A long lane at night

2.19. THE POWER Part 2

I took a second to answer. I opened my folder on the table and there was a considerable amount of paper inside of it. I knew what each and every one of them was and I also knew where they were. It wasn't any trouble to make the selection that I needed. I took a few of them out, closed my folder back again, making sure everyone in the room noticed that I still had more to work with. I finally made four piles of different sizes in front of me.

'Before I speak for my client,' I finally said. 'I would like to address some of the points brought up by Ms Pearce here.'

Seeing how she shifted in her seat at the difference in treatment made me feel even more certain of what I was doing.

'Firstly,' I handed her, Jack, and the judge a copy of the paper on my extreme left. 'This is a compilation of studies done in the past fifteen years showing that the ratio of kids being adopted once being put back in the system has been in constant decline. Although more and more families are willing to give a home to older kids, a certain reason to rejoice, most of them reject those who had already been taken and returned by some reason. The overall prejudice being something close to asking themselves "what is wrong with this child." In possession of such information, I find it hard to believe that a devoted worker such as Ms Pearce here can honestly say she considers the best course of action for Alice Altridge-Leech is to be put back in the system.'

Silence followed as the judge skimmed through the two-page document. Janice didn't touch hers. Jack only had eyes for me. It was the best fuel I could need right now.

'Secondly,' I could notice my voice getting slightly greasy and I had to control myself to not make clear that I was actually having fun with this. This is what I do. This is where I shine. But Jack needs me and I can't wait to get home to my daughter as well, so I pull myself together.

I handed the three of them copies from the second pile, this time a single sheet.

'What you now have in hands, Ms Pearce,' I wanted her to look at what was being handed to her: her ass. 'Is an excerpt of my client's evaluation form, from the first time he was interviewed for a chance to become an adoptive parent. You will be able to see that Jack Altridge-Leech was directly asked about his reasoning for wanting to adopt before marriage. Jack, can you be a dear and read to the room your own words? They're highlighted. Just the answer will do.'

Jack cleared his throat and read, 'I was adopted myself by amazing fathers who had saved me from the hands of fate and who gave me a past I can be proud of and a future to look forward to. I know I have all the power and the will to do the same for another child.'

'You will have to understand my client's tendency to turn up a phrase,' I said, disguising what was about to be a compliment as a critique, 'he was a language student at the time. Now he is a Master of Historic Linguistics and a Professor of the same subject at the local University where, being a member of academia, he is able to help shape the future of not only the child that was bestowed upon him, but also of countless young minds that have already been through his classroom.

'It is also worth noting that the sole reason Mr Altridge-Leech has given up on his researching career to accept a more stable job as a Professor was to improve even further his chances to provide a better future for his daughter. A teaching position allows him to be home even before the end of the day, making him entirely capable to maintain a job while being a present father who is there for his child.

'I say all this, of course, to attest to Jack Altridge-Leech's perfect suitability to become an adoptive father where I, unlike Ms Pearce, would like to testify my true faith in the decision made by "some other member of the Service", or should I say, by Ms Natalie Peyer, a server with more than twenty years of experience under her belt, with whom I had the pleasure to have worked closely on the case of having my client meet all the necessary criteria.