Page 4 of The Perfect Divorce

“Anne,” I warn, half joking, half serious.

“What? I’m kidding... mostly. But don’t tell Jamie I said that,” she says with a laugh, referring to her partner.

“Your secret is safe with me,” I say as I exit my office and make for the conference room.

“Let me know if you need any assistance.” Anne winks as she splits from me, heading toward her own office.

I pause outside the room where Case Fifty is waiting. My hand rests on the handle for a moment, and I let out a heavy sigh before I enter. Alejandro is on his feet in an instant with his hands clasped together in front of him.

“Sorry to keep you waiting,” I say, closing the door behind me.

“Not a problem. I’m used to waiting.” He softly smiles.

I don’t return it. Instead, I extend my hand out for a shake. I expect his to be firm and hard, but it matches mine. Clearly, he’s trying to show me respect.

“I’m Sarah Morgan, founder and executive director of the Morgan Foundation.”

“Alejandro Perez, inmate number...” He stops himself midsentence, and his cheeks flush. “Sorry, force of habit... Umm, it’s nice to meet you.”

I politely smile to put him at ease. “Well, we’re here to kick that habit and ensure you never have to refer to yourself as a number again,” I say as I round the table and pull out a chair.

He nods, and I notice he doesn’t sit until I’m seated. I lay out his case file as well as a stack of brochures and a large manila envelope before meeting his gaze. The light reflecting through the window catches his eyes, making them appear even brighter than they were in his mug shot.

“First, I want to congratulate you, Alejandro, on being selected for our reform program.”

“Thank you. I’m really grateful for this opportunity, and please call me Alex. The only ones that call me Alejandro are the police and my mother.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, Alejandro.”

He tilts his head, squinting for a moment, before relaxing his face into a neutral position. Boundaries are important, especially in cases like this when you’re working with people who don’t respect boundaries. The law is a boundary, and Alejandro has pushed a lot of them in his life.

“Now, let’s review how the program works. Everything you need is in here,” I say, sliding the thick manila envelope across the table. “Go ahead and open it.”

Alejandro undoes the clasp and slips his hand inside, pulling out a set of keys.

“That goes to your mailbox, apartment, and vehicle, which will be covered by the foundation for the next six months. The apartment comes fully furnished with a washer and dryer in unit, plus a stocked fridge and all your basic necessities to get you started.”

His hand disappears into the envelope again, and he pulls out a debit card.

“There’s one thousand dollars loaded on there to assist with any additional expenses. It should cover you until you’re able to secure employment.”

Alejandro nods and flips through the stack of brochures.

“Those are all the resources available to you, as well as information on what’s required of you to stay in the program. You must actively look for work. In your file it says you’re not a drug user, but you will submit to a drug test every three weeks. If you fail even one test, you’re kicked out of the program. If you get into any legal trouble above a simple traffic violation, you’re kicked out of the program. You’re also required to attend a therapy session every week. Your first one has already been scheduled for you, and it’s noted in your agenda.”

He retrieves the planner from inside the manila envelope and lays it on the table, examining it.

“Do you have any questions so far?” I ask.

His eyes skim over the keys, agenda, brochures, and debit card, but his expression remains unchanged, like he’s not sure what to make of this.

“This is too much,” Alejandro says, gesturing to everything on the table. “How can you afford this? And I’m your fiftieth case?” He pulls his head back like he can’t believe the good fortune he’s just fallen into.

“It’s not too much. There are a lot of people in this world that want to help.”

“Whose apartment am I staying in, and whose car am I driving?”

“The Morgan Foundation owns a fleet of used vehicles and a large number of properties, so it doesn’t belong to a single person. Since our program is six months, we cycle our reformers in and out,” I explain.

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