Mr Garcia

I have the best friends in the world, and that’s all that matters

April

“Hi mom.” I answer my phone.

“I’m sorry to call you at work darling, I know you’re busy but I couldn’t wait until tonight, have you heard anything about your new position yet?”

I smile, my mom is so excited about my new job, maybe even more than I am. “Not yet, I should find out something this week, I guess.”

“Oh, this is so exciting, are you getting a big pay rise? What about a company car?”

I giggle, “I don’t know, probably not.”

“Eliza thinks you will,” she replies.

“Hi chick.” I hear Eliza call in the background.

I smile broadly, “Tell Lize I’ll call her tonight.” I say, Eliza my sister is my best friend, I speak to her daily, sometimes twice.

“She said that she’s calling you tonight.” My mother tells her.

“April, your next appointment is here. Helena Matheson.” Sounds through the intercom.

“Thanks, Melissa. I’ll be right out.”

“I’ve got to go mom.” I say, “I’ll call you later.”

“Bye darling, love you.”

“Love you too.”

I click out of the file I’m working on and I make my way out into the waiting room in the foyer.

“Helena?” I ask when I see a beautiful woman with long dark hair.

She stands, her smile warm, and we shake hands. “Hi. Yes.”

“I’m April.” I smile. “This way, please.” I lead her to my office and gesture to the chair at my desk. “Take a seat.”

She’s breathtakingly beautiful and kitted out in designer clothing from head to toe. I glance quickly at her Prada handbag. Damn, I love that bag. I bet it cost ten thousand pounds, or something as equally ridiculous as that.

“How can I help you today?” I ask.

“I would like to go over the terms of my divorce.”

“Okay.” I try to understand her better. “So, you’re looking for someone to represent you in your divorce?”

“No, I’ve been divorced for seven years.”

I frown. “You’ve already been through the settlement?”

“Yes.” She clutches her handbag on her lap. “But I feel that I was wrongly represented.”

“I see.” I get out my paper and pen to take notes. “Tell me a little about what you would like to achieve.”

She straightens her back as if steeling herself. “I want the dog.”

My eyes hold hers as I get an off feeling. “Okay...” I say wearily, writing my first note. “Are there any children involved?”

“No.”

“And did you ask for the dog in the first settlement? What’s the dog’s name?”

“I didn’t at the time, although I have mentioned it over the years. His name is Bentley.”

“And what kind of dog is it?”

She shrugs as if uninterested. “A Labrador.”

“And how old is Bentley?”

“No idea but fucking old.”

I’m really trying to understand what I’m dealing with here. “And what were the terms of the initial agreement?”

“Well, my ex-husband completely ripped me off. He paid for the best lawyer’s money could buy so I had no chance. He has money.” She dusts something invisible off her shirt.

“What did you receive?”

“I got the house.”

I make more notes. “And how much was that worth?”

“Six million at the time. I got two of the cars, including a Porsche and a Maserati.”

I try to keep a straight face as I take the notes.

“I got the holiday house in Italy, too,” she says.

I scribble some more. This guy must be loaded.

“What did he request in the settlement?” I ask.

“The dog.”

My eyes rise to meet hers. “Bentley,” I correct her.

“Yes.” She crosses her legs with attitude. “He got nasty.”

“How many other…” I pause, trying to get my wording right. “I mean, what else did he own at the time?”

“Nothing.”

“You got everything?”

“Yes, but he got nasty.”

“How so?”

“I had an affair.”

My eyes rise to meet hers. I hate this bitch. “And was it a one-time thing?”

“No, it went on for a few months. It was with our gardener, and it was my ex-husband’s fault, anyway. He was always away working, and I had needs.”

My stomach twists as my own history rears its ugly head.

I scribble down my thoughts. “And you said he got nasty. Can you tell me how so?”

“In order for me to get any assets, he demanded that I change my surname.”

I frown. That’s a weird request.

“I wasn’t legally allowed to have his surname. Like, who the hell does he think he is?”

I bite my lip to hide my smirk. “I see. So, his only requests were that he wanted the removal of his surname and the custody of Bentley.”

“Yes.”

My eyes rise to meet hers. “What’s changed, Helena? Why do you want to rehash this when you clearly did so well from the first settlement?”

“He’s doing very well now, and I feel…”—she hunches her shoulders —“I deserve more.”

“You want the dog?’

“God, no, I don’t want the stupid dog. The dog is my only bargaining tool.”

Spiteful bitch.

“I see.” I want to tell her to get the hell out of my office. “Has your ex-husband remarried?”