North Carolina Miscellany COURTESY OF THE ARTIST
Heart and Soul, 2014 (oil on linen, 72x62) by Frank Holliday
“Thinking of jumping?” Potter asked. “Why would I jump?” “Exactly.” Potter had a request inasmuch as Mitch wasn’t getting anything done in the office anyway – drive to Duplin County and meet with Deal Graham’s widow, Sweety. She was in a flat-out tizzy. “Drive to Duplin County? Are the phone lines down?” “Her will needs revising, and we’re not revising Sweety Graham’s will over the phone. Besides, you’re scaring the admins. Have you looked in the mirror?” “I’m good, man.” “Yeah, right.” This was the story: a successful Gen X partner with a successful mid-sized Charlotte law firm engages in an affair with a considerably younger professional associated with a successful competing
N C L R ONLINE
111
firm. The younger professional is a Millennial whose “starter marriage” is faltering; despite raising eyebrows in Charlotte’s legal and religious communities, the Gen Xer and Millennial form a union and live happily ever after but for the occasional picadillo arising due to generational differences. That was not the story, but it was the story Mitch told the attractive Starbucks’ barista who prepared his Grande non-fat latte and remarked he looked under the weather. “Didn’t sleep well,” Mitch conceded. “Picadillo?” “You could say that.” He estimated four hours to Duplin County, a half-day’s drive on a sunny spring day, the azaleas in bloom, the air sweet with the scent of honeysuckle. Once on the road, he was actually glad to be out of the office, away from scrutiny, real or imagined, of co-workers. He confirmed by cell phone his appointment with Sweety from his sporty little BMW. “Bless your heart, Mr. McCloud. I so appreciate you driving all this way.” “It’s my pleasure, Miss Graham.” While alive, her husband had owned and operated massive hog farms, concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) throughout eastern North Carolina. Potter Mills and Deal went way back, as in grew up together in Duplin County, so no surprise Mills and McCloud, LLP, represented Graham Foods, Inc. from its modest start-up to its place at the pinnacle of the hograising industry. Shortly before Deal Graham’s death, the firm, mostly in the person of Mitch, drew up documents for its A-list client. The estate plan minimized inheritance taxes, protected assets from claims of nuisance creditors, and vested control of the business in Deal’s surviving spouse’s hands. Now, Sweety wanted to change the plan. East of Raleigh, Mitch stopped for a hot dog, a bag of chips, and a Cheerwine soda. Not the best choices, he knew, but he promised himself to take up a healthier diet once his life returned to a semblance of normal. He also bought a disposable razor and shaved in the bathroom using soap from a wall dispenser, managing to nick himself only once. The man behind the checkout counter noted the stain on Mitch’s tie.