imagined her and John apart either.
"He's their family attorney," replied Jake. "They've been talking to him about the divorce. You know, what they need to do as far as paperwork and the legal system."
Emily took a sip of her martini and stared blankly across the bar at a painting of a house on a barren landscape. She didn't ever think that John and Patricia would ever part ways, but it seemed that their divorce was pretty far along already. She wondered how long this had been going on. "Is a family attorney really necessary? I mean, I've never been married, much less had a divorce."
Jake shrugged. "I guess so. There's a lot of details to work out about who gets what. Plus I think they're trying to get it annulled."
Not knowing what else to say, Emily simply mumbled, "I thought annulments were done by priests..."
"No, there are also civil annulments that you need a family attorney for." Jake looked across the table at Emily, whose eyes began to well with tears. "I'm so sorry, honey. I never thought it'd happen either, but I guess some things are just bound to end."
"I guess so." Emily paused, finished her drink, and stood up. "C'mon, let's get out of here."
"What? Why?" Jake stood, puzzled by Emily's sudden desire to leave.
"All we can do here is mope. Let's find a new Friday hangout."
After a brief moment of consideration, Jake took Emily's hand and walked towards the door. Some things are just bound to end.
