“Avoid each other. It’s been years, Andrew. You and Dad used to be close.”

“I know exactly how long it’s been. Do you think I like the way things are between us?” He cracked his knuckles. “But he refuses to support me in my decision to become an attorney. You know I tried coming home a few times after I moved away, but all he did was bitch at me the whole time, telling me I was avoiding the responsibility I had to the family business. He told me more than once how disappointed he was in me. He won’t let it go, and I’m tired of being hounded, so I stopped calling. What else is there to say?”

Jeni sighed. “I don’t know. I just hate seeing you two at each other’s throats.”

“We’re not at each other’s throats. We’ve moved on to complete avoidance.”

“That’s worse.”

“It is what it is, Jeni. If I’ve come to terms with it, you can, too.”

…

Despite a heaviness in his limbs, a sign of fatigue he was starting to get used to the week after chemo, Andrew spent Monday afternoon at the DA’s office. He put in twelve to fifteen hours per week, and with the Thanksgiving holiday the office would be closed the latter half of the week.

Todd Griffin, a seasoned prosecutor who had been with the Kansas City DA for fifteen years, took Andrew on to help with a domestic violence case. Though Andrew was disturbed by the information in the case file, he needed to be prepared to handle cases like this one.

Their client, Isla, was a woman in her thirties whose husband had a history of assault. For several years the police had responded to incidents at their home, but Isla had never wanted to press charges. Four months ago, Isla’s husband had attacked her and their seven-year-old son, which was the first time their child had incurred injuries. That, combined with Isla’s broken arm and ruptured spleen, had prompted her to move forward with protective orders and to file a lawsuit.

Each time Andrew worked on this case, he thought about his sisters and what he would do if he ever found out that a man had physically hurt them. Today, just like each time before, his blood boiled at the thought. People were meant to form partnerships and relationships based on mutual respect and love. Not out of a need to control or possess. He couldn’t understand the mind-set of people like Isla’s husband, and Andrew felt honored to be part of the team attempting to hold the man accountable for his actions.