Find For You

Eating cookies and watching Stallone movies

For Miles, the courtroom suddenly became a broad and shadowy cavern. Even his suit felt too big for his body and it was as if he was playing dress-up in his father's clothes. He was scared of how the judge would rule.

Back in October, his girlfriend had broken up with him over the phone. She said she loved him and this was difficult for her, but that he wasn't good for her. She said living with him was like playing Whack-A-Mole with one crisis quickly following another and no time for peace in between. She hoped they could both be happier with other people.

Miles was devastated. He almost wished that she had just dumped him for someone with more money. Was it true that his life was nothing but a series of crises? Maybe. But wasn't that everyone's life? No. His friend Wayne seemed to have it figured out, at least partially. He had money troubles and health scares occasionally, but there were times when he was thriving. Wayne said things like, "This is going to be a great day. Get after it." He should have hated Wayne, but no one could hate that guy.

The break-up affected his concentration at work. The quality of his sleep was atrocious. He got up in the middle of the night to eat cookies and watch Sylvester Stallone movies. He was waking up looking hungover and groggy.

Judge Reynolds said, "I find for the defendant. We will have another hearing next month about damages. Counsel for the Plaintiff, consider this an admonishment for your lack of preparation and borderline ineffective assistance. You have a lot to learn about lawyering." Ugh, Judge Reynolds was the worst. When he was mad, lines would form around his woolly eyebrows and it looked like two sheep were walking on a trail.

Miles was brought back to a childlike mindset of wondering (a) whether he was in trouble and (b) how much trouble he was in. He had lost cases before but that cut both ways. On the one hand, he knew his firm wouldn't fire him over one loss. On the other hand, the losses were adding up now and this might be more than they could overlook. His client had been expecting to win between $300,000 and $350,000 today. He looked at the clock. 2:30. An eternity passed. 2:33. FML.

Back at Miles's apartment, Haruki said, "Hey Miles, just so you know, I'm making my shrimp tonight and it's for me only. Capisce?"

"I took like three shrimp from you and that was a year ago. Can you please get over it?" asked Miles. He went into the pantry and looked for any snacks that were his.

"It's not just shrimp. It's toothpaste, it's shampoo, it's detergent – detergent is a big one. Do you know Kroger charges twenty-one dollars for detergent?" said Haruki.

"Why are you spending $21 on a bottle of detergent?" asked Miles. He was only half-listening. The search for snacks was disappointing.

"I buy the good detergent because it lasts longer and it makes my clothes last longer. In the end, it's worth it. You don't think about the long game," said Haruki.