WILL BRIDGES: The Salvation Case

Two Parallel Lines

AT A CLASSIC RESTAURANT

Bridges walked alongside Mr. Lambert and Attorney Malcolm, their faces serious as they made their way into the upscale restaurant. Bridges decided to break the ice by asking, "Are we back at this place again?"

He tried to keep his tone light, but he couldn't help but feel a bit of trepidation. He had a lot riding on this dinner, and he hoped it would go well.

Lambert looked at Bridges with a pout on his face, then turned to Malcolm, who was still silent. He turned back to Bridges and said, "Yes, we're here to see a client, and that's why we're here again."

Bridges shook his head, rolling his eyes. "Why are the three of us going to see this client?" he asked. "Why can't you go with someone else? Why do I have to come along?"

Lambert sighed and said, "Well, the client said he wanted to see the two best lawyers at L&J, so I told him we had an ace, and I also told him we had someone who was very good. And that's you and Malcolm."

Bridges still looked unconvinced, but he knew he had to play along. "Alright, fine," he said with a sigh. "But I hope this client is worth all the trouble.”

Bridges glanced at Malcolm, who was still eerily silent. Everyone needed him to be a quiet, intelligent attorney, but Bridges always felt like there was an unspoken animosity between them.

Whenever they were together, Malcolm always avoided him, and when it was time to take their seats at the dinner table, Malcolm would make sure to sit as far away from him as possible.

He wondered what it was about him that made Malcolm so uncomfortable. Was it something he had said or done? Or was it just the way he carried himself?

And this whole situation made Bridges remember something his father had once told him: ‘Two perfectly parallel lines can never meet. They can only be close together, but they can never blend, never mix.’

Was that what this was? Was that why he and Malcolm just couldn't seem to get along?

Bridges looked around the table, and his eyes landed on Malcolm again. He sighed, he cared less.

As the three of them were seated, Lambert on his phone, Malcolm's hands folded, and his eyes gazing into space, Bridges remembered something his best friend, Barry, had told him once.

Barry was no longer with them - he had passed away six years ago - but his words still rang true. "Always be aware of your surroundings, no matter what the situation," Barry had said.

Bridges scanned the restaurant, his eyes alert and watchful. His friend's words had stuck with him, and now, they were serving him well, as Bridges scanned the restaurant, his attention was drawn to a man who seemed to be watching them intently.

The man was seated in the far corner of the restaurant, and he was staring at their table with a strange, almost unsettling intensity.

Bridges felt a sense of unease wash over him. Who was this man, and what did he want?

Suddenly, the man brought out his phone and started recording them. Alarmed, Bridges tapped Lambert on the shoulder and pointed to the man.

Lambert clicked his fingers, and immediately, two security men approached the man and escorted him out of the restaurant.

It turned out that the man was just a fan of Bridges, and he had gotten a bit too excited at the sight of him. The whole thing was a misunderstanding, but it was still a little unsettling.

After a few minutes of waiting for their client, an old man and his son walked into the restaurant and approached their table. The old man introduced himself and his son, and it seemed like he took a particular liking to Bridges.

They had a pleasant conversation, and then Malcolm excused himself and said he had to leave. Lambert gave him permission to go, and the man left the restaurant.

"Can I leave too?" Bridges asked Lambert, sounding a bit exasperated after the clients and Malcolm had left.

Lambert smiled, and there was a mischievous glint in his eye. "I'll let you leave if you promise to piggyback my daughter tomorrow," he said. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood today. I would have taken you along with me to her girl time princess party."

Bridges rolled his eyes. He knew Lambert was just teasing him, but he couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. Still, he knew it was all in good fun.

"Besides, You wouldn't want to leave me all alone in this restaurant, would you?" Lambert asked, putting on his best pouty face.

But Bridges just rolled his eyes. "Mr. Lambert, we're in public," he said. "You wouldn't want to stir up another scandal, would you?"

The comment made Lambert burst out laughing. "Oh, you just reminded me of that whole ordeal last year," he said. "Remember how the news and the public were speculating that we were gay?"

"I could never forget that ridiculous rumor," Bridges said, shaking his head in amusement. "It was quite the scandal, but we cleared the air pretty quickly. Thankfully, people are a lot more open-minded these days."

Lambert nodded in agreement. "People are definitely more accepting of different lifestyles these days," he said. "But it's still important to be respectful of others' privacy. We can't go around making jokes about people's personal lives, even if they're in the public eye."

"So, did you bring Malcolm along just to avoid any potential gossip?" Bridges asked, finally piecing it together. "You were worried that people would start speculating again if they saw us together?"

Lambert paused for a moment before answering. "I won't lie to you," he said. "That was part of the reason. But it's not the only reason. I also wanted to give Malcolm a chance to network and make connections. He's a good lawyer, and I want to help him succeed."

Lambert put his hands up in surrender, a mock-defeated expression on his face. "You got me, boss!" he said. "No one can outsmart the great detective, Bridges."

Bridges laughed. "Flattery will get you nowhere, Lambert," he said. "But I appreciate the effort."

Despite the fact that Lambert was eight years older than Bridges, he always seemed to be in a good mood. He laughed, talked, and was friendly with everyone he met.

Bridges, on the other hand, was reserved and serious. He barely laughed or talked to people, and was often labeled a perfectionist by the media.

Some said it was because he was so good at his job, while others speculated that he was simply shy or introverted. Whatever the case, Bridges was an enigma to many.

While Bridges' serious demeanor might have made him seem unapproachable to some, those who knew him well knew that he was a kind and thoughtful person.

Underneath his stoic exterior, there was a beautiful soul locked in. He was just not one to show his emotions easily, preferring to keep them close to the chest.

But for those who took the time to get to know him, Bridges was a loyal and trustworthy friend.

Lambert had been close with Bridges ever since he joined L&J Laws. He was drawn to people who were excellent at their jobs, and Bridges was no exception. Malcolm was another such person - he was an exceptional lawyer.

As Lambert continued to stare at Bridges, who was preoccupied with checking his wristwatch, he noticed the intense gaze.

When Bridges looked up and met his gaze, he rolled his eyes bored and asked, "I saw your ex-wife go into your office yesterday. I hope she didn't cause any trouble?"

"You mean Jenny?" Lambert asked. He looked at Bridges expectantly, and the latter nodded.

"Of course. Who else could it be? Is there another wife you divorced aside from her?"

Lambert held his gaze for a moment before continuing, "She didn't cause any trouble, just the usual threats and intimidation." He laughed but his laughter was tinged with bitterness.

"She's relentless, isn't she?" Bridges said. "I don't know what her problem is, but it's getting old.”

"Jenny is the last person I want to think about right now," Lambert said. "I don't even want to talk about her."

"Did she come to see Peony, too?" Bridges asked, referring to their daughter.

Lambert nodded. "Yes, she did. But I'm done talking about her. She was a mistake in my life, a mistake I wish I could go back and change."

His voice was heavy with regret, and Bridges knew that the topic was difficult for him. He hoped they could change the subject to lighten the mood.

Bridges too didn't fancy talking about Jenny at all. He had grown to dislike her for doing what she did to Lambert so he tried to change the subject, but Lambert beat him to it. "So, are you planning to date anyone? Anyone I know, I mean, we know?" he asked, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Who are you referring to?" Bridges asked, suspecting his grin.

"Laurie, of course!" Lambert replied, winking at him.

"No, no, no! That would never work. Laurie's like a sister to me!" Bridges protested. But his words only made Lambert more insistent.

"Geez, Bridges, what do you mean 'like a sister' to you? Does she even feel the same, I mean, like you're a brother to her?" Lambert asked, still laughing.

But it wasn't funny to Bridges. He stood up, annoyed. "That's not true! She's really like a sister to me!" he said.

"Come on, lighten up!" Lambert said, standing up as well. "I'm just messing with you." But Bridges was already walking out the door.

Lambert rushed to catch up with him, grabbing his arm. "Remember what you said before?" Bridges said, pulling his arm away. "No public displays of closeness, remember?"

Lambert raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright! You're no fun," he said, but his smile showed that he was only half-serious. "Let's go eat. I'm starving."

Bridges grumbled, but he let Lambert lead him back to their table. They sat down and resumed their meal, the incident mostly forgotten.

Just then, something caught Lambert's attention. He cleared his throat, remembering something. "Oh, a new case came in a few days ago, and I think I might want to give it to Malcolm," he said, looking at Bridges. "What do you think?"

Bridges felt a flash of irritation. "You're going to trust Malcolm with this one?" he asked, his tone slightly accusatory. "After what happened last time?"

Lambert looked at him, surprised. "Come on, that was an isolated incident,” he scoffed inwardly and continued. “After all, he's just a little bit off, you both are not so different.”

Bridges looked at Lambert, studying his face. He was silent for a long moment, then finally said, "Yeah, I guess you can try it. I think I might need a break anyway."

Lambeth smiled, relieved. "That's the spirit! You deserve a vacation but sadly I can't grant that," he said, picking up his fork again.

They resumed eating, the tension broken. But Bridges couldn't help but wonder what this new case would mean for Malcolm. And more importantly, for him.

He could only hope he stayed above every other attorney in all of Swansea, not just L&J Laws.