“Well, that’s okay, I haven’t had a choice. I needed to take care of myself.”
“Do you mind me asking what happened to your parents?”
Her face falls just a little bit. “They died in an accident when I was very young. A car accident.”
“Oh, that’s a real shame.” I barely know what to say here. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
She offers me a one-shouldered shrug. “It’s not the worst. Some people had much harder lives than me. At least I know that they cared about me before they died. It isn’t always the case, believe me.”
“I bet. It must have been hard to grow up in an orphanarium.”
“I guess, but I got some strength from it as well. It’s made me who I am. Not that I really am anyone at present… I don’t know if I’ve exactly made my parents proud at this moment.”
“Oh, I bet you have! Look at you, walking away from something that makes you unhappy.”
“I’m not out of the woods yet, I still have a long way to go. Lots of fight to suffer. He won’t make it easy.”
“But you’ll get there. You will. I know it might seem a long way right now, but you will.”
She smiles at me, soaking in the reassurance like a sponge. “Thank you so much. With your help, I will.”
“Yeah, you will.” I wonder if the time is right to show her the pictures I have of her husband kissing another woman, but I guess there isn’t any point. She knows what he’s like, I’ll go through it when I have some more to show her. “I do have the ball rolling on everything, I hope you know that.”
“Oh, I trust you. You don’t need to worry about that. You’re a great lawyer.”
I want to let her in just a little bit more, so she understands me and why I do what I do. I don’t usually make this public knowledge because I don’t need my clients to know, but with Nova, I want to be vulnerable.
“You know, my mom was in an abusive relationship… with my father.”
“She was?” Nova looks a little nervous as she asks this. “I didn’t realize that.”
“Yes, he was very violent to her, it was awful. But she got help. I presume from a charity, a bit like the one who referred you to me, and she managed to escape him.”
“Wow, that’s incredible, she must be a very brave woman. You must be really proud of her. And she must be proud of you too. All the hard work you do to help other people just like your mom.”
“I am. She is, and you are too. You’re breaking free from it.”
“I just hope I survive it alright. Where is your mom now? Is she much better these days?”
“She’s living in Paris with a man she loves very much, so she had a happy ever after in the end.”
Nova nods slowly. I wonder if she’s envisioning something similar for herself. I can’t stop myself from wondering if I’m in that image in her mind, even though I know I definitely shouldn’t think that way.
“So, where would you like to live or visit in the world? If you could go anywhere?”
“Ooh, I don’t know, that’s a good question.” She takes a big swig of her drink. “Maybe Japan. I’ve always wanted to go there. And Hawaii as well. That’s supposed to be very beautiful, isn’t it?”
“Hawaii is somewhere that I haven’t been either, but I’ve always wanted to. Those white beaches, the blue skies, the hot sun… it’s like a dream place, isn’t it? The ultimate fantasy vacation.”
“Ever since I watched Lilo and Stitch, that’s where I’ve wanted to go,” she laughs. “So, yeah, I know what you mean. It really is a dream come true… or it would be if I could ever get there.”
Again, I have to quash my natural instinct to offer to take her. I don’t want to push and freak her out. I have to force myself not to behave like I want to because it’s not what she needs.
“Ah, I see. I now know what caliber of movie you like! Animated aliens.”
“Oh, well what movies do you like, if you’re so cultured?”
This leads to an animated conversation about our favorite movies and books, and as it turns out we have a surprising amount in common. There are a lot of differences as well which make for some very amusing arguments, but the things we share are awesome. The more we chat and drink, the more we laugh and share things, the deeper I tumble, the more my head spins. She’s really doing something to me.