“I’m with you on the golf thing. Tried it for a year, threw out my back, and ended up giving the clubs to my brother. I joined for the tennis. I know I don’t look like it, but I’m not half bad. College scholarship, dreams of going pro, but my serve only had so much speed ’cause of my height. That’s the way it goes, I guess. So now, I figured I’d get my daughter started young so that when she’s a teenager, we’d have something to do together when she starts to hate me. She’s the one out there with the turquoise top, by the way. Dark hair, long legs. Which one is yours?”
I pointed out London, who was standing on the back line with several other girls. “Over there,” I said. “Second from the left.”
“She’s going to be a tall one, too. That’s good.”
“We’ll see whether she even likes it. It’s her first day picking up a racket. You said you’re an attorney?”
“Yeah. Personal injury, the occasional class-action suit. I know what you’re probably thinking about lawyers like me, and I really don’t care. No one likes personal injury attorneys until they really need one, and then all of a sudden, I’m their best friend and their savior. And not just because I almost always get my clients the money they deserve. But because I listen. Half of this business is about listening. I learned that when I was in family law, before wife number one ran off with the neighbor and I figured out that I needed to earn a lot more money. Family law wasn’t cutting it. Word of advice? Always get a prenup.”
“Good to know.”
He motioned toward my pad. “Plastic surgeons, huh?”
“I was thinking of expanding into that area.”
“Yeah? I’ve made a fortune off a few of them. They may as well have been using hacksaws on a few of my clients. You want my advice with those guys? As someone who’s dealt with them in the past?”
“Go ahead.”
“They have God complexes but are terrible at business, so play to their egos and then promise them you can make them rich. Trust me. That’ll get their attention.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
He waved at the court. “I’m not sold on the tennis pro out there just yet. What do you think?”
“I don’t know enough to even venture a guess.”
“You can tell he’s played, but I don’t get the sense he’s coached little kids before. They’re a whole different ball of wax. Attention spans like gnats. The key is to keep things moving along or the kids will get restless.”
“Makes sense. Maybe you should coach.”
He laughed. “Now that would be something, huh? Nah, not for me. Never coach your own kid. That’s one of my rules. She’d probably end up hating me even more than she already will. So what’s your interest in this? Do you play?”
“No,” I said. “This was my wife’s idea.”
“And yet, here you are.”
“Here I am,” I agreed, and Joey turned his attention back to what was happening on the court. I continued to jot opening lines but knew I’d have to do a lot more research before I was ready for a presentation. Every now and then, Joey would make a comment about foot positions or the proper arc to take when hitting the ball, and we’d drift back into small talk for a couple more minutes.
When the session ended, Joey shook my hand a second time.
“Are you going to be out here tomorrow?” When I nodded, he went on. “Me, too. See you then.”
I left the bleachers and met London as she was exiting the court. Her face was red from the heat.
“Did you have a good time?” I asked her.
“Mom really thinks I should play. She told me this morning.”
“I know she does. I was asking what you thought about it.”
“It was hot. Who was that you were talking to?”
“Joey.”
“Is he your friend?”
“We just met. Why?”
“Because you were acting like you were friends.”
“He’s a nice guy,” I said, and as I we walked toward the car, I reflected on what he’d said about his advertising firm being a bunch of idiots.
And, of course, that I’d see him again tomorrow.
I got London a snack, knowing she needed to cool off before art class. At the same time, my thoughts drifted to the advertising I’d done for attorneys, prior to Peters pulling the plug. I remember filming commercials in wood-shelved offices filled with law books, and recommending targeted spends on cable channels between the hours of nine and noon, when injured people might be watching.
These days, with most of the commercials nationwide put together by a single national firm, there was an opportunity for a niche in the market, if I wanted to go that route. I suspected I could get better deals at the cable companies since I had long working relationships with the key players, something the national firm didn’t have. In the long run, it might not be good for my firm – I might have to go the Peters route and eventually give them up – but that day was a long way off, and I didn’t want to think about it. Instead, I kept my focus on the fact that Taglieri might – just might – be open to a possible switch.
It took London less time than I thought to be back to normal, and she talked about Bodhi for most of the drive. As soon as she walked through the door of the studio, she turned and I lowered myself. She wrapped her arms around my neck and squeezed.
“I love you, Daddy.”
“Love you, too,” I said.
When I stood, I watched as she rushed toward a young blond boy and when they were close, they hugged each other, too.