Perhaps she just felt old. She smiled. Alex would tell her she wasn't old, she just lived like it. Alex was so different from anyone else. Blake was not Alex. She spun around and got back to work. This stack of paperwork would not sort itself, that much was sure. She worked through her day, excited about the fact that tomorrow was Saturday. The law firm was closed and she had no classes so she had the day free until work tomorrow night. This was her day to run all of her errands and get all of her work done. She could also sleep in past 6:30. Her only indulgence was ice cream. Every Saturday afternoon she would get comfortable and eat ice cream and watch an old movie. Only one movie because she had to study and time was precious. The day dragged on and after her classes, she headed home for a quick bite and to get ready for work. At some point Blake left, and even the bed was made. She changed into her other clothes and headed out. Fridays were always crazy, there were people drinking and laughing, and most of the time there was a fight or two over some woman.
Blake wasn't there, which was odd, but he probably had things to do. Finally, as time went on, Brienne found herself looking at the clock more and more. One more hour, and she had almost a free day to herself. She wrapped things up and headed home. She was exhausted. She was lucky only one year to go and she could take the bar exam and be done. She was 26 and still young enough where she could build a career and eventually be able to relax. She didn't want to be poor and struggle like she had done all of her childhood. Her father did his best, but it was easier and cheaper to let her just dress and behave like a boy. She was fine with it, as it gave her friends. Besides, she had no idea what she was "supposed" to act like. Her father was her only role model. He worked long hours and she had to fend for herself a lot of the time. They scraped by enough to keep the house, but food was rare. She went to bed hungry on more than one occasion and she decided she would never do that again.
Her career was her foundation and it would make it so that she never went hungry again. She pulled into her lot and made her way to her apartment. It was a small efficiency apartment on the campus. She did tutoring part-time three times a week to allow herself the luxury of living alone. She considered calling Blake but let the idea go. It was fun, but she didn't have time for all of the drama that comes with having a man in her life. Saturday came bright and sunny. She rolled over and it was 8:10. Even that simple thing...sleeping in, made her happy. She started her day doing some shopping and settled in at noon for movie time. She frowned because nothing good was on television. She sighed and turned it off altogether and pulled her laptop into her lap. Maybe she could respond to some emails and some articles for her class. Not fun, but it was better than watching TV. She opened her new emails. She really needed a system. She spent the next two hours replying and writing to professors and classmates, and her father until she finally cleaned the entire thing out. The next email in the list was the one from Alex now 6 months old. Should she? She shrugged.
A, Life is busy, I hear business is doing well, I saw your article in the Times. She is pretty. I hope you're happy. Yours, B. She sat back and ate her ice cream, then gave her father a call to listen to all that was happening back home. Life went on and on. Alex was now in charge of a corporation ranking number three on the stock exchange. He was secure and enjoying life as much as he could. Tomorrow, his parents would have been gone three years. Three years ago he sat in the very chair he was in now. He ran his hand over the cool leather. He not only carried on the business, but he also become everything his father wanted him to be and he did it by working hard. Alice moved on and found a position with a firm in Washington. He was alone again.