The Longer The Fall, Aviva Gat [top 10 books to read txt] 📗

mouth. “It was nothing, everyone is just making such a big deal.”

“Why do you think everyone made it a big deal?”

“Because Jamie cried,” Noah said. “He’s such a baby.”

“What made Jamie cry?”

Noah shrugged and continued eating silently.

“Did you say something to him before he cried?”

“I told him to stop being a baby.”

“Why did you say that?”

“Because he was being a baby!”

“Madeline Thomas?” Madeline was just about to ask Noah another question when their conversation was interrupted by a blonde woman wearing leggings and a down vest carrying a tray of four coffees. “I’m sorry to bother you.”

“No problem, yes, how can I help you?” Madeline immediately put on her politician smile and looked at the woman as though she were sure she would say something profound.

“I just wanted to say I really admire you,” the woman said. “I saw parts of your speech on the news last night. I think your proposal is very smart. It will help get minority communities to respect the police more. Education is the key to reduce the altercations that have been happening.”

“Thank you,” Madeline responded, keeping her politician face on. “I do feel very strongly that my proposal can bring understanding to both sides of the issue.”

“Yes, definitely,” the woman said. “Once the blacks start respecting the police, things won’t be so problematic.”

“And when the police respect the communities they are supposed to protect,” Madeline added, saying it in such a way that made the woman feel that it was her own idea as well.

“Of course! Of course!” the woman said. “Well I don’t want to bother you. But I just wanted to tell you how much I’m rooting for you! You are an inspiration to all women. Can I get a picture?”

“Thank you, of course,” Madeline responded and stood up to lean into the woman as she held out her camera to take a selfie. After the camera clicked, the woman hugged Madeline and went on her way.

“Do black people not respect police?” Noah blurted out.

“What?”

“That’s what the woman said, isn’t it?”

“Well there are two sides to every story,” Madeline responded.

“The police are the good guys,” Noah said.

“They are supposed to be good guys,” Madeline said. “But sometimes they are not.” Madeline looked around the coffee shop before turning back to Noah. “Can you tell why you called Jamie a baby?”

“He sucks at basketball and I didn’t want him on my team. So I told him he couldn’t play. And he cried.”

“Do you think that what you said could have hurt his feelings?”

“There are two sides to every story,” Noah responded, repeating his mother’s words from just moments ago. Noah put the last bite of his cheesecake in his mouth and stood up from the table. “Can we go home now?”

Just then Madeline’s cellphone rang. Her phone was never on silent and never out of reach. You never know when someone important might be calling or when you would receive news that could change everything. Madeline reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, seeing that it was Jane on the line.

“Good morning, Jane,” Madeline answered.

“Madeline, good morning,” Jane responded. “When are you coming to the office? We need to discuss your response to Senator Shuker’s abortion bill. His chief called this morning and Shuker wants to meet with you on it.”

“I don’t support his bill,” Madeline cut in.

“Well he wants you too, maybe it can be leverage for him to support the SAVER Bill. He doesn’t support your bill either.”

“I can’t support any bill that adds restrictions to abortions.”

“We need to discuss it. Also we’re scheduling a meeting with the head of the FOP,” Jane said. Surely Madeline’s new SAVER Bill would receive backlash from the Fraternal Order of Police union. But Madeline needed to meet with the FOP leadership. She could explain to them why she needed their support. “Where are you?”

“I’ll be in soon,” Madeline responded as she stood up and walked with Noah back to her car. She drove the shortest way home, skipping a longer route that would have taken her passed a small park with perfectly pruned shrubbery that reminded her of a place she used to spend time at in New York.

They arrived back home before Molly. Madeline parked in the driveway, noticing that the mail had been delivered while they were out. As Noah ran up to the front door, Madeline went down to the mailbox, emptying the contents. She shuffled through the mail as she walked to the house. There was the usual junk mail – the mailers from different stores, the notices that she had been pre-approved for new credit cards. But stuck in the middle of all the junk was a large envelope addressed directly to Madeline. The envelope looked unassuming, like something ordinary, rather than something that was about to change her entire life. But that’s how these things always start; unexpectedly, during the most mundane activities such as checking your mail.

Madeline opened the front door of her house, letting Noah shoot inside. She then dropped the junk mail in their recycle bin and took her letter to the kitchen. If only she had known then that she was opening Pandora’s box. That once the letter was opened, there would be no turning back.

Chapter 3

“Lauren, I need to speak with Brandon right away,” Madeline said to his secretary when she answered the phone.

“He’s in a board meeting right now, they just started,” Lauren responded. “You know these things can take hours, especially with all the changes happening at CyTech. I can slip him a message that you called.”

“He’ll want to know,” Madeline urged Lauren. “It’s urgent. I need him to come home as soon as he can.”

“I’ll pass the message along,” Lauren responded.

When big things happened