Chapter 16

Jen popped up from her seat. "Good morning. I'll get your coffee, Tim. And I have your closing argument. I'll bring them right in."

Jane sat there momentarily wondering when Jen had printed the document that she had completed Friday. And had she intentionally meant it to sound as if she had done the work on it? Maybe it didn't matter. After all, the important thing is that Tim got what he needed no matter who did the work. She sighed to herself and when Jen returned, the woman still didn't bother to look at her.

Tuesday was a repeat of the same thing except Jen had beaten her in to work. That was a big feat since Jane arrived half an hour early. As on the day before, Jen didn't say good morning or speak to her. And the coffee had already been brewed. Tim wouldn't be happy about that, but when she poured herself a cup, Jane saw that it was strong the way she and Tim took it.

Since Jen had taken the seat in front of the computer, Jane decided to scan in documents so that Tim could access them by computer when needed. Jane had decided that she would not allow Jen's unwillingness to be friends stop her from enjoying her new job. She had brought her Bible as well as the Maya Angelou book and intended to read out loud in the pavilion when she had a break. The two worked in silence, and when Tim arrived, Jen jumped up and broke her neck to get his cup of coffee even though Jane had no intentions of getting up.

"Jen, I need to use the computer," Jane said a bit later. "I need to make sure these were scanned in properly."

"Okay."

But an hour later Jen was still on the computer as if she hadn't heard Jane say she needed to check for the scanned items. Considering that Jane did the majority of the typing, she needed to work on it before they got behind. She also needed to check her passwords to make sure that she had access to the accounts she needed.

The phone rang, and it was Tim's line. Jen answered it. "Yes, Tim? Yes, it's all been scanned in. I'll email it to you."

When she hung up, Jane looked at her. "Were you just talking about the documents I scanned?"

Jen shrugged. "Yeah. Why? Oh, I'm sorry I checked already and they scanned in good."

Jane took a deep breath. "Jen, maybe we should talk about what happened last week."

Jen turned to her. "What happened last week?"

Jane knew then that they would never be friends. "We both overheard the woman say that you were training your replacement."

Jen smiled. "No lawyer needs two assistants, even if he is a partner. But that doesn't necessarily mean it's me that will be leaving."

So Jen was trying to take all the credit for the work. They were both competing for the same job, only Tim had already offered it to her and she had already accepted it. She didn't think Jen realized this and she didn't feel one bit bad that the other girl had had it first. All Jen ever did was complain, and Jane enjoyed what she was doing. She had no intentions of mentioning what she already knew. But she did intend to watch her back closely.

"I think I'll take a break." Jane stood and went to Tim's door, knocking lightly.

"Come in." He looked up. "Jane. Sorry I haven't had much time to check on you. How's everything going?"

"It's fine. Thank you." Jane's eyes swept over Tim's new shorter haircut, amazed that she hadn't realized how attractive he was before this. Now that he wasn't sheathed in shaggy white hair, she had to reconsider his age. Maybe he wasn't yet fifty. He was big and tall the way a man should be, and she could tell by the size of his arms that he was strong. It was obvious that he had the means to take care of himself as well as a family, and it was so sad that he had lost his pretty wife. She found herself wondering if he had children. She felt bad for him.

He cleared his throat, waiting for her to say what she wanted.

"Oh, I wanted to tell you that I'm going to take a short break," Jane said. "I wanted to know if you needed me for anything."

"No, Jane. I know we haven't talked about breaks and lunches. It's just been so busy this week, but tomorrow I won't have court and things will be a bit more normal. When things get busy like this I might ask you to bring me something back or order lunch, but if I do that I will treat you as well, okay?"

She nodded and smiled. "Yes. That's fine. Did you want me to bring you something back from the canteen?"

"No, but thanks for asking."

As she closed his door, Jen flashed Jane a disgusted look which Jane tried to ignore though it still made her stomach drop. She grabbed the book of poems and headed for the elevators. As she left the work area she felt slightly relieved. Jane hadn't even realized that the tension had started getting to her.

She pressed the down button on the elevator and heard someone's whispered comment.

"She dresses like that because she lives in a convent."

Someone snickered and Jane glanced behind her. Three women were glancing in her direction but straightened when they saw her look.

"Did she hear us?"

"I don't know …"

Jane got into the elevator and jammed the button for the lobby. Her ears were ringing and she felt sick to her stomach. She smoothed down her skirt and fought back stinging tears. They cared so much about how people looked here. But her clothes were clean even if they had come out of the donation bin at the school.

There was a pavilion that she'd seen while walking to and from the bus stop. There were stone benches that didn't look comfortable, but they were beneath pergolas draped in sculptured flowering vines. Jane headed in that direction, unsure if she would take a seat on the bench or continue walking until she got to her bus stop.

Her feet carried her to the bench and she sat. She took in a shaky breath and tried to smile to herself. The stinging in her eyes faded. She had a degree, a job in a prestigious law firm, she was the assistant to one of the partners who routinely treated her to lunch, she had a true friend in Dhakiya, and soon she would have her own apartment. She had plenty of blessings to count.

She opened the book of poetry by Maya Angelou and then searched for the poem that she wanted to read aloud. Softly she recited it, feeling her tongue roll over each word and enjoying the way they resonated back to her with meaning and strength.

With a slight smile she finished the poem and repeated the title.

Still I Rise