Note: Hamilton will be popping up in this story at some point, so be sure to look out for that. I know Jay said this twice, but he said it to Ariel as well, but I know there isn't any need to repeat it more than once. Thank you to all those who have enjoyed and reviewed.

Later the next evening, Perry was in his apartment. He looked at the clock: 7:48 PM. He thought now was a good idea to call one of his old friends. Jay was on his mind now, so it would be a good time to say hello. He received Jay's telephone number in the mail. Shortly after their graduation from college. He kept it all of these years, but have not thought of calling until now. The phone rang for a while.

He heard a woman's voice saying, "Hello?"

"Hello, ma'am. This is Perry Mason. Is Jay around?"

"Hold for a minute or so."

He heard the woman call Jay.

"JAY!"

About three minutes later his friend now came on.

"This is Jay."

"Hello, Jay."

Now Jay recognized Perry's voice.

"Hi, Perry! I was just starting to think about you. How have you been?"

"I'm doing well, Jay. How has your life been?"

"Life is good and busy."

"It's nice hearing from you again after all of these years," Jay told him.

"The same with you. I was looking back to the time when we had my graduation."

"I almost forgot about that. Are you still working or are you retired?"

"I don't plan to retire anytime soon, Jay. Was that your wife I spoke with?"

"No. She's a cousin of mine."

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything important."

"You're not interrupting anything, Perry. I have been busy lately myself. I've read about you in the paper ever since you won your first case. Congratulations on your hard work."

"Thank you, Jay. Do you want to get together with me sometime and you can probably get a chance to meet my secretary and private investigator?" Perry asked.

"I'd love that, Perry. Is that why you wanted to call me?"

"That and to say hello."

"It's really awesome to hear your voice again. When we do get a chance to get together, we will catch up where we left off."

"That's why I called. I'll see what my investigator and secretary have to say about this and we'll go from there."

"Okay. Are you working on anything new recently, Perry?"

"Nothing now, thank you for asking."

"What was your secretary's name again?"

"Della Street."

"Street's a funny last name. I hope she's as beautiful in person rather than the newspaper and television."

"You got that right, Jay. Lately, my private investigator came down with a cold, so he and I will be out of touch for a while."

"Sorry to hear that. Always a good idea to stay away so you won't need to catch it."

Jay thought of something.

"Perry, have you thought of marrying anyone?"

"Not now."

"Oh. I was married once, but the woman I was married to died. I don't know that story, so that's nothing worth sharing. I practiced law for two and a half years, Perry."

"How did it go for you?"

"It went okay, but in the end nobody came to my office within five to eight months, so I closed my practice."

"That's a shame. At least you tried, which was the important thing."

"I know. Now I am a chef. I like having that job. If clients kept coming to me, I would be successful. I don't bother thinking about returning to law practice anymore. Tell your secretary I would love to meet her someday."

"I will tell her. Do you want my office number?"

"Sure. I'd like that, Perry. I could always look it up."

"You won't be able to do that. My number is unlisted, so I'll give it to you now."

"Okay. I didn't know you had a private number."

Jay finished saying that when Perry gave him his number. Jay wrote it down.

"Thank you, Perry. We'll talk again soon."

"All right. Nice speaking with you again."

"Same with you, Perry."

Then that's when the conversation ended.

"Jay?"

"Yes, Ariel?"

"Who is this Perry Mason?"

"He and I were classmates. I thought you knew who he is."

"No. I only knew about him through you, but the name doesn't mean anything to me."

"I know. The name means a lot to those who need a lawyer. Plus, people respect and trust Perry. I don't think I will ever return to practice anytime soon."

Then Jay thought of something.

"Ariel, I have an idea."

"What's that, Jay?"

"Perry and I are starting to talk about getting together for lunch someday. Would you be interested in meeting him?"

"Let me think about it. I'll keep it in mind."

"Okay. You will like this guy, trust me."

"I'm sure I can trust that."