Jaime walks into another office.  Unlike Bob’s office, this one is all business.  No paintings, and no comfortable wall colors.  There is a metal desk with a computer.  There are law books spread out on every flat space, including a small stack on the floor.

Image Credit: Joe Coyle

A dark-haired man stands from his black chair.  He’s wearing a long shirt and tie.  He shakes Jaime’s hand.

JAIME: How are you, Tim?

TIM: Good Jaime.  How’s the family?

JAIME: Good.

TIM: You wanted to review your will?

JAIME: Yes, I wanted to change just a small portion.

Tim opens a file folder and pulls a paper from it.  Jaime pulls a paper from a file folder that he carries.  He hands it to Tim.

TIM: Where’s the change.

JAIME: Second paragraph.  The bank accounts.  To Christina Hernandez.

TIM: Are you sure you want to do this?

JAIME: Yes.

TIM: You’re making this decision under your own free will?  No one is coercing you or threatening you to make this decision?

JAIME: It’s my decision.

TIM: Okay, let’s make the change and get it witnessed.

***

Jaime walks into his apartment with a stack of boxes.  He’s unable to shut the front door, so it remains open.  He walks into the kitchen where there are already a couple packaging boxes and drops those in his arms.

CRIS: Packing it in?

Cris stands in the doorway.  Jaime turns to see her.

JAIME: My lease is up soon.

CRIS: Need help?

JAIME: No.

She closes the door behind her.

JAIME: But I’d love the company.

***

The bedroom is dark.  They lie in bed  Partially covered by the sheet.

CRIS: Did you know that the ground-breaking for the Pentagon was on September 11th, 1941?

JAIME: Is that right?  What other coincidences did you find?

CRIS: Did you ever see “Braveheart”?

JAIME: Sacrilege not to.

CRIS: The Scottish won at Stirling on 9-11, 1297.

JAIME: Ahh, so English reprisal on Scottish-Americans?

CRIS: That’s it.

JAIME: I got a couple.  Ben Franklin’s satirical essay on how to reduce a big government into a small one was published on that day in 1773.

CRIS: What was the title?

JAIME: Can’t remember.  Ghandi also coined his philosophy of Satyagraha in 1906.

CRIS: What’s that?

JAIME: Policy of non-violence.  Turning the other cheek, while not backing down to oppression.

***

Later in the night, Jaime is asleep in the bed, his bare chest is exposed.  He breathes loudly, wheezing and struggling.  Cris lies beside him, up on one arm, just watching.  She wipes her eyes.

She slowly stands from the bed.  She puts on her bra and tee shirt.  She pulls on her jeans and buckles the belt.  Cris bends over Jaime and kisses his forehead.  She walks out of the room.