Talking Bird

XXXX

I stared at my new office and smiled. I had my own secretary and my own office, one of the many reasons why I moved to California. I didn't mind being away from home, my parents didn't really mind either. Since both of their retirements, they decided to travel the world. Continent to continent, country to country, city to city- they loved the idea of travelling to exotic new places they had never heard of before. I didn't really miss France anyway. Yes, it was a beautiful and romantic country, but I wanted a change of scenery, and this job offer was one that I could never bring myself to turn down. It had been my opportunity to get out of France and exoplore someplace new.

At the young age of twenty-four, I already had my career on the go and everything settled just the way I wanted. I was a divorce lawyer. Divorce lawyers like myself handle all issues arising from the dissolution of a marriage, such as asset distribution, spousal support, and child custody, visitation and support issues—often called Family Law. Being through a divorce myself, I knew what it was like, and helping people out with their divorce was what I wanted to do. I loved my job. The money was good, and some cases were more than interesting, so to say.

"Miss Tremblay," My secretary stood against the door frame, her arms crossed, "You have someone on line two." She said, walking out. I frowned and looked at the phone. I had yet to give out any of my numbers to my family or friends in France. I shrugged and hesitantly answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Jesus Christ Izabelle, do you know how hard it was to track you down?" My brother said over the other line. I should've known that Eric would've found out my number before anybody else one way or another.

"On se calme,"* I laughed, "I've been busy settling in Eric, I was going to call you tonight." I pointed out, sitting on my leather rolling chair.

"Whatever. How are you? Hows the new appartment? Made any friends yet?" He bombarded me with questions. I laughed at how excited he sounded.

"I'm good, the apartments good, and I don't have time for friends, Eric."

"Oh comon, sis. Go out this weekend. Meet people."

"I can't. I'm painting this weekend."

"So?"

"How are my godchildren doing?" I changed the subject. Eric had three children with his wife, Laura. Their names were Matthew, Joshua, and Audrey. They were the sweetest children, but they were quite the monsters when they wanted to be.

"They miss you. Audrey's always asking me when you're coming to visit."

"Why don't you come visit me for a week." I suggested.

"Laura's afraid of flights, and moneys tight right now. Three kids cost a lot, you know."

"I could only imagine. Anyways, I'll call you tonight, I have a meeting in ten minutes."

"Alright. Bye kid."

"You have to stop calling me that, bro," I rolled my eyes, "Bye Eric."

I grabbed my handbag and walked out of the office and towards the elevator. I waited for the elevator doors to slide open, and once they did I walked inside pressing '10' for the tenth floor. I looked beside me and almost jumped. The attractive unknown tattooed man that i had seen at the waterfountain two days ago was standing next to me, looking straight ahead. Why would he be in this building. Looking for a lawyer, perhaps? Was he a criminal? Did he kill someone? Was he having financial problems? Maybe his girlfriend worked here. Maybe he already had a lawyer. Hopefully, if he didn't have a lawyer, it wouldn't be me. Surely, it couldn't. I hadn't even had my first case yet.

"Divorce." His voice said snapping my thoughts away as if he was reading my mind. So tattooed man was married.

Either way, for the second time, we enjoyed eachothers silent company for the time we were in the elevator, alone.

Once I was at the tenth floor, I smiled at the man and walked away, heading towards the office.

I was looking forward to my next meeting with Tattooed man. Maybe this time it would be at the mall, or at the fountain again. Who knows?

I walked into the office where the conference meeting was being held and my boss, George looked at me with apologetic smile and motioned for me to walk in.

"Izabelle, I'm sorry to inform you on such a short notice," George said, but a smile creeped up on his face, making me nervous, "but you have your very first case here and they're waiting inside your office right now." First case? Already?

"Really? Already?" I smiled, excited. I had been here for week and I hadn't had a case yet.

"Yes, I'm sorry you're missing this meeting but this is big. So go up to your office and meet your client!" He smiled. I nodded and thanked him, walking out the office and back to my office. I wondered whose case I was going to take on. Hopefully something with a challenge, something.. interesting.

I got out of the elevator and smiled at my secretary.

"He's waiting in your office." She smiled handing me a cup of warm coffee. I thanked her and opened my office door revealing the one person who i had hoped wouldn't be on my case. Mysterious tattooed man. He looked equally shocked. I sighed and walked around the desk, sitting across him. I grabbed the folder that my secretary had put on my desk and opened it.

"Mr. Baker," I said, scanning through his infromation.

"Miss. Tremblay," he replied, "I believe these are the first words we speak since i've seen you at the fountain and in the elevator."

"No offence, but i have to be honest. I was hoping you wouldn't be my client. I enjoyed those silent moments."

"It's a shame." He shrugged.

I nodded my head and continued looking through his files not bothering to give a reply to his comment. I was quite upset that he was my client. This would mean we had to talk, and I had enjoyed not talking to him at the fountain and in the elevator. I found it exciting that I had seen him twice in two days without knowing who he was and not speaking a word to him. I was hoping that I would run into him a few more times in the future, but now, that was impossible. He was my client which meant I had no choice but to speak with him wether i liked it or not.

"How long have you been married?" I asked Mr.Baker.

"Five months." He replied. My jaw dropped, and it didn't bother him the least bit. Five months? What was the point in even getting married.

"Five months and you realize now that she's not the one?"

"I thought I was the father of her kid." Was all he said.

So, because he thought he was the father of this woman's child he decided to marry her? What was wrong with men these days. They found any excuse to marry a woman, not that this child was an excuse, but you might as well say that he had made it one.

"And that's an excuse to marry a woman you're not in love with?"

"When did I ever say I wasn't in love with her?" Mr.Baker quickly defended, his electric green eyes now displayed that he was upset with my coment.

"Well I thought-"

"You thought wrong." He snapped.

This was one of the reasons why I was afraid of having him as a client. The thing is, when we didn't speak, we didn't know anything about eachother. I didn't have to know he was married. I didn't have to know he was rude, and I didn't have to know that those beautiful electric green eyes could hold anger in them. He could've just been the attractive stranger with tattoos who didn't speak. But now, he's Mr.Baker. A married man who speaks with rudeness, and puts those beautiful green eyes to shame with anger.

I was perfectly fine not knowing what kind of man he was, because in my eyes, he was just that man from the fountain who liked to share a comfortable silence with me for a half hour near a waterfountain. Nonetheless, he wasn't that man anymore, and that upset me. All the excitement was gone now. I couldn't look forward to running into him anymore at the fountain without words being spoken. I actually had to speak with him, and once again, that was somewhat upsetting.