Chapter V, Scene 1.

I rest my mind from worry and thoughts, and find peace in the stopping.

     “Kelly, would you step into my office?”  John Byrnum sounded stern as he spoke, but when Kelly looked up at him from her desk, he was smiling.  Hoping the trembling of her hands wasn’t showing, she got up and joined him.

     “Yes, Mr. Byrnum?  Is something wrong?”

     Byrnum went to his desk and sat down, indicating the chairs in front of him.  Nervously, Kelly sat.

     “Kelly, you’ve worked for us for what – three years now?”

     “About that, yes, Sir.”  Kelly shifted.  Byrnum was the senior partner at the firm, an older man fast closing on elderly but with a determination that belied his true age.  Kelly had always been a little afraid of him, as his interaction with the clerical staff was usually limited to occasions where problems arose.

     “You have a daughter that’s just gone off to college also, is that correct?”  Byrnum templed his fingers and looked over them at her.

     “Yes.”

     “Do you enjoy your work here?”  He gave her an appraising look.

     “Very much so.”  Oh God, please don’t let him fire me ….  She had been late that morning, but surely one absence and one day late couldn’t be enough to let her go.

     “Your work is always impeccable.  The other partners and paralegals all speak very highly of you.”  Byrnum coughed.  “I suppose I should come to the point.  We would like to offer you a chance for advancement.  It would require that you return to school, but we would be willing to pay for that.”

     Kelly blinked twice, her mind refusing to function momentarily.  Finally, she managed to stammer, “A promotion?  To what?”

     “Ellen has informed us that she will be retiring next year and we would like you to replace her.”  Ellen was one of the paralegals.  “If you accept, she would begin training you in January, and you would also be starting coursework at UNC-G.  It would mean some longer hours than you have been working, but it was my understanding you wanted part time to be home for your daughter, and now that she is at college I hope you will consider expanding your role here.”

     “I … that is … How long do I have to decide?”  Kelly’s brain clicked into gear, whirring faster than she could comprehend.  A promotion.  Full time.  College.  She wondered what Michelle would think of the idea.  She would probably hate it.

     Byrnum’s smile was gentle, almost grandfatherly.  “By the first of December, if you can.  I know this will be a big change for you, but I think you would be an excellent paralegal.”

     “Thank you, Sir.  I’ll … I’ll definitely give it serious consideration.”  Kelly stood and shook his hand before making a hasty escape back to her own desk, where she stared at her computer screen and tried to sort through everything rushing around her head.

     She did love working in the legal field, that much was sure.  But a paralegal was far different from a mere legal secretary, at least at Byrnum and Touche.  As a paralegal, she would be working with clients, doing far more research, actually delving into the law instead of proof-reading what others had done.  But, college?  She had been a mediocre student at best when she attended out of high school.  True, she had earned an honors certificate in her legal secretary course, but full college coursework was much different.

     Still … a paralegal made twice what a secretary did, at least.  And the firm was offering to pay for her schooling.  A sense of independence that she hadn’t realized was missing suddenly bloomed; she could actually contribute more than a pittance to the household if she took the promotion.  She might even have money of her own to spend, instead of asking Michelle if she could hold back a little of her relatively meager check when she wanted to buy new clothes.

     Confusion swirled within her.  She had a month to make a decision, but she knew that it would take that long to convince Michelle that it was a good idea, even if she made up her mind right away to accept.  And what if she failed her courses?  Would they fire her then, leaving her with no work at all?

     Quitting time came thankfully quickly, and Kelly walked to her car lost in thought.  She would have to talk to Michelle about it.  She was afraid to talk to Michelle about it.  She was afraid of failing.  She was afraid of succeeding.  As she turned the key in the ignition, the thought struck her that she was just afraid, period.  She needed a couple of glasses of wine to clear her head.  With a sigh, she backed out and headed for the wine shop.