“Good job, Karabo. I think your help in the meeting is going to make everything easier for the Millers. You know how much I hate divorce cases, with all of their drama, but you were so level-headed and practical no-one had a chance to get emotional. You’re going to be a fine attorney one day.”
Karabo was still smiling about Mr Kerbie’s compliment when the other partner, Mr Westin, walked toward her desk with a tall, handsome man.
“Well, you look pretty pleased with yourself today,” Mr Westin said jokingly.
“Yes, we had a good meeting. What can I do for you, Mr Westin?” Karabo asked.
“I wanted you to meet Mompati Rethabile. He’s our new attorney. He doesn’t have a secretary yet, and since you are so good at what you do, I thought you could help him out until he gets one, if that’s OK. Any overtime hours we’ll be happy to pay for.”
Karabo held out her hand to shake Mompati’s. “Let me know how I can help, Mr Rethabile,” she said.
“Thanks. Lovely to meet you,” Mompati said, in a private school accent and with a dimpled smile. “Call me Mompati though.”
Marea was right – he was handsome; almost the drop-dead sort of handsome.
They went back to their offices and Karabo started typing up the record of the Miller meeting. But her mind kept going back to DT. Had he really changed in prison? And if he had, if he really did get his life sorted, could she ever take him back? She’d loved him for so long, since they were kids. It seemed impossible not to love him. What if he hadn’t changed though? Being with him could destroy all that she worked so hard for. She wouldn’t allow that.
She dug the photograph from her handbag. She never analysed why she continued to keep it there in her wallet, the first thing she saw whenever she opened it. A photo of her and DT, at Poppy and Glen’s wedding. They were so happy, so in love then. It seemed like another existence.
She heard a noise and looked up. It was Mompati. “Sorry to disturb you. I wondered if you could help me with this.”
He handed her an affidavit. It was hand-written and needed to be made compliant. “Sure, no problem,” she said, putting the form on her desk. “Anything else?”
“I … no … you looked sort of sad just now when I came up. It upsets me to see such a beautiful woman sad. Who is that in the photo with you?”
Karabo looked down and saw she still held her wallet with the photo of her and DT on view. She pushed it into her handbag. “No-one … no-one really … someone I used to know.” She smiled up at him. “I’ll get on this right away.”
Mompati smiled, said no more, and walked back to his office.
***
Tell us: Would you risk getting back together with someone who served time in jail?