Jodie wrestles searching for a particular item in her purse. She pulls out her phone to ignore her husband’s gestures while he drives around the winding road.

Jodie texts her friend Belle, letting her know they should be arriving soon. She throws her purse in the back seat, looking annoyed. Gordon dabs his hand on the steering wheel, turns the music down to speak.

“Sorry that I missed Joel’s football game”.

Jodie rolls her eyes to remind him that he also forgot Megan’s piano recital, the twins being promoted at karate, and their oldest daughter Shannon’s award ceremony at Howard University.

“Joel was promoted at Annapolis. Remember, we have six children together. Ages 22, 18, 16, 12, and the opps! 4 year olds”.

The pulse begin to appear on the side of Gordon’s head.

“I already spoke to the kids and I’m taking all of us including your mother to Disneyworld this summer”.

Why bring my mother into this? Gordon, I wasn’t going to have my mother living alone, thousands of miles away from me after my dad’s death. You offer her to come live with us”.

His mother in law isn’t an issue, it’s their marriage. He grabs Jodie’s hand to kiss it, whispering, he’s sorry.

“Jo, this weekend, let’s reconnect with one another. I know that I’ve been swamp with work”,

“Gayle, has you swamp with work”.

He hates when Jodie brings up Gayle, his former wife and one of the partners of his family law firm.

“I thought we wasn’t going to mention her name.

“I thought she was going to Chicago to run, Kingston and Burke”.

Gayle was one of the top black female attorneys in the D.C. Maryland, and Virginia areas. If she leaves, she’ll take a third of clients with her and that will cause the law firm to bankrupt.

Jodie isn’t an attorney, accountant, didn’t come from old money. She came from a middle class family. One brother whose autistic that lives in a nearby facility. Her mother visits him everyday. Her only sister Pasty passed away when they were young.

The word simple came across her mind. Jodie graduated from High School and went straight to work. She worked at Jones Law Firm. First as a mail clerk, then phone operator, receptionist, Mr. Gordon Jones, Sr. sent her to school to become Paralegal.

While working for the law firm, she became the most recognized Paralegal. Jodie also became a key figure in The Washington vs. Jackson case. She discovered a leak that could potentially cost Gayle her career but who would listen to a woman with only High School diploma?

They finally reached the lake house, Belle shouts their here!

Gordon slaps hands with Lester, grabbing their bags from the trunk.

“How’s Jones, Gatewood, and Evans firm doing these days?”

Gordon sighs heavily, “Getting ready to make afew moves with international investors”.

Jodie and Belle scattered among the house with giggles. Giving the fellas time to chat.

“Gordon, I got that good whiskey”.

“1927 St. Marks! Pour me a shot”.

Belle is showing Jodie their lake house that was gifted by their son. Gordon follows Lester to the game room to shoot pool.

“Work is destroying my marriage, I think Jodie is going to leave me”.

Lester hits 8th in a hole smoking a cigar. “Let me guess, Gayle has you working like a mad man”.

Gordon shoots the ball but it fumbles. “I kissed Gayle”. Lester shakes his head.

“What made you do something like that? You hate her guts”.

Gordon lit his cigar exhaling the smoke, forming a smile, took a swallow of whiskey. “I do hate that bitch! I guess I felt some kind of way, she was on fire in the courtroom going after Willis Corporation. 10.5 million dollars, recouping 20 million dollars”.

They dab eachother hands. “Man that’s a good thing”.

It was more than a kissed that night. “We made love that night, Lester”. The room became silent.

Jodie received an email from a private investigator, stating that, Gordan and Gayle are having affair. She sees the photos, fleeing away from the kitchen table to the bedroom balcony.

She shows Belle the photos. “Not surprised, I’m not surprised”. Belle grabs a blanket from the bed, covering Jodie tears drop so fast, she’s trying to catch her breath but it becomes uncontrollable.

“You have options Jodie”.

“Like what Belle? I was Gordon’s 2nd option never his 1st of anything.”

Belle walks away bringing back an envelope with information regarding The Washington vs. Jackson case that can bring the firm down having Jodie owning part equity.

“Here is the information you requested. I suggest you dry your eyes and stand firm. This will bring Gayle on her knees and Gordon wishing he never fuck her”.

The information was so sensitive that the feds are looking at the firm for, wire fraud, embezzlement, and extortion.

“Jodie Ann Jones, you were never an option”.

Her tears left track marks on her cheeks, “Why do I feel like one?”

Belle pours her a glass of wine. “Sometimes we loose ourselves in our marriages, trying to be all that we for our husbands”.

Jodie thinks back being married at 20, having their first child together. She had all the enmities any woman could imagine. Except for love.

“How do I get Gordan to love me?” Belle sips her wine quietly trying to comfort her friend.

“I don’t know but what I do know, Jodie must love herself”.

Jodie excused herself, walking towards the bathroom. She looks into the mirror, remembering what Grandma Shay saying.

“Jodie Ann, valley lows don’t last forever, you gotta pull yourself out of the hole and keep going”.

Within that moment, she decided not to be anyone’s option.

As Gordon and Lester sits back on the sofa reminiscing about their college days. A text message from Jodie states, “Your days are numbered”.

Gordan re-reads the text message again, wondering what does she mean by, his days are numbered.

“What’s wrong boss?”

Gordan didn’t respond immediately. “Ah, nothing man. It’s this text message that I received from Jodie stating that my days are numbered”.

Lester switch his head side by side. “Do you think she knows?”

“Naw man, it’s probably that time of the month”.

The second text message Jodie sends Gordon is photos of him and Gayle walking out of the hotel room, text messages of them getting together after each their huge win. Including a sex video of them.

Gordon shouts out, “Damn she knows”.

Lester is also an attorney, advising him that this is going to become a battle.

“There’s a possibility you might loose”.

Gordon knows that Jodie is extremely intelligent, he was warned years ago by his father.

“Can you take the case?”

Lester wanted to say no, Gordan is,he’s best friend.

“I can but she has the facts already. If I were you, I’ll give her the alimony, child support, she’s owe and divorce without prejudice”.

Gordon understands the law, he knows Lester is right.

“What about Washington vs. Jackson case? Jodie worked on that discovery with Todd Davis”.

Lester reassured him that, he’ll have his partners looked into it.

“No worries, I’ll take care everything but what’s in it for me?”

Gordan stated, he can give him afew of his clients.

“Wright Medical Pharmaceuticals, refiner 15 million”.

Lester shook his no! “Diamond Savage”

“The rap mogul? No man. Diamond Savage stays with us”.

“What’s up with you and Diamond Savage?”

“She’s one of my favorite clients.”

Gordon has kept things quiet between him and the rap mogul since she hit the scene.

Lester settles for Wright Pharmaceuticals corporation. This will bring more wealth to his firm. Gordon already gave him equity access to Jones. They shook on a million dollar deal.

Clinking their whiskey glasses.

Belle shouted it’s dinner time.

Jodie freshens up sitting across from Gordon, barely looking at him.

Before Lester said, amen after blessing the food.

“How many bitches did you fuck or fucking?”

Jodie pulls out photos of him with Diamond Savage, Gayle Jones, and Phyllis Lawson.

Gordon swarms in his seat, requesting that everyone eat.

Jodie sits back watching him eat then simply grins as Gordon eats her shit mixed in the gravy of oxtails.