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�Recently married?� Mr Oliver asked Pacey although it was more of a statement than a question. �Yes.� �Let me guess.� Mr Oliver stated. �You were childhood sweethearts.� �We knew each other since we were children.� Pacey corrected. �Ah, a subtle difference. Which means, if I�m guessing correctly, you were friends although you secretly pined away for your wife while she was busy dating every other man but you.� Pacey shifted about somewhat uncomfortably. �Uh. Mr Oliver, may I ask what all of this has to do with your case?� �Nothing. I just thought we�d make conversation. Get to know one another. Form a bond of trust since my life and my future is essentially in your hands.� �I can assure you that Holbrock and Simmons will do their best to have you acquitted. Frank Kubziki is one of our best defense lawyers.� �Oh I believe that you believe that, Mr Witter. You have a very scrupulous air about you. Somehow you�ve still retained that idealistic, boyish innocence. Your wife must find it endearing and I�m sure many others find it charming. There�s something so genuine about you, Pacey Witter.� �Um�thank you.� �And it�s very boring being stuck here in jail what with the judge refusing bail. I would have much preferred the comforts of my own home but instead I reside in my own little cell. And while I do have various things to keep me occupied, I find myself sorely missing intellectual conversation. I admit I have been somewhat of a snob and refused to socialize with my various inmates. And in my self-isolation I have inevitably deprived myself. So I thought to myself today that it might be nice to talk with you. After all Mr Witter, you did say I could talk to you about anything.� �That�s true.� Pacey conceded. �So shall you tell me more about your life or shall I tell you about mine?� Mr Oliver mused. �I think we shall continue discussing your life. After all we have already started so we might as well continue.� �What do you want to know?� �Tell me more about this wife of yours.� �Her name�s Joey. Well Josephine really but she hates being called that.� �And I can just imagine when the two of you were young that you used to call her Josephine just to annoy her.� �Among other things. We were mortal enemies.� �Hiding your love between false hatred.� �Well I think Joey genuinely disliked me.� �So what changed?� �Well around Junior year Joey and I became close friends. We helped each other. We survived Senior year and college together. We ended up getting an apartment together, purely as friends and roommates and somehow along the lines we fell in love. It took us a while to realize that we were in love with each other and a lot of help from our friends along the way to get us together.� �And now here you are happily married.� �And now here we are happily married.� Pacey agreed. �It sounds like a fairytale story.� Mr Oliver commented. �With one us those �and they lived happily ever after� captions attached to it.� �Well I certainly wouldn�t mind the �happily ever after� captions.� �No I suppose you wouldn�t. Of course �happily ever after� captions belong in fairytales and not reality.� �Oh I�m not supposing that everything will be wonderful. I fully expect Joey and I to have our ups and downs.� Mr Oliver chuckled. �You know who you sound like? You sound just like me after Martha and I got married. We knew each other from childhood. We were high school sweethearts although I had been in love with Martha since forever. For the longest time Martha just saw me as a friend. For the longest time I had to see her dating every other boy but me. It was only in the beginning of Senior year that Martha actually saw me as something other than a friend. During the summer she had broken up with her long-term boyfriend George. Everyone thought that George and Martha were destined to be together. Martha had been in love with George ever since we were twelve. When they broke up I finally got my chance. I thought we�d last forever.� �I�m sorry.� Pacey had no idea what else to say. �Sorry that Martha and my kids are dead? Sorry that I�m the one who is behind bars accused of murdering them? Do you know that it took forever for Martha to conceive? We had almost given up hope when she became pregnant at the late age of forty-one. It was a difficult birth given Martha�s age. Two years later Martha gave birth to our daughter, Stephanie. I�m fifty-one at the moment or so my profile says. My oldest kid Matthew never made it to his tenth birthday.� �Mr Oliver�� Pacey voice was filled with concern. �I�m fine.� Mr Oliver said as he wiped the tears away. �I loved those kids. I really did. They were my pride and my joy even though they weren�t mine.� �What do you mean?� Pacey asked confused. �I told you before that Martha and I had had problems conceiving. We went to the doctors, sought fertility treatment and assistance. I found out I was sterile. I never told Martha. She thought Matthew and Stephanie were mine. I let her believe it and I loved those kids like they were mine. I never told her that I knew Matthew and Stephanie were George�s. Never told Martha I knew she had been cheating on me with George for the past twelve years of our marriage. So much for �happily ever after�.� Pacey held his breath, stunned. �I hope for your sake Mr Witter that your Joey doesn�t have a �George� of her own. I�d hate to see what happened to me occur to you. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can�t fight destiny.�
�Okay.� Joey spoke with a suspicious look in her eyes. �What are you up to Ms Jennifer Lindley?� �Nothing.� Jen replied innocently. �You are most definitely not up to nothing.� Joey glared at her friend. �First you take me to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city for lunch and order all my favorite foods. Then we go window shopping and every single item I show the remotest interest in you offer to buy for me as a symbolic �gift of friendship�. Which all adds up to one thing, you�re up to something.� �No I�m not.� Jen denied attempting to look innocent before her fa�ade fell. �Okay, okay. You�ve got me Joey. I just need a little favor.� �Why do I cringe at the sound of those words?� �Honestly Joey it�s just a small favor. Nothing big.� Joey sighed. �Okay what is it Lindley?� �Well my apartment is getting fumigated over the weekend and with all those fumes it�s pretty unlivable. So Jack and Robert kindly offered to let me stay at their apartment. Which is really nice and generous of them, something a true friend would do.� Joey rolled her eyes. �Get on with it.� �Anyway everything was fine until I realized that one small little detail had slipped my mind.� �What is it?� �Dawson.� �Dawson?� �Dawson.� Jen confirmed. �What about Dawson?� �Well he�s coming over for the weekend and I kind of promised him that he could stay at my place instead of staying at a hotel. Now it�s Friday and it isn�t really fair for Dawson to find a hotel to stay in when he thought he was going to stay at my place. In fact his plane is meant to arrive soon, I�m meant to go pick him up at the airport soon. Anyway, I was kind of hoping that you and Pacey might let Dawson stay with you over the weekend. After all the three of you are childhood friends and you do have a spare room.� Joey sighed. �Let me ask Pacey.� �Great.� Jen beamed as she watched Joey dial Pacey on the mobile. After some conversation Joey nodded her consent to Jen. �Pacey says it�s fine.� �Good.� Jen smiled. �By the way Joey, I do have one more favor to ask.� Joey groaned. �What is it now Jen?� �Could you please, pretty please, go pick up Dawson at the airport?� �What are the flight details?� �You�re the best Joey.� Jen cried as she hugged her friend. �And don�t worry Dawson will only be staying over for the weekend. I�m sure you and Pacey can survive a weekend without your necessary nookie that or the two of you can sneak around. Think about how much fun the two of you will have.� Jen smiled mischievously while Joey began to hit her friend in outrage. |
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