Stormy Weather

[LightingStrikes]

An older man in his thirties was walking up on the roads of his child hood friends home, he had not seen her since their natal days. He had become a successful lawyer owning his own firm and all. He took a look around then neighborhood she lived in, ran down, he noted a child's bicycle early placed on the porch next to the door bell. Then he heard yelling with in, male and female voice. From the looks of things and sound of things she was not happy with her life. When he had seen her last she was very angry he didn't know about what, but he assumed by the tone of her voice it had to be family and looking at her left hand he noted that she was married as there was a ring on the left hand. It had surprised him when she threw her arms around him and balled her eyes out. She didn't say what happened but something big may have happened.

Andrew looked around to see not a lot, he took in a deep breath and knocked on the door and heard.

"Who the hell is it now Marie?! Who are you bring into this mess?!" David yelled in her face, Andrew could hear a child crying, she was not a baby child but sounded like a pre-teen, David went to the door, and snarled at Andrew "What do you want?" Andrew blinked and decided the best course of action looking at Marie and seeing the child on the couch he decided on one.

"Hiya David! Oh gosh! I heard so much about you on Facebook!" Andrew hugged David tightly "Your such a wonderful guy... Marie talks about you all the time and all the wonderful things you do for her!" David blinked and looked over at Marie for confirmation, Marie nods. "My name is Andrew, I'm an old high school friend, and a Lawyer.... oooh don't worry not a bad Lawyer. I couldn't help over hearing the argument."

"Come in." David said he still didnt look happy but he wasn't about to turn a friend of Marie away

[Wynter]

"Come in." was what her husband, David, had spoken to Andrew, quite an old friend of Marie's.
Right, the only reason for the invite was because the male was in fact of the law profession, and being closer to herself then David, would kick his ass in court if she were to divorce him.
Not that she would; she still loved him, in some way, that kept pulling away the thought of the or rid separation which would result in her leaving them, and herself causing it.
No, and she'd never do that to Nevaeh.

Marie was beautiful, though the tired and stressed expression current on her features could have stated something short of the latter. Nevaeh, both her and David's 11 year-old daughter, was lovely; in Marie's eyes, at least.
The girl had long dark-brown hair that swirled down in balanced, natural, ringlets; unlike Marie's hair, which was black, also in ringlets, but their daughter had inherited the color from her fathers side. Genetics bolstered evenly through the adolescent; she looked both like her mother and father.

Marie herself was crying; not at all dressed ready for company, let alone barely suitable to be the stereotypical housewife and mother every girl had wanted to grow up and be like; or at least she had. She wore no makeup at the given time; her eyes were red from crying, face alike from stress, and she wore a t-shirt with sweat-pants to complete the not-so-fancy attire.

Moving closer to her child, whom of which was staring awed, possibly shocked, to her dad when he let a stranger come into their house, their home, she put an arm around Nevaeh, saying softly and calmly in the child's ear, "Go up and change into day clothes, alright love? Then when you come down after I'll check your homework."

With that, the only spark of happiness she'd been able to muster up later to give herself true happiness, from anyone, ran up the stairs, out of sight.

Tired jade-green eyes moving toasted Andrew, she spoke, her voice slightly hoarse at first, but she cleared her throughout, speaking softly, "Andrew; it's good to see you. I... we," she corrected herself, eyeing her husband, "hadn't been expecting anyone."

[LightingStrikes]

Andrew nodded "I know, and that is how I work." Andrew smiled softly as the child went upstairs to her bedroom, he nodded softly. Andrew looked around the house and sighed He took out a pad of paper and began to write several notes on just what he saw out side alone. He looked up at Marie and wrote a few more notes "I have learned much just by coming."

David watched Andrew and rolled his eyes he then looked at Marie,God she's beautiful. he thought to himself. He hated people over, he wasn't abusive towards Marie, he didnt hit her. He sure did yell alot to her. He sighed when was the last time he had said I love you to her? he wondered. David realized how brave Marie was for putting up with him all these years. "Would you like something to drink Andrew is it?" David asked.

Andrew pushed his glasses up and looked at David and smiled then nodded "Ice Water if you please." David saw Marie going to get the drink. He gently placed his hands on her shoulder and directed her back to the living room where Andrew was

"You stay here and Keep Andrew company dear." David walked out of the room and Andrew smiled at Marie.

"I'm sorry, I came... but when you told me about the accident through email and with your daughter being involved, I was worried." Andrew looked at Marie "Perhaps I made a mistake? Made things worse by coming?" Andrew asked.

[Wynter]

"No, you didn't make a mistake," Marie whispered, curling up on one side of the sofa with her knees pulled to her chest. She was tired, so very tired, but lately neither her nor David got any rest. "You actually might have calmed things down for a bit."
She smiled pathetically, looking away from Andrew. Sure, her actions weren't exactly of the hightest formallity, but she's known him since childhood.
If anything, it was because they knew each other so well that she was ashamed he could see her in such a state.

"It was a car accident; no need for you to come all the way down here, though."
Andrew was a lawyer, and a successful one too, which meant he must have his schedule packed 24/7. She wasn't looking out to mess up his life too.
Still though, with mentioning the accident, she lowered her head and shuddered.

The screeching of metal on metal screamed in her ears, sounding only a fraction of a second before the car slammed into theirs.
Marie's mind was lagging, still dwelling on the thought of their daughter's school work. Her head turned back towards Neveah but she'd moved less then a degree when it was slammed into the drivers window; the impact knocked her out cold, leaving the rest of her recollection of the accident to be no more than bright lights and sirens.

She stood then, holding her head as the room swam and spun slowly. "I need some air," she muttered, slipping past Andrew and going up the stairs just as David walked back into the room.
David; he could keep her friend busy for a few moments while she got ready, right? She needed her mind to be busy with something else, to take the focus off of the issues coming up.
Marie walked quickly down the upstairs hallway, passing by Nevaeh's room where she spotted the child curled up under the covers of her bed. As aforementioned, not many were getting too fulfilling nights of sleep. Nevaeh had nightmares.
Marie gathered in a deep breath before she turned and opened the door to her and David's room, taking care to lock it after closing it behind her.

When she opened the small closet that shared both her and her husband's clothes she ran her fingers alone the edge of the shirts in one sweep, tugging on a sky blue V-neck t-shirt until it fell off the rack. Jeans were the best pants to where anywhere and in any situation; well, at least that was her opinion. So she grabbed one of her nicer pairs of jeans from a small pile on the ground.
It felt better for her to get dressed and ready, or at least it tricked her mind into thinking she was going to do much during the day.
Makeup was an avoidable part of her routine, but she did take the time out to use foundation and cover up the faint circles under her eyes before she combed her hair out and brushed her teeth.

An all new Marie, she thought to herself, scowling at it a little bit. The only way that would be helpful is if it were possible; a new Marie-wife for David, and a new Marie-mom for Nevaeh.
She fingered her wedding ring, twirling it around on her finger. She loved David, but did he still know that?

Raising her hand then, it lingered on the knob, hesitating after she heard the click from the unlocking door.

Once on her way down the hallway, Marie started to step quietly down the stairs, her advance stopping as she heard Andrew and David talking. She bit her lip, listening quietly to what each one was saying; her and David hadn't had a full conversation in quite a while, so it was nice to hear him speaking to someone else for once.

[LightingStrikes]

David had given Andrew the water and looked him in the eye, man to man, he was nothing but a penny pinching Lawyer who would bleed them both dry, what was Marie thinking?! David closed his eyes "How much are you going to cost us?" David finally asked he had a can of soda pop in his hands sipping it softly and feeling the suds of it go down his throat. "Come Drew, how much are we talking?" David asked.

Andrew looked up a little bewilderment, Drew? had that man just called me Drew? "No one has called me Drew since elementary, when I started my firm I became strictly Andrew." Andrew sat down and sighed, so this is why Marie called him? She wanted him to represent them in a court case against the other company, well he could do that sure- and he would win too. "Sure David, I'll represent Nevaeh." Andrew looked at the fire place. "I don't charge children who have no money, if Nevaeh will come to my office tomorrow for a meeting and ask me herself to represent her I would be happy to do it pro-bono, anything for my best friend." He looked at a family photograph seeing Marie there happy once a time ago, and wondered how long ago that photo had been taken. "I'd like to see her at Eleven, with your permission David I'd like to make it a lunch appointment, dose your daughter like any particular restaurant?" he asked

"Ah, yes, she loves that Italian Delanties, and she loves raviolis with meet in them." David knew his daughter inside an out, well at least his daughter before the crash he smiled at Andrew. "I'm glad Marie has friends like you." This was the first time David said anything at all nice about his wife in the past few weeks since the accident "You know it wasn't her fault, but she blames herself for the accident, if it hadn't been a truck and Toy store truck at that everything would be fine, we were lucky this time, very lucky." David looked at the family photo they had taken at Christmas and then turned to Andrew "She is a shinning star isn't she?" he looked at the his daughter and smiled softly "She's still daddy's little girl." David sighed.

Andrew listened carefully to David and then nodded "I expect to see Nevaeh at noon for lunch at Delanties then, just the two of us." Andrew stood up and smiled "Meantime I have friends who can put things together to make your house more manageable for her and for you and Marie." Andrew smiled up at David and thought you lucky son of a ----. Andrew sighed and went towards the door "I will have some of my friends come over later this afternoon, they will do a full assessment of this house." Andrew was very wealthy and had to unleash some money and he chose Marie's house it needed a lot of fixing up, that could be part of the arguments right there "They will be looking to fix anything that needs fixing and repairing only."