Breach of Contract
EPILOGUE
The children were over the top happy to be living with their father and Ian. Of course like a good older son should, Bobby made sure neither he nor his brother and sister showed it when their mother would see and be hurt by their preference of Matt over her. Of course the truth was, the real preference was Ian over Fletcher.
The children loved Chicago. Matt and Ian found them a very nice private school to start out. They felt the smaller private school would be an easier transition than one of Chicago's larger public schools. Of course, once the kids made friends at the school, Matt and Ian made friends with their parents.
The children's transition was made much easier because they were able to negotiate an agreement with the firm so Matt could work part-time from home if Ian would spend more time in the downtown office. Between Ian and Matt, they were able to work out a schedule where one would be home most days. They also hired a housekeeper who was willing to fill in with childcare in an emergency.
Matt started out working with Zimmerman in Trusts and Estates. Zimmerman liked Matt, and encouraged him to pursue his real passion, helping low income and immigrant clients. Matt was shocked the day he was told to report to Zimmerman's office and found the three named partners in the meeting as well.
Preston said, "Harris, we have been impressed with your work here and with your volunteerism at the West Side Legal Assistance Program. So, we have a proposal for you."
Robb continued, "We have a couple of clients who were caught with their hands in the City's cookie jar. We have managed to negotiate plea deals; however; they will need to make `significant contributions' over the next few years to assist Chicago's low income citizens. One of the areas where the City wants the contributions to be directed is in increasing legal assistance for low income citizens. Things like immigration law, housing disputes, driver's licenses, and misdemeanors. The other problem has to do with appeals. While the public defenders handle representation in court, the appeals process is often dependent on attorney's working pro bono. One of the conditions our clients insisted on was that our firm share responsibility with the public defender's office managing the programs funded by their money. We want you, Mr Harris, to take on that responsibility. Are you interested?"
"Absolutely," Matt said.
"Well," Moore said, "There are a number of conditions you will have to meet to be qualified for this position."
"Okay," Matt said becoming weary.
"First, we will need you to take several courses at the University of Chicago on management. Our intent is to make this program a stand-along non-profit, so we want to make sure you have the skills to run a quality program."
"I can do that."
"Second, part of your responsibility will be coordinating the pro bono work of the firm and our community outreach program. We need a bit of image polishing as well, so you would be working with P.R. to make it seem like we aren't just a bunch of ambulance chasers and legal sharks. You've got the combination of passion, likability, and charm we need for this position. What you don't have is the gravitas that says the firm is serious about this new initiative. So, as a condition of the position, you will have to become a junior partner in the firm."
"Wow," Matt said, "That is a big step. Can I think on it?"
"You have 24 hours," Moore said. "We need to get this plea agreement to the judge in seven days, and the city wants to sign off on how the money will be managed and spent before accepting. That includes an interview with whoever will be running the program. So, call Ian, and get a sitter, I have reservations for you two at my club, after which we will meet for drinks and to answer any questions the two of you have."
As it turned out, Ian was very supportive of the idea and the new position, including the partnership. Of course Ian couldn't resist pointing out that Matt would now be one of his bosses and that he expected there to be plenty of sexual harassment directed his way.
Matt assured him they would have to put in many late hours working closely together.
At the meeting with Moore, Matt accepted the position and the partnership offer. Moore smiled and said to Ian, "Well, we couldn't get you onboard as a partner, so we had to make you the spouse of a partner. Oh, and by the way, I hope you know a good caterer. You will be hosting your share of events." Then he gave Ian a wink.
Even as they took on more responsibilities, the children remained at the center of their lives. Bobby loved sports, and it seemed Matt and Ian were always at games. They even agreed to co-coach Bobby's basketball team. However, football was Bobby's passion, and his size and athletic skills had coaches knocking on the front door when it came time for him to decide which high school he wanted to attend.
Mandy's love was music, and Chicago gave her the best opportunities possible. When Mandy was accepted into the Chicago youth symphony, some changes had to be made to accommodate their even busier schedule. So, they hired a nanny, and when a nice condo a couple blocks away came up for sale, they bought it and persuaded Matt's parents to move to Chicago. Matt's father had completely retired from law and politics, and one night while visiting Matt's parents in Oklahoma, Matt and Ian convinced him to make the move. However, it took going through a bottle of very expensive bourbon to close the deal.
Little Ian was the family charmer. There was nothing he couldn't get from Matt, and on occasion Ian would have to step in and play the heavy. However, Big E and Little E had a special bond, and they would often sit at the kitchen table and talk about politics, religion, literature, and any other subject that crossed their minds. While Bobby was the football player, Little E was the basketball standout. In fact, he wasn't really little E by the time he got to high school, he was the tallest in the family. More importantly he was very athletic, and a dead eye shot from anywhere on the court.
Ian and Matt also worked very hard to keep the kid's connections with their mother and the Norris grandparents. They spent a month every summer in Denver, and usually went out over Spring Break to visit and to ski. Ellen and Fletcher remained married, but didn't have a family, so when the children were in Denver she was also. In fact, she, Matt, and Ian actually became friendly. However, Fletcher wasn't often included. Since, Both Ian's and Matt's parents lived in Chicago the Norris' would join them in Chicago for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
After Christmas, the kids would go back to Denver with Ellen and her parents to celebrate New Years with their aunt, uncle, and cousins. It became one of the children's favorite holiday traditions when Patterson decided to rent a private railcar and arrange for it to be attached to the Amtrak train that connected Denver and Chicago. Ellen would fly the kids back after New Years. So, Ian and Matt were able to create their very own, very personal, and very loving New Year's traditions.
Oh, and the final tradition; Ian and Matt never miss a Harvard Law School Reunion.
I hope you enjoy "Breach of Contract." I decided to end this story at this point; however, I am contemplating picking up Ian's and Matt's story a few years down the road.
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