PALINDROME by Lawrence Kelter Read Free Book Online

wardrobe to choose from, a
veritable actors costume chest from which Ax and I selected the
proper accoutrements, the final touches that meant the difference
between make or break. It was mostly used stuff from secondhand
shops, which were in vogue on Long Island and in the city. The
secondhand thing had become a bit of a scam; wealthy North Shore
and prominent Manhattan women would peddle their one-season-old
Gucci and Prada at the secondhand store, score the extra cash, and
then use hubby’s credit card to buy a new wardrobe. They would use
the extra cash to cover those indulgent items their husbands didn’t
like them spending their hard-earned money for. To gild the lily,
they would then take credit for being thrifty. It’s no way to
maintain a healthy relationship, but I knew it was going on all
over. “I’ve given up lunch with the girls at Nobu; it was too
extravagant.” Pure BS: the charges were just not showing up on the
credit-card statement anymore.
    Ax and I had planned the evening down to the
smallest detail, and because Ax was such a neurotic, we had
rehearsed each segment of the evening until there was no chance for
error. For our date, I met Keith outside an office building where I
told him I was doing some part-time work. As such I did not have to
give him Allie’s actual home address. I told him that she lived in
Muttontown. The high-rent address was enough to sell the rich-girl
mystique Keith seemed to like so much. The address, like the rest
of the backstory Ax and I had created, was pure fiction. So Allie
was me, and I was Allie. Ax had posed as Dana, the clumsy but
gorgeous waitress at Prime. Knocking over the glass of water was no
accident, nor were the Jessica Rabbit boobs we knew Keith would be
unable to resist.
    Back to the here and now, I was Allie once
again and I—I mean, we —were wearing a freshly laundered,
classic, pink blouse with ruffles and lots of fabric to belie the
impact of her youthful body. Tailored black slacks and simple low
wedge sandals rounded out the presentation. Our very appearance
spoke to our innocence. Now, if I could just turn my old,
rust-bucket car into the BMW I knew the real Allie drove . . . but
that would mandate grand larceny auto, and I had no intention of
ending up behind bars. So, I parked the old clunker a few blocks
away and hoofed it over to the Legal Aid attorney’s office.
    Louis Gelfman came free of charge, and to be
honest, that was the only form of counsel I could afford. The real
Allie would have had her parent’s financial strength behind her and
would have anted up plenty for a swanky Garden City attorney, but
for me, guile had to go a long way.
    Ax and I are pretty hard up for money. We
share a two-bedroom condo that we’ve inherited from our Aunt Sue.
The place is very dated. Okay it’s a disaster area. It needs a ton
of work, but it’s mortgage-free. What can I say? It’s better than
living on the street, and I know what that feels like.
    Louis Gelfman may not have worked for a
hotshot law firm, but he had a sincere face. Pictures of his family
covered every inch of his credenza. I could see that he had a young
daughter, so I knew without asking just what he thought about sex
offenders and how he would treat an attempted rapist. BTW, Gelfman
had a JD Diploma from Columbia Law School, so he was obviously not
a dope.
    “Thanks so much for coming in,” Gelfman
began. “I know this can’t be easy for you.”
    Allie smiled. “Where else would I be? I mean
this guy—” Allie started to choke up. No tears, not yet, just
enough emotion to sell the story. I took a pack of tissues out of
my purse and held onto them for effect.
    Gelfman seized an empty water glass and
filled it from a carafe. “We’ll take it slow,” he said. “Here,
drink some water.”
    Allie took a moment to gain composure. The
emotion she displayed on her face appeared sincere and accurate to
Gelfman’s eye. “So, why am I here? You said something about an
offer?