August

Issue 35

    Jake closed his eyes in the back of the car.  It was a bright morning, the sun all awkward angles through his eye lids.  A late night drinking session the night before had him feeling slow, with a hangover struggling hard to be felt through a buffer of painkillers.  He forced himself to take another bite of the dry roll he had seized for breakfast.  His stomach slowly settled, as the bread absorbed some of the bile and alcohol left over in his stomach.
    He switched on his cell phone, pressed quick dial without opening his eyes.  “Morning, Clarice,” he said before his secretary could say a word.
    “Good morning, Jake.  You should give Mr. Thomas a call right away.  He’s already stopped by your office twice.”  
    Jake squinted at his watch.  It was only nine-thirty.  “Just tell Marty I was out drinking last night.”
    Clarice paused.  “You want me to tell the firm’s senior partner that you’re late because you were out drinking?”  
    “Drinking with a certain person.  He’ll understand.”  He flipped the phone disconnected, closed his eyes once more and allowed himself a small smile.  He had spent the night bar hopping with Ben Calhoun, the undersecretary of Urban Affairs for the new president.  And a friend of Jake’s from law school.  Jake had never really liked Ben in law school, always trying to suck up to the professors and almost anyone else.  But Ben had finally sucked up to the right person before the last election, and with his help, Jake was going to make partner by next year.