Modern Day Girl: A Short Story

Speeding down the highway, Attorney Henry Brookhurst wanted to arrive at the mortuary ahead of the invited guests. Arriving at the Sunnyside Funeral Home, he went through the gate and drove up the hillside to the main office. After parking, he locked his car and hurried to the office. “I’m Henry Brookhurst. I have an appointment with Julie. Is she available?’ He said, entering the office and looked around. The young man sitting at the desk pointed toward a chair, “Have a seat over there, I’ll see if she’s available,” he said and entered the door on his right.
Within minutes, he returned with a young woman, “I’m Julie and it is an honor to meet you. Would you, come with me?” She said and went down the hallway.
When they arrived at her office,

The rest of you can’t hold your head up either because you are just the same selfish and phony friends as they were.”
“I can tell you something else now that I’m no longer with you. A man sitting in this room sold out our town. That’s ─ right, he sold it out when he voted to allow Modern Day Girl Cosmetics to open a factory here. Knowing the factory used live animals for testing their cosmetics. Now they are going to build slaughterhouse. Shame on you for doing something like that, sure we needed a ballpark, but not such an extravagant one. There are many people out of work, but honestly, don’t you think we need to protect the animals that are unable to protect themselves?” “Don’t misunderstand what I said. Please, I know how important it is to have a nice ballpark for our kids. Gee whiz, the animals are important. We all know that somehow, they would have gotten the ballpark fixed up without using dirty money. Come on now, the poor animals are unable to survive alone, and sometimes they need a little help,” she said and looked as though she was going to cry.
“Mary, you tell them because I stutter,” Ernest yelled and

When I made this tape a few months ago, they wanted to expand the factory. At that time, I paid to have an anonymous person purchase the land joining the factory to prevent the expansion. The paperwork is in my safe at home, and Mr. Brookhurst has the code to open it. This land now belongs to you. Please, close the factory and build a hospital/forever loving home for the benefit of our little friends. You’ll have the sum of fifty-million dollars to build and operate it.”
Clapping his hands, Ernest shouted, “Right on there, my friend, I will do just that!”
A man from the back of the room yelled out, “I don’t believe that. They’re still going to expand the factory.”
“You’re so wrong,” Ernest said and looked at Mr. Brookhurst, who was shaking his head that they no longer wanted to expand. “There’s a person among you who gave me a beautiful dish for my birthday. Well, guess what stupid. That was the gift I gave you, for your anniversary the year before you gave it to me for my birthday. If you are going to recycle gifts, please write the name of the original giver on it before you give it again.” When she stopped talking, and shook her head in disgust as several people complained Mrs. Jenkins only brought them there to insult