Ruth Oyelaran took her glasses off.

“Mrs.

Aldarossi, in nineteen years I have had exactly four clients walk in here with a complete asset schedule, and three of them were accountants.

You’ve just saved yourself somewhere between six and nine thousand dollars in discovery.

Do you understand that?”

I did not, at the time.

I do now.

New York is an equitable distribution state, which does not mean equal, and Ruth explained the difference to me over about forty minutes with a pen and a legal pad.