FAUSTINA GODÍNEZ ENTERED THE conference room carrying a file and notepad under her right arm and holding a white coffee mug in her left hand. The mug had the word CHINGONA emblazoned across it in large yellow letters. She settled into one of the leather chairs and arranged her file, notepad, and coffee mug before her. The law firm’s other name partners sat across from each other and continued to discuss a summary judgment hearing that Grace Tsukamaki had just covered for one of the senior associates who had come down with a horrid flu. Leonard Stone nodded and chuckled as Grace imitated the somewhat cranky judge who had presided over the hearing. Faustina suddenly realized that a large platter of pan dulce sat in the middle of the conference table. She couldn’t believe her luck. Ask and ye shall receive! Faustina stood and reached over toward the platter, eyeing a pink concha. Without pausing her monologue, Grace leaned forward and gently slapped Faustina’s hand away from the platter.
“I made a special trip to La Monarca just to get those!” said Grace in an exaggerated motherly tone despite her being seven years younger than Faustina. “They’re for the team meeting in less than an hour. We need to keep our young lawyers and paralegals happy and hyped up on sugar.”
“But…” pleaded Faustina.
“And I don’t want anyone ruining the pan dulce’s perfect symmetry, not even the firm’s senior partner,” added Grace. “I stacked them just so. You can wait, can’t you?”
Faustina complied and fell back into her chair. She would never tolerate such scolding from anyone but Grace for some reason. Leonard chuckled at his two partners. His phone suddenly beeped.
“Oh, shit,” said Leonard as he studied a new text.
“What’s up?” said Faustina.
“The jury came back with a question.”
“But they just started deliberating yesterday afternoon,” said Grace. “What do you think it means?”
“It means,” said Leonard as he gathered up a file and stood, “I need to run to court and meet Sahar so we can get back to the courtroom and let the judge tell us what’s up.”
“I hope it’s a question like ‘May we give plaintiffs every single thing their brilliant trial counsel asked for?’” said Faustina.
“I am sure that’s exactly what the jury is asking,” chuckled Leonard. “But toxic torts can have some tough questions of causation. It’s probably nothing, just jury confusion with the instructions which, I admit, were a bit more complicated than I would have liked.”
“Let us know as soon as you can!” said Grace.
Leonard looked down at the platter of pan dulce and paused.
“Okay, you may take a piece,” said Grace.
Faustina frowned.
“And take a piece for Sahar too,” added Grace. She plucked two paper napkins from a plastic package and slid them toward Leonard. “You two need your energy.”
“You are too kind,” said Leonard as he grabbed the napkins and two pieces of pan dulce. “We will remain happy warriors.” With that, Leonard left.
“Really?” said Faustina.
“What?”
“Leonard and Sahar outrank me?”
“No, absolutely not,” said Grace. “That was an exception to the rule based upon a litigation emergency.”
“Oh, that’s clear.”
“And besides, by taking two pieces,” said Grace as she rearranged the remaining pieces of pan dulce, “I was able to maintain the symmetry of the whole presentation.”
“Oh, so now you’re applying principles of feng shui to pan dulce?”
“Don’t be racist,” said Grace, feigning indignation. “I’m Japanese, not Chinese.”
“It’s a universal concept,” said Faustina.
“You don’t even know what feng shui really means.”
Faustina reached for her phone and looked down at her lap. After a few seconds, she said: “The five elements of feng shui—earth, metal, water, wood, and fire—come from the Taoist tradition. The elements are five interrelated phases in life that work together to create a complete system. Typically, when you feng shui your home, you balance these five elements.”
“Are you reading from Wikipedia?” said Grace.
Faustina grinned, lifted her phone from her lap, and showed the screen to Grace.
“You can learn many fascinating things from this little gizmo,” said Faustina.
“Okay, enough of this silliness,” said Grace. “Now to more important things before the troops show up for our weekly meeting.”
“What’s more important than principles of feng shui?” said Faustina. She put her phone down on the conference table.
“Tell me about the handsome paralegal from the Yosemite conference.”
Faustina looked away.
“Well?” said Grace.
“Well what?” said Faustina before sipping her coffee.
“Is he your first Irish Spring man?”
Faustina almost spat out her coffee as she muffled a laugh.
“I mean, come on,” continued Grace, “I can smell your new scent all the way over here.”
Faustina struggled to regain her composure and swallow the last bit of coffee.
“And your hair is so curly right now, it’s clear you did not have the benefit of a hair dryer this morning.”
“Stop it!” said Faustina.
“And while I love that suit and blouse, I think a change of clothes would have helped you keep your little sleepover a secret from me, your very best friend in the whole goddamned world.”
“Okay, okay,” said Faustina in surrender. “Yes, that nice paralegal and I have spent some quality time together.”
“I knew it!”
“But it’s a casual thing.”
“So what,” said Grace, leaning in. “Things were casual with me and Brandon until…”
“Until?”
“Until they weren’t.”
“This is nothing like you and Brandon.”
“And now, four years of marriage and one toddler later, it should be quite clear to you that a very ‘casual thing,’” continued Grace as she added air quotes for emphasis, “can morph into a very un-casual thing before you know it.”
“Thank you, counselor,” said Faustina. “I will take your argument under submission.”
“I’m just saying…”
“I know what you’re saying, my friend.”
“I want to be in on the ground floor,” said Grace, “because I am your oldest and wisest friend who can give you the best advice that money can buy.”
“Oh, so now you’re charging?”
“Day care is expensive,” said Grace. “And you know Brandon is a high school teacher. He has a heart of gold and a bank account to match his giving nature.”
“Tell you what,” said Faustina.
“What?”
“After work, let’s grab a drink and I will spill my guts.”
“Yes!”
“But, of course, you might be buying the first round.”
“Not a problem!” said Grace as she started texting.
“What are you doing?”
“I am letting my handsome life partner know that I will be a bit late tonight because my beautiful law partner needs to spill her soul out to me over many, many drinks.”
“You are a very responsible and conscientious life partner. I hope Brandon doesn’t mind.”
“No,” said Grace as she put down her phone. “He has a little crush on you anyway.”
“Stop it!”
“It’s true!”
“No it’s not.”
“And I don’t mind,” said Grace. “It means he has good taste.”
Faustina sighed.
“And we have an agreement that if I should die young and you’re still single or in a rocky marriage that needs ending, he may court you without any guilt whatsoever.”
“Oh, thank you,” said Faustina. “I always wanted to be someone’s sloppy seconds.”
“You could do worse!”
“So true,” said Faustina. “So true.”
“I am so excited for you!”
“Don’t get too excited, my friend.”
“And if this works out with Mr. Irish Spring,” said Grace, “all three partners of this lovely boutique firm will have found their handsome, loving husbands.”
“Ay,” said Faustina as she buried her face into her palms.
“Can you imagine triple-dating with me, Leonard, and our hunky husbands? Finally, a perfect balance!”
“Yes, I agree,” surrendered Faustina, “three couples would be better balanced than two couples and an oddball.”
“And that’s what I would call ‘feng shui,’” said Grace.
“But you’re not Chinese.”
“A brilliant woman once told me that feng shui is a universal concept.”
A group of attorneys and paralegals milled outside the conference room’s glass double doors. “Oh, the troops are waiting for us,” said Faustina. She motioned for them to come in.
“Can’t wait for our drink date tonight,” said Grace as laughter and voices started to fill the conference room.
“I’m sure you can’t,” said Faustina. “I’m sure you can’t.”