Butthead

On a day off from work...for the four of us...it very much seemed just as it was in law school... The four of us lived in the same apartment complex off campus...Just as we do now...

Sofia and Bee Bee were room-mates , just as they are now

Kahlil and I lived a floor up from them...Just as we do now...next door to each other...Now , he lives three doors away , down the hall...

 The difference between now and then of course is  now  we spend the night with Bee Bee and Sofia, either in their room or upstairs in our apartments... and regardless of who sleeps where..We wake up, kissing them near the bathroom door...

or kissing them in the living room....

after a night of lovemaking...sweet lovemaking...

Both girls say if we had said something...We both could have been doing this in law school... I often wonder...but I'm glad we are doing it now...

 The four of us spent our morning buying groceries for our apartments and additional stuff for their apartment ,so when we spent the night...Which was more and more..we'd have enough things to cook and eat and not eat up all of their stuff...

We spent the morning putting clothes in the dry cleaners and getting clothes out of the dry cleaners...

and then the rest of the morning...

at the laundromat....

washing drying and folding clothes..

Kahlil and I especially loved helping to fold the girl's laundry....

 "They really enjoy this part Sofia.."laughed Bee Bee..

''I knowwwwww, they always have..."laughed Sofia..

and finally in the afternoon we ran into Ms. Jade, who lives across the street from us and enjoyed
Banana Splits

at our favorite Malt Shop..

"You guys do anything fun today?  Me? I washed clothes..My building has a Laundromat in the basement." she said.

 "I wished ours did."said Bee Bee..

"Yeah, me too!"said Sofia..

"You're welcome to use it anytime you want."said Jade..."We have the same Landlord.." she reminded us..

 ''We went to the dry cleaners and did some grocery shopping too." said Kahlil..

"Yeah, all the stuff we should do on Saturdays, but don't."I said, laughing..

"Me too...I've got to pick my dry cleaning up tomorrow...I must have just missed you guys at the market."laughed Jade..

as we enjoyed our Banana splits...






II-

We didn't realize it...but our supervisor, Ms. Yvette was right next door ,having a meeting with opposing Counsel on this case.. Attorney Brenda Jordan.

 "I never pictured someone like you, hanging out in a place like this..." said Yvette..

"I'm a City Girl...Well I have been for a few years...I don't eat at fancy tony restaurants every day of my life....YOU DON'T EITHER, MS. IVY LEAGUE LAWYER.." laughed Brenda.

The Two were chowing down on sausage and peppers...

''So you wanted to meet me because of what?" asked Yvette.

"Look, you and I both know that that Clinic is faultless...I'm sure your investigator has told you as much....and I know you have the baby's DNA, Joan Cohen's DNA and a young Black man who she defended , who rumor has it....was more than grateful after his acquittal and is a spitting image of the baby...You're just waiting for confirmation..."said Brenda..

She was good...Yvette figured she knew.

"You seem to speculate a lot counselor."said Yvette, admitting to nothing..

"That's good...but I've got a proposition for you."said Brenda.

"I'm listening.."said Yvette..

"Take the 100K the clinic is offering...The clinic admits to no wrong doing and everybody goes home happy...No way you're going to get a million dollars..  It's a no brainer Yvette...You're a smart girl..Look, if you take this any further...It's going to come out that that baby is Mike Tristans...Joan knows it...You KNOW it and I know it...but I haven't said anything to Dr. Renier...That gets out...your clients will divorce and they still won't get a penny....My way...everybody wins and the ugly truth doesn't have to come out now...It's the only play you have Yvette...Everybody wins...Think about it."said Brenda Jordan..

Ms. Yvette knew in her heart that Brenda was right...and it was a good offer...The Cohens weren't strapped for cash....Hell, his Father was paying his legal fees...Justin Cohen was a partner in a very lucrative law firm in South Jersey, he made six figures easy...and Joan Cohen was no pauper herself..They lived very comfortably...100K sounded about right...

"You know what...I like your deal...Let me run it by my clients okay?" asked Yvette..

''Fair enough...let's all walk out away from this winners.."said Brenda... "Ummmmmm this is good."she said, chowing down on her sausage and peppers..

"I need a Coke...This is hot!" she said, laughing..

"Yess, it is.." laughed Yvette...She actually liked Brenda Jordan...Opposing counsel or not..She was a smart lawyer she mused and she made a sensible offer.

Gary walked in...He leaned over and kissed Yvette..

"Hey sweetness." he said..

"Ohhhhh so this is your fella huh? The Former Lieutenant Gary Lockwood , Robbery-Homicide, now an Investigator with the D.A.'s office.." she said,.

"You really did your research on me huh?" said Yvette..

"Nah, we know each other...from her days as an ADA and my days as a Detective at Robbery-Homicide..Hello Brenda."said Gary..

'Yeah...I remember when you were crushing over Detective Angela Belton..

.

She followed you to Internal Affairs didn't she?" asked Brena.

"I wouldn't say she followed me, but we both wound up there for a time and then she transferred to the Criminal Investigation Division with her old boss, Lt. Sissy Van Buren and I got this gig as an Investigator for the D.A.'s office...I support ADA Rockland Cambridge

 and ADA  Karen Page

 of the Wrongful Conviction Unit. now."said Gary..

''Well good for you...Ms. Yvette Jones is a keeper...You'd better make her an honest woman one day, you hear me?" said Brenda, laughing..

"Yes mam, I plan to.."said Gary laughing and hugging Yvette...

who blushed like a school girl..

III-

Yvette stood on the corner talking to Joan Cohen...

''Do you fully understand what's going on here?  An offer was put on the table where you and your husband can walk away clean with one hundred thousand dollars...maybe I can angle for a little more , but nowhere near one million...and you just have to deal with raising your bi-racial child..."said Ms. Yvette.

"I understand...and I'm good with it...It's not me...It's my husband...He's a butthead...His pride is hurt...He wants that clinic punished.. He's got  a head of steam about it and nothing can change his mind..."said Joan Cohen..

"Joan...Why don't you tell me the truth...before it comes out and your husband's pride is REALLY hurt...That's Mike Tristan's son isn't it? You were pregnant when you came here the last time and they didn't test you for that did they?   If they had of...they would have known you were already pregnant and not have inseminated you with anymore sperm...They should have told you, They should have tested you....That's the ONLY mistake the clinic made...The only mistake.."said Ms. Yvette..

"Ms. Yvette...It's complicated....It's complicated between Justin and me..." said Joan..

"Uncomplicate it for me...Make me understand.."said Yvette.

Upstairs in the conference room...The four of us sat with Mr.Cohen.. We had been made aware of the deal ,Attorney Brenda Jordan had made... He was having none of it..

 "Mr. Cohen , the offer is the only logical one we can think of for you..."I said.

 "Our Investigator is an ex-Homicide detective...She is very good at interrogations and she has investigated every single employee in depth and found nothing.."said Bee Bee..

 "Plus we have gone through thousands of case studies and the entire history of this clinic and found their record to be spotless."added Kahlil..

 "This may be the best offeryou and your wife can get."said Sofia.

"Or maybe we can get another more seasoned Attorney....You guys are young...This may be your first Rodeo...Perhaps a more seasoned Attorney will get the more than one million dollars we got coming to us.." Justin Cohen bellowed...

"Seasoned? Seasoned Attorney? I'm seasoned...As seasoned as you are...We came along about the same time....or maybe your father should handle this...Say the word and I'll call him, tell him this is over me and my colleagues heads and perhaps he should deal with this.."said a very angry Ms. Yvette, hearing him talk to us like this..

"Justin it's a good deal....We ought to take it.."said Joan...

"NOOOO, we ought not....because of their goof....I'm the laughing stock of the nation...Our Baby is Black...No Offense to any of you guys...but  if the shoe was on the other foot..What would you do if you had a white baby?  Noooo this clinic should be held accountable and they should pay." he said.

 ''Is it about the money?" asked Ms. Yvette.

 "Or the race of the baby?" I asked..

"Or Both, plus you being the laughing stock of the nation."asked Bee Bee.

''No, No, No, No, Nooooo, you've got it all wrong....Look what are we arguing for...we are all on the same team..You sound like you're giving up..." he said.

"Oh no...If you don't want to accept the deal....Then we fight on...The Clinic did make a mistake though...."said Ms. Yvette.

"Just not the one you think...."said Sofia.

''We are going to fight on that."said Kahlil..

"Well good, now we are back on the same page." he said.

"It's not going to be pretty...That's all I'm going to say..."said Ms. Yvette..

"Oh My God!" said Joan, who dashed out of the office in tears..

''What do you mean? What's going on?" asked Justin Cohen.

"Then talk to me in the morning and be ready for the hearing."said Ms. Yvette...

"There's nothing to talk about...Let's go on with the deal..."said Justin Cohen as he got up and walked out...

 "Ohhhh  Boy...give me a good murder case in which nobody is related to anybody I know.."sighed Ms. Yvette.

 "It's not on you Ms. Yvette..That's a conversation they are going to have to have eventually anyway.

 "Yes.."said Sofia.

 "I'd love to be a fly on the wall in their bedroom or wherever they have that conversation." I said.

"Me too!" said Kahlil..

Jade and Dr. Goggins walked in just then...

 "I saw the happy couple just now....I take it he didn't take the deal.."said Ms. Jade..

''Well he should have...The Paternity test is back and it's conclusive...99.9 percent match...The father of that baby is Micheal John Tristan....and she was two weeks pregnant at the time she came here to be inseminated...The clinic should have checked her."said Dr. Goggins.

''So we really don't have a case...The Fertility Clinic did not inseminate her with the wrong sperm."said Kahlil.

 "No but if she was pregnant, they should have checked  for that before she was inseminated with anybody's sperm...That's the mistake they made.."said Sofia..

''And that's what we fight on.."said Bee Bee.

"Justin Cohen is going to find out beyond a shadow of a doubt essentially that his wife cheated on him.." I said.

"Well that was a conversation they were going to have to have eventually anyway..."said Ms. Yvette.

IV-

That Night at CURLEY's BAR-

 "Ouu, I'd hate to be in your situation...What are you going to do?" asked ADA Karen Page.

 "Yeah, you're in a real squeeze play here.."said Attorney Jasmine Coley...

"The husband won't take the deal...and the wife is too afraid to fess up that she had a baby outside of their marriage...If they continue this little game then I'll fight on the one mistake the clinic did make and ask for 500K and that will be it.."said Yvette....

Their drinks arrived...

 Two Mango Martinis..

and one Citris Martini...

"Either way..it's going to come out that her former client ,Mike Tristan is the father of this baby.."said Yvette as she sipped her drink..

"Is he cute?" asked Jasmine...

It was met with howling laughter..

 "Ms. Married woman here..."laughed Karen PAge, "But for real Yvette is he?" asked Karen, laughing..

"Yesssss...and he's got the prettiest Hazel eyes...just like the baby....She defended him...helped him beat a murder rap..He was very grateful afterwards..."laughed Yvette..

 "Obviously, Verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry grateful..."laughed Jasmine..

"I love her....She keeps me laughing."said Karen...

"Yeah well this isn't going to be a laughing matter when he finds out his wife has a baby by one of her former clients.."said Yvette..

"Are they still seeing each other?" asked Jasmine..

"No according to her , this was just a one off."said Yvette..

Karen and Jasmine looked at her..

"Guess I could have used a better choice of words huh?" said Yvette, smiling sheepishly..

(CONCLUSION NEXT)