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"Anyway, getting back to you. What have you been doing with yourself while your handsome young
husband has been burning up the legal turf in what did you call it Blithedale?" Norma asked.
"Yes, Blithedale. Small community, but we love it. Loved it, I should say." She paused. "Funny,
it's almost as if I've left it and been here for months," Miriam said softly. The feeling made her
bring her fingers to the base of her throat. Both women stared, similar smiles of amusement on their
lips. "Anyway," Miriam continued, "for a while, I tried to do some fashion modeling, but all I did
was a department store show here and there. I quickly realized it wasn't the career I really
wanted for myself. I helped my father..."
"Who is a dentist?"
"Yes. I worked as a receptionist for nearly six months and then I decided to concentrate on
Kevin and our home life. We intend to have children this year."
"So do we," Norma said.
"Pardon?"
"Intend to have children this year," she said, looking at Jean. "In fact..."
"We've been conspiring to have them about the same time, although the boys don't know it."
They laughed. "Maybe you'll join us now."
"Join you?" Miriam's smile widened in puzzlement.
"Actually, Mr. Milton suggested it to Jean at one of his parties. Wait until you see the penthouse.
He's bound to have a party any day now, since there's a new associate in the firm."
"Oh, he gives wonderful parties, gourmet catering, music, interesting guests..."
"What do you mean, Mr. Milton suggested it?" She turned to Jean.
"He has a wry sense of humor sometimes. He knew we were planning on starting our families this
year and he pulled me aside and said wouldn't it be something if Norma and I had our children
about the same time, maybe even the same week. I told Norma, and she thought it was a great
idea."
"We've been planning it like a campaign, marking days on our calendars when the forays will
begin," Norma said, and they both laughed again. Then Jean stopped abruptly.
"We'll show you our plans and maybe you'll join us, unless you and Kevin have already..."
"No, we haven't."
"Good," she said, sitting back.
Miriam saw they weren't kidding. "You say your husbands don't know?"
"Not all of it," Norma said.
"You don't tell your husband everything you do, do you?" Jean asked.
"We're very close, and something as important as this..."
"So are we, close," Norma said, "but Jean's right. You've got to have some personal, woman
secrets."
"We three have got to stick together," Norma said. "Men are wonderful, especially our men, but they
are, after all, men!" She widened her eyes.
"You should say four," Jean corrected. Norma looked puzzled. "We four have got to stick
together. You're forgetting Helen."
"Oh yes, Helen. It's just that we see so little of her these days. She's become... very introspective,"
she said, throwing her hand up dramatically. Both she and Jean laughed.
"What do you mean?"
"Actually, we're being unfair. Helen had something of a nervous breakdown after Gloria Jaffee's
death and went on medication. She's into therapy, but she's a wonderful, kind person, and very
attractive," Norma said.
"Gloria Jaffee?"
Norma and Jean looked at each other quickly.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Jean said. "I just assumed you knew about the Jaffees." She turned to Norma. "Put
my foot in my mouth again, huh?"
"Seems you did, partner."
"Who are the Jaffees?" Miriam asked.
"I don't see how you wouldn't find it all out very soon anyway. It's just that I didn't want to be
the one who threw some cold water on the fires of excitement and happiness here," Jean said.
"That's all right. I need something to bring me down. It's naive to think everything will always be
peaches and cream," Miriam replied.
"Very good attitude," Norma said. "I like that. It's about time we had someone in our group who
had some perspective. Jean and I get carried away sometimes, and with Helen so depressing these
days, we just tend to avoid anything unpleasant."
"Tell me about the Jaffees," Miriam insisted.
"Richard Jaffee is the attorney your husband is replacing. He killed himself after his wife died in
childbirth," Jean said quickly.
"My God!"
"Yes. They had... everything to live for. The baby was born healthy, a son," Norma said, "and
Richard was brilliant. Dave says Richard was the sharpest attorney he'd ever met, including Mr.
Milton."
"How tragic." Miriam thought for a moment and then looked up quickly. "They lived in our
apartment, didn't they?" The girls nodded. "I thought so... the nursery..."
"Oh, I feel so bad about depressing you," Jean moaned.
"No, it's all right. How did Mr. Jaffee die?"
Norma smirked and shook her head.
"He jumped off the patio," Jean said quickly. "There, now I've told you all the horrible
details, and if you're unhappy, Ted's going to blame me."
"Oh no, I'm sure..."
"Dave's not going to be ecstatic about my part in this, either," Norma said.
"No, really, it's all right. I'll deal with it. Kevin should have told me right away, that's all."
"He's just trying to protect you," Norma said. "Like a good husband. Dave and Ted are the same
way, right, Jean?" .
"Right. Can't fault them for that, Miriam."
"But we're not children!" Miriam exclaimed. Instead of being upset with her response, the two
laughed.
"No, we're not," Norma said. "But we're loved, cherished, protected. You might not realize how im-
portant that is just yet, Miriam, but believe me... believe us, after a while, you'll see how wonderful
it is. Why, Jean and I don't even ask about the grisly details of our husbands' cases anymore, and the
boys don't talk about them around us."
"Isn't that thoughtful?" Jean added.
Miriam looked from one to the other. Then she sat back. Maybe it was thoughtful; maybe if she
hadn't been so involved in the details of the Lois Wilson case, she wouldn't have been so upset
about the way Kevin had handled it, and she could have taken more pleasure in his success, a
success that had contributed to all this.
"After all" Norma continued to pound home the point "they're working hard to make
things wonderful for us."
"The least we can do," Jean concluded, "is make it easier for them to do so." They laughed in
unison and sipped some wine.
Miriam said nothing for a moment. "Tell me about Helen Scholefield," she said. "How is
she?"
"Oh, she's improving. Therapy has helped a great deal. Mr. Milton recommended someone as
soon as he heard she was having problems," Norma said.
"She's been painting again, too, and that's helped as well," Jean added.
"Oh yes. And she's good. I'm sure she will be happy to show you her work."
"Actually, it's very good. Reminds me of Chagall, but with a touch of Goodfellow. You
remember that abstract artist we saw over at the Simmons Gallery in SoHo last month," Jean
said. Norma nodded.
Miriam shook her head and smiled at them.
"What's wrong?" Jean asked.
"You two seem... so cosmopolitan," she said, thinking of Kevin's words. "You take
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