“Thank you.” Georges reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “You are too lovely a woman to be a lawyer.”
“That’s what I think,” Bennie said, and bade him a last good-bye. Julien led the way, escorting her down the hallway with the same gentlemanly manners Robert would have had, walking her past the crowd in the living room and out the entrance to the elevator, where he pushed the button. Bennie turned. “Shouldn’t I say good-bye to Micheline?”
“Oh, yes, good call.” Julien’s gaze found Micheline in the crowd, and Bennie caught her smile as Julien motioned to her. She excused herself from her guests and came over, wineglass in hand. Julien seemed to straighten as she approached and smiled at her. “Micheline, I was just walking Bennie out, and she wanted to say good-bye.”
“How thoughtful of you, Julien,” she said, almost purring, and went on tiptoe to give him a quick peck on the cheek. Bennie was struck by her attention to Julien, which was inappropriate for a family member, if not Jerry Springer material. She touched his cheek. “I’m glad to see you’re feeling better. I hated to see you looking so sad.”
“Thank you for having me,” Bennie interrupted, and Micheline turned.
“You’re very welcome.” Micheline stiffened and extended a manicured hand, shaking Bennie’s lightly.
“I’ll take Bennie down to the lobby,” Julien offered.
“Don’t be too long,” Micheline said, wagging a finger at him. “I have some people I’d like for you to meet.”
“Sure, Micheline.” The elevator came and they went inside, and as soon as the doors slid closed, Julien grew serious. “There is something I wanted you to know, privately.”
“Sure.” Bennie looked over. “What?”
“I meant what I said about your continuing our class action, and I will ensure that, even when I’m not CEO anymore.”
“Anymore?” Bennie didn’t get it. “You didn’t even start the job yet. The lawsuit won’t take that long.”
“Confidentially, I’ll only be running the business for more than a few weeks, just to smooth the transition.” The elevator jostled slightly as it arrived on the lobby floor, but Julien hit the black button to keep the doors closed. “I didn’t want you to think I’m going to be a CEO of a lens-manufacturing company for the rest of my life. I would never do that.”
“No?” Bennie was flabbergasted.
“It’s what my father wanted for me, but never what I wanted. I didn’t want to go to B school either, he made me. I want to do what you do, I always have. Start my own law firm, prosecute police and official misconduct. I want to fight the good fight, like you do.”
The child has no clue. “Julien, I’m flattered, but really, you have to think about this. I don’t even want to do what I do. Look, I’m a class-action lawyer. Don’t make any major decisions, especially now.”
“I’ve been thinking about this decision for a long time. I know what I’m doing.”
“Giving up a family business? It’s been in St. Amien hands since your great-great-grandfather, right?”
“Since Robert’s great-grandfather, not mine,” Julien corrected matter-of-factly. “St. Amien amp; Fils will survive just fine without me anyway. There are vice presidents at the plant, like you said. An operations VP, a financial VP. One of them can run it, with oversight from the headquarters in France.”
Bennie couldn’t help feeling disappointed for Robert. “Did you discuss this with your father?”
“More than once. He disagreed with me, of course. He had his plan. I have mine, and now, I choose,” he said defiantly, and Bennie could hear traces of resentment.
“You mean because he… died, you’re going to do what you want?”
“Exactly.” Julien looked at her, his eyes full of pain. “It does have to do with his death. Because I don’t know if I would have had the guts to do this, really do this, if he had died a normal death and stepped aside for me. But that he died now, the way he died, it taught me something. It taught me that your life can be taken from you, just like that.” Julien snapped his fingers, with a bitter smile. “So you’d better live life the way you want to. No matter what you’ve been taught to do, or whatever promises you made. No matter what you told your father. It’s your life.”
“Julien, listen, I have an idea.” The elevator began to beep, but they both ignored it. “Next week, come over to my office.” If I have an office. “I’ll show you what it’s like, what we really do.”
“I’d like that. I’d love that!”
“Have you ever worked in a down-and-dirty, thrilled-to-break-even law firm?”
Beep beep beep. “No.”
“Have you ever worked in a law firm at all?”
Beep. Beep. “I wanted to, but my father said I was needed at the company.”
“The defense rests.” Bennie took Julien’s hand off the button. The elevator finally stopped beeping and the doors slid open. “We’ll talk about this later, maybe next week. You’ll come to the office, you’ll see us in action. Maybe the week after that, and I’ll take you around to meet my cronies.” Bennie got out of the elevator cab, with Julien right behind her. “They’re true believers, who make very little money, do their own Xeroxing, and take themselves out to lunch in the park, with a veggie sandwich in a recyclable bag. It really isn’t glamorous. It’s hard, exhausting work, and long, long hours.”
“Like a joint-degree program? I know how to work hard.”
“Not like a joint-degree program, because that is school and this is real life. There’s very little reward in it, Julien. Not even the potential of a reward. Sometimes your firm even goes bust and you lose your house.” But Bennie didn’t want to go there. “Just do me one favor. Don’t send in your pink slip before you even get the dress, okay?”
“It won’t work, Bennie. I’m out of there as soon as I graduate. I want to make my own way in this world. Be free, and do what my heart says.”
Bennie wondered which Hallmark card that came from. They were in the lobby of the building, tricked out in a traditional Olde Philadelphia motif. A wafer-thin Kirman with a worn tasseled trim, a few dark wing chairs, and mahogany end tables bearing glowing lamps with oriental jelly jars. Well-dressed people were entering the lobby, and Bennie didn’t want them or guards at the security dais to hear this conversation. And Julien, in his youth and emotion, didn’t realize how loud his voice had gotten.
“Take a minute and come outside with me, okay?”
“Sure.” Julien shoved his hands in the pockets of his Abercrombie jeans, and he and Bennie walked past the people, the desk, and onto the sunny sidewalk, which faced Rittenhouse Square. Traffic around the square was increasing; it was just before five o’clock rush.
Bennie glanced into Rittenhouse Square, verdant and lovely, a working city park encircled by a slightly pebbled pavement and people walking city dogs. But she wasn’t sight-seeing today. Her gaze roamed the park until she found a very tall Sixers fan on one of the green benches to the left, his long legs crossed as he read a newspaper. Poor David. He’d have the sports page memorized by now. Bennie turned to Julien and tried to soften her tone. “Julien, let me ask you one question. Why did you tell me this, about your plans?”
“I didn’t want you to think I was some type of corporate shill. I respect you. What you do, who you are.”
“And I appreciate that.” Bennie had sensed as much. He wanted her approval. “And I respect you too. What you do, and who you are. So could you do me just this one favor, based on our mutual admiration society?”
“Yes.”
“Wait a year to make this decision. Accept my invitation about coming to the office and seeing my friends. If you still feel the same way in a year, and you decide to chuck it all and save the world, I’ll think it will be the smartest thing you ever did.”