Page 31 of Precise Justice

Dear Diary:November 5th

Marc Kadella’s a great lawyer! He got my case dismissed! I am so relieved. If that is true, and it is, I am relieved I’m not going to jail. Why am I still so scared?

I met with the trans girl mentor Dr. Friedman introduced me to. She’s nice and supportive. I thought she would be more understanding. She talks to me like my mother and barely listens to my concerns.

At different times, I feel like one of three things. I am either falling without a parachute; drowning without a life jacket or stuck on a runaway train. I even have dreams of these. I wake up and bury my face in my pillow weeping. When will this stop? I have told Dr. Friedman. He just brushes them aside as ‘normal.’

Priscilla heard her name being called when she reached the door of the restaurant. There was a mild, but steady rain coming down. Priscilla always carried an umbrella in the car for these times. She turned and saw two members of her little group hurrying toward her. Barbara Bivens and Ella Gibson, neither of whom had an umbrella.

The rainy day had left puddles in the parking lot. Ella, the smartass of the group, jumped one foot into a puddle and splashed water on Barbara’s raincoat and legs. While laughing at the schoolgirl prank, Barbara called Ella a bitch and picked up her pace.

When they reached Priscilla, Ella, at forty, with the same adorable blonde high school cheerleader looks, gave Priscilla a hug.

“Don’t grow up,” Priscilla said with a big smile.

“Never. Let’s go in.”

“Here they are,” Sophia Doyle said when she saw the three women walking toward them,

“Hello everyone,” Priscilla said. After hanging up their coats and Priscilla’s umbrella, they found chairs waiting for them. Priscilla took the one next to her best buddy, Rebecca Forrest.

“What’s this?” Priscilla asked of a cloudy drink in a martini glass in front of her.

“Try it,” Sophia said.

The three women who arrived earlier and were waiting had one in front of them. None had tasted the contents.

Priscilla picked up the glass, looked it over, sniffed it and again asked about it.

“It’s a pistachio martini,” Rebecca said. “Try it!”

Priscilla took a tiny sip then a much larger one. “That’s amazing,” she said.

The waiter arrived and Sophia ordered six more. Priscilla handed the drink to Ella who tasted it and passed it on to Barbara.

“Okay,” Rebecca said. “Who has some juicy gossip?”

In less than a minute there were at least three, maybe four, different conversations at the table. Eventually their second round of martinis arrived. While they were being served, Barbara asked Priscilla about Robbie.

“She’s calmed down now that the dreadful business is over,” Priscilla answered.

“What dreadful business? Not about his transference, I hope,” Mia Pinter, the sixth member of their little once-a-week girl’s time group asked.

“No, no, that’s fine. That’s right you don’t know,” Priscilla said. “Well, I’m certainly not very proud of Robbie…”

“Why?” Barbara asked. “From what you told me, the little bitch had it coming.”

“Robbie punched a girl who is transitioning to a boy. It happened at school.”

“Robbie?” Sophia said holding in a laugh.

“He broke the girl’s nose and gave her two black eyes. She/he looked awful. There were witnesses that saw it and gave statements to the lawyer Barbara recommended,” Priscilla said.

“This Kadella person convinced the judge it was self-defense,” Priscilla said.

“Kadella did a good job for Robbie,” Barbara said.

“Actually, it was his investigator who got the witness statements. I think I hate her more than him. My God, you should see her,” Priscilla said. “I mean, well, gorgeous. Anyway, she did the work.