Abide with Me by E. Lynn Harris

Yale Law School. He had also clerked for Supreme Court Justice Marshall. Rumor was he was a big womanizer and had far too many skeletons in his closet, including a child out of wedlock with his law clerk. He seemed particularly interested in Raymond and Trent’s relationship, but something prevented him from asking them point-blank if they were more than roommates.
    “He seemed like a nice guy. But his wife didn’t match,” Trent said.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Well, she seemed so shy, almost matronly, but she was certainly gulping down those vodka gimlets. There is an awful lot of pain going on there,” Trent said about the woman who had sat next to him at dinner.
    “I didn’t talk to her that long,” Raymond said.
    “Yeah, that’s why I think they knew what the deal was. You know with the seating arrangements. They sat me next to Mrs. Pope and you next to the hostess’s husband. Something right out of B. Smith’s book on entertaining,” Trent said.
    “Yeah, I did notice that,” Raymond said.
    “Charles asked where we met,” Trent said.
    “Did you tell him?”
    “Yeah, you know he’s a frat.”
    “I didn’t know that. I’ve never seen him at any meetings.”
    “He ain’t true. He pledged in the grad chapter in one of those walk-right-up-and-sign-in things.”
    “I guess that explains why I didn’t know he was a brother.”
    The last two weeks had been busy for Raymond. Not only was his calendar filled with sudden social obligations like dinners and drinks, but he was also spending a great deal of time with Lisa preparing forhis hearing. When he wasn’t in meetings with Lisa, Raymond was boning up on recent court rulings and scheduling appointments with members of Washington’s congressional staff members. All of this time spent shoring up support for his nomination was causing a little concern around his office. Their small size made a billing lawyer a valuable commodity. Feeling the subtle concern, Raymond had decided to resign. The partners wouldn’t hear of that, but felt maybe a leave of absence might be better. Besides, they knew it would be an honor for them to have a former partner on the bench, one who felt supported by his firm. They never knew when a lawyer from the firm might end up trying a case before Judge Raymond Tyler, Jr.
    There wasn’t a major concern about Raymond neglecting his clients or his workload. Most of his clients on retainer weren’t experiencing any major legal problems. But now every time a new case was presented at staff meetings, Raymond had to decline it because of his impending hearing. Because the firm wasn’t large enough to have a partner doing very limited billing, Raymond understood perfectly that a leave of absence was in order.
    “So you sure you can take care of me in the lifestyle I’ve become accustomed to?” Raymond asked Trent. He really didn’t need Trent to support him. He had a nice savings account, and his investments were paying off. It just felt nice knowing that if he needed help, Trent had his back.
    “Of course, but you’ve got to turn over all your credit cards and develop a taste for fried baloney and egg sandwiches,” he teased. “What do you want to drink?”
    “I know I shouldn’t, but let me have a little wine. I don’t have to get up early in the morning,” Raymond said.
    “What did your father say about you taking the leave?”
    “He thought it was a good plan. Said I need to use all my energy getting ready for those fools in D.C.”
    “You’re not going to have a problem,” Trent said as he handed Raymond a glass of white wine.
    “Cheers,” Raymond said as he tapped his wineglass against Trent’s beer bottle and smiled.
    “I had a nice time and I was real proud of you,” Trent said.
    “Thanks for going. It felt good having you near. I know how much you hate those type of things,” Raymond said. Usually Trent only accompanied Raymond to the annual office Christmas party and sporting events. When Raymond