Chapter 3

Paul was starting to notice he was getting the same reaction from people that he had gotten from Ellen. When his name was mentioned in full he was asked if he was the author of the “My Two Cents” column. When he acknowledged that he was, the general remark people made was that they enjoyed reading his column but didn’t necessarily agree with all he said.

At times when he was entering the office building, he did see Ellen and she thanked him for mentioning her name in his column. She said it had resulted in several new clients wanting her legal services.

The popularity of his column was spreading and Paul was approached about syndicating his column. This was at the time his six-month contract was up for renewal. There was a bump up in pay from the paper but he checked with Ellen and discussed the request for syndication. She said he could do this as there was no prohibition against him syndicating the column.

Paul said he was unaware of what compensation he should receive for syndicating his column and asked if she would check this out and negotiate the best deal for him. She said she would and because of the increase in her business, Ellen didn’t bill him for doing this. Ellen even offered to take him to dinner because of his involvement in increasing her legal business.

Having success in writing the column was also giving Paul an increase in his self-confidence. That was shown when he went to dinner with Ellen at Bond’s restaurant. It was a nice time mainly because of Ellen’s intellect. While she could converse on any subject she showed she had a good memory as she remembered the columns he had written and debated with him a few of his opinions. He had a fun time doing that with her.

The fun time continued when he walked her back to her condo and she invited him in.

They were standing close to each other when Paul asked, “Isn’t there something in your legal cannons of ethics or something like that which says attorneys are not supposed to get involved with their clients?”

“There is that.”

“Do you consider me to be one of your clients?”

“Technically no, and that is because I haven’t taken any money from you to retain me as your attorney. I guess I would consider you to be a friend.”

“Might I be a friend with benefits?”

“Yes, that could be the case,” she said with a smile and a look that to Paul implied several things.

He put his arm around her waist and brought her unresistingly to him for a very nice and passionate kiss.

One thing led to another, with buttons being unbuttoned, belts unbuckled, and zippers pull down, all having the result of the both of them being naked lying on Ellen’s bed making love. There was no rush to engage in the ultimate act and they spent quite a bit of time kissing and caressing before he mounted her. He had once heard someone say that there is increased enjoyment in making love with an intelligent woman. He had no reason to disagree with that statement. It was one great night and as it turned out a great morning of lovemaking.

The one thing he noticed about Ellen was that she was not shy in being naked with him. He told her he enjoys looking at her in that while he couldn’t write a column on it he thought the feminine body was one of the most beautiful sights in the world. She told him that was nice for him to say that as she had the same thought about the male body.

When he was leaving her condo that morning he kissed her and said, “Thanks friend,” which caused her to laugh.

That afternoon in his office one of the staffers pointed out to him the article in their competitor’s newspaper. The column “About the Town” by J. Stanton, was thought of as being a gossip column. It mentioned that columnist Paul Conners was seen dining with a married lady at Bond’s restaurant last night and it appeared he was having a good time.

This pissed Paul off because while it didn’t specifically say Paul wasn’t doing anything wrong the inference was that he was doing something wrong which was that he was dining with a married lady. It assumed that Ellen was married because of the ring she wore. Ellen told Paul she wore the ring just to stop men from hitting on her.

Paul put the column he had been writing on voter integrity laws aside and immediately wrote a column blasting this “About the Town” column and gossip columns in general. He explained he was dining with Ellen Haddon a prominent attorney and his friend. He talked about the assumption made by J. Stanton that Ellen was married. He mentioned that Ms. Haddon was not married and why she wears a ring. He said that everyone knows what columnists make of themselves when they assume instead of checking the facts. Those columnists who are assuming, are no better than the reporters nowadays who are frequently quoting anonymous sources which raises suspicions as to their work ethic, intent, and the veracity of their reporting.

Paul finished the column as he usually does by saying, “and that is my two cents.”

He felt better when he was done writing and after reviewing he clicked on the send button.

Paul’s popularity was in a way being measured by the number of newspapers that were syndicating his columns. This syndication and his present salary resulted in Paul having sufficient funds to put a down payment on the purchase of a condo that was three streets over from the newspaper’s office. He was finally leaving the nest.

His parents were nice and said they were sorry to see him go but understood why he was leaving. They both were teachers and told Paul that both of them would probably take the early retirement option when they were eligible. Further, with Paul leaving the nest they were going to be downsizing. New townhomes were being built that interested them.

The columns that Paul wrote not only varied in the topics covered but also varied from the serious to the lighthearted type. He wrote three columns in a row that posed the question of what was more enjoyable, the game of golf or having sex.

The first column had him talking with an imaginary friend of his who had been married for a while and this friend favored golf. His reasons for favoring golf were that it was an enjoyable walk to experience the beauty of nature. He said it was a game you can play all your life and a game that is constantly challenging you to improve your performance. The handicap system promotes fair competition among golfers of different skill levels. His friends are quick to compliment him on some of the golfing shots he makes and there are high fives all around when he sinks a long putt. It is a nice time in having this comradeship with his friends both during and after the round of golf having a few beers. He said in playing golf he receives some exercise and the enjoyment of spending time with his friends.