A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far. Megan, the details will become
clearer in a few chapters. As you may have noticed, I tend to update
daily. Enjoy!
Ch. 3
The next week, Beth Olson didn't come to the reading group's Friday meeting. The rest of them were surprised, but not too concerned. Beth was a performer, and she often had appointments or lessons on short notice. Dr. Carmichael called her home Saturday afternoon, but a man answered and told her Beth wasn't available. On Monday, Dr. Carmichael dropped by Beth's office. The door was closed, but there was a light coming under the door. She knocked, but there was no answer. There was little sound coming from the office, something that might have been soft crying. Amy waited a moment, then knocked again. Getting no answer, Amy pushed the door open gently.
Beth was sitting at her desk, head down on her arms. "Beth, can I come in?" The other woman jumped. "It's just me—Amy. Are you OK?"
Elizabeth looked up and smiled weakly. "Not really."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Amy closed the door, then sat down next to her.
"Not really, but I think I'd better." Beth's eyes had dark circles under them. Through many tears, the story came out. Beth had returned early from a performance Thursday night to find her husband in their bed with his secretary. They had fought, and he'd hit her. She was staying in a hotel and filing for divorce. Amy sat with her and held her until she had to leave for class, but before she did, she offered to let the other woman stay with her.
Beth moved in with Amy, and life settled into a routine once again. Amy called a few friends on the law faculty. Most of them knew who Beth was, and they were outraged to hear about the situation. With help from most the law faculty, Beth's divorce went through within weeks. Her ex-husband had counted on getting most of their combined assets with the help of his cousin, a well-off lawyer who lived a few hours away. He hadn't counted on going up against half the law faculty of one of the best law schools in the region. After a couple weeks, Beth started talking about finding her own place again, but Amy discouraged her. She was enjoying the company, as well as the music, and the two remained roommates as the semester continued. Beth's car wasn't terribly reliable, and the extra help was a godsend.
Beth eventually told the reading group, which was quickly become a close-knit group of friends, and Amy Carmichael watched, hiding a knowing smile, as Pete Janson offered to deal with her ex-husband if he should ever trouble her again. Pete was outraged at what had happened, but they managed to calm him down. He had a deeply ingrained sense of chivalry, but the tale came after the fact, and while Beth's ex had kept the house and a few other things, she had come out of the divorce very well-off. She'd declined to file assault charges, but she had filed a restraint order against her ex, and he knew better than to even try to approach her again. His cousin may have been a moderately good lawyer, but the man was also hung over more often than not and often unprepared, and the divorce proceedings hadn't gone well for them. He ex-husband's lawyer had come to the first hearing cocky and rude, but seeing several of his former professors had brought him down to earth pretty quickly, and after a while, he quit even trying.
A few weeks later, the reading group was tackling Goëthe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, but when they met to discuss it, Randy looked a little uncomfortable. When the discussion turned to Werther's suicide, Randy got up and walked a ways away. Kim followed him. The discussion fell flat after that. Eventually the two of them returned, and Randy told of his mother's suicide. She'd overdosed on drugs, just down the hall from ten-year old Randy. His father blamed him for allowing it to happen, even though Randy had been too young to understand what was happening. Kim's family had never approved of Randy, and when she stood by him through difficult teen years, her family had turned her out. The two of them had been living on their own since they were sixteen. They'd shared an apartment until they graduated high school, and now they were relying on college housing, even during the summers. Part of Kim's difficulties with her family had come about because they assumed she was sleeping with Randy, but the friends' relationship never been anything except platonic.
Randy had never been close to the rest of his family. His relationship with his father had never recovered from the wedge his mother's suicide had driven between them. Randy had tried to make peace several times, but his father would have none of it. Eventually, the older man had developed lung cancer from years of smoking, which had killed him just a few months ago. The rest of Randy's family avoided him as well as they could, which suited him. His father's family looked down on him for living with Kim, and his mother's family blamed Randy, his father, and the rest of society for keeping his mother from getting an abortion. They had convinced themselves she had never wanted a child and Randy's father had forced her to have Randy. Further, they thought the emotional strain was what had forced her to commit suicide.
Randy and Kim had also had a hard time from insurance companies, teachers, and friends for living together. No one seemed to look deep enough to realize the two were alone and simply supporting each other. There was nothing romantic about their relationship, like most people assumed, and without parental support, they had had a very difficult time with car and health insurance, as well as getting into college and getting loans to pay for tuition. Fortunately, an anonymous donor had heard about their situation and was paying part of their tuition, but both of them worked a lot to make ends meet. Randy usually ended doing construction in the summers, and Kim usually worked twelve hours a day in summer, and at least four during the school year.
Ch. 3
The next week, Beth Olson didn't come to the reading group's Friday meeting. The rest of them were surprised, but not too concerned. Beth was a performer, and she often had appointments or lessons on short notice. Dr. Carmichael called her home Saturday afternoon, but a man answered and told her Beth wasn't available. On Monday, Dr. Carmichael dropped by Beth's office. The door was closed, but there was a light coming under the door. She knocked, but there was no answer. There was little sound coming from the office, something that might have been soft crying. Amy waited a moment, then knocked again. Getting no answer, Amy pushed the door open gently.
Beth was sitting at her desk, head down on her arms. "Beth, can I come in?" The other woman jumped. "It's just me—Amy. Are you OK?"
Elizabeth looked up and smiled weakly. "Not really."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Amy closed the door, then sat down next to her.
"Not really, but I think I'd better." Beth's eyes had dark circles under them. Through many tears, the story came out. Beth had returned early from a performance Thursday night to find her husband in their bed with his secretary. They had fought, and he'd hit her. She was staying in a hotel and filing for divorce. Amy sat with her and held her until she had to leave for class, but before she did, she offered to let the other woman stay with her.
Beth moved in with Amy, and life settled into a routine once again. Amy called a few friends on the law faculty. Most of them knew who Beth was, and they were outraged to hear about the situation. With help from most the law faculty, Beth's divorce went through within weeks. Her ex-husband had counted on getting most of their combined assets with the help of his cousin, a well-off lawyer who lived a few hours away. He hadn't counted on going up against half the law faculty of one of the best law schools in the region. After a couple weeks, Beth started talking about finding her own place again, but Amy discouraged her. She was enjoying the company, as well as the music, and the two remained roommates as the semester continued. Beth's car wasn't terribly reliable, and the extra help was a godsend.
Beth eventually told the reading group, which was quickly become a close-knit group of friends, and Amy Carmichael watched, hiding a knowing smile, as Pete Janson offered to deal with her ex-husband if he should ever trouble her again. Pete was outraged at what had happened, but they managed to calm him down. He had a deeply ingrained sense of chivalry, but the tale came after the fact, and while Beth's ex had kept the house and a few other things, she had come out of the divorce very well-off. She'd declined to file assault charges, but she had filed a restraint order against her ex, and he knew better than to even try to approach her again. His cousin may have been a moderately good lawyer, but the man was also hung over more often than not and often unprepared, and the divorce proceedings hadn't gone well for them. He ex-husband's lawyer had come to the first hearing cocky and rude, but seeing several of his former professors had brought him down to earth pretty quickly, and after a while, he quit even trying.
A few weeks later, the reading group was tackling Goëthe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, but when they met to discuss it, Randy looked a little uncomfortable. When the discussion turned to Werther's suicide, Randy got up and walked a ways away. Kim followed him. The discussion fell flat after that. Eventually the two of them returned, and Randy told of his mother's suicide. She'd overdosed on drugs, just down the hall from ten-year old Randy. His father blamed him for allowing it to happen, even though Randy had been too young to understand what was happening. Kim's family had never approved of Randy, and when she stood by him through difficult teen years, her family had turned her out. The two of them had been living on their own since they were sixteen. They'd shared an apartment until they graduated high school, and now they were relying on college housing, even during the summers. Part of Kim's difficulties with her family had come about because they assumed she was sleeping with Randy, but the friends' relationship never been anything except platonic.
Randy had never been close to the rest of his family. His relationship with his father had never recovered from the wedge his mother's suicide had driven between them. Randy had tried to make peace several times, but his father would have none of it. Eventually, the older man had developed lung cancer from years of smoking, which had killed him just a few months ago. The rest of Randy's family avoided him as well as they could, which suited him. His father's family looked down on him for living with Kim, and his mother's family blamed Randy, his father, and the rest of society for keeping his mother from getting an abortion. They had convinced themselves she had never wanted a child and Randy's father had forced her to have Randy. Further, they thought the emotional strain was what had forced her to commit suicide.
Randy and Kim had also had a hard time from insurance companies, teachers, and friends for living together. No one seemed to look deep enough to realize the two were alone and simply supporting each other. There was nothing romantic about their relationship, like most people assumed, and without parental support, they had had a very difficult time with car and health insurance, as well as getting into college and getting loans to pay for tuition. Fortunately, an anonymous donor had heard about their situation and was paying part of their tuition, but both of them worked a lot to make ends meet. Randy usually ended doing construction in the summers, and Kim usually worked twelve hours a day in summer, and at least four during the school year.