Rafael Barba Imagines

Persuasion

She was a young attorney working out of Boston, a graduate of Harvard Law. For the first few years, she had done some pro-bono work. She helped people in need, that couldn't afford a hotshot lawyer. Doing pro-bono work felt good, but she had larger plans. Her ambition brought her to New York City. She wanted to make a difference and New York City was a challenge she was ready to take on.
After moving a couple of minutes outside of the city, she immediately started networking. It was the key to success and to make a name for herself in this new city. She had a large network of people who went to Harvard, working in the city. She read up on all of the alumnis that worked in the city, but there was one name that stood out from the rest. If she was going to get ahead, she was going to have to learn from the best. So, she had her eyes set on Rafael Barba.
Rafael Barba was a well known alumni. He had quite the impressive reputation. He was known to be ruthless, made more enemies than friends. Even though he was vicious in court, he had so much integrity and pride in his work. He got the job done without resorting to dirty antics and that's what she admired of him. If she was going to convince a busy man like Rafael to mentor her, she was going to have to do a lot of research.
She spoke to a couple of people who have worked with him, trying to gauge the kind of person he was. She was confident that Barba was the perfect mentor. She wanted to learn everything from him. After reading up on his cases, she paid his office a visit. Unfortunately, he wasn't in his office, but his assistant Carmen was there. She left the ADA a handwritten note, hoping he had the time to read it.
After a week of no replies, she paid his office a visit, but this time he was in the office. She was persistent and desperately wanted to make a name for herself. She waited hours on hours. Surprisingly, the ADA never left his office. Every time she peeked through the blinds of glass, he was buried in paperwork, hands scribbling in rapid speed. Carmen felt bad, so she told her to come back tomorrow.
Even when she didn't receive a single response from him, she didn't give up. She persisted to pay his office a visit the following day. This time, she didn't want the visit to be unsuccessful again. If she wasn't going to be able to meet the ADA, she had to leave with something.
"Carmen, when does the counselor come in tomorrow morning?" She asked.
"Usually around 7 in the morning, but I can't be too sure." Carmen answered.
"I'll be here, bright and early. Last question, how does he take his coffee?" She asked, taking out her phone.
"He usually gets coffee at one of the food trucks on the way here. No milk, one sugar." Carmen revealed.
"Thank you, Carmen. I'll see you tomorrow bright and early!" She chirped and took note.
The next time she paid the man's office a visit, she was determined to make an impression. He had been ignoring her notes, and haven't had the time for her. She wasn't going to give up, because she expected to be rejected multiple times. She was mentally prepared. She didn't get as far as she did without a little perseverance. She bought coffee for both Carmen and the counselor. This time, she didn't stay. She wanted to make a better impression, and a little coffee bribe never hurt. She dropped the coffees with Carmen and another note.
"Good morning, Mr. Barba." Carmen greeted the frazzled counselor as he hurried in.
Rafael ran late that morning. Instead of arriving at 7, he was an hour late.
"Morning, Carmen." Rafael greeted her.
"Mr. Barba, she came by again. Dropped off coffee." Carmen said, lifting up a cup holder with two coffees.
"Again?" Rafael sighed and nodded.
"Yes, and also left a note." Carmen handed a folded piece of paper to him.
He nodded, accepted the cup of coffee, along with the piece of paper.
"You'll see me again soon." He read, eyes lingering at the winky smiling doodle in the corner.
He shot Carmen a curious gaze. Carmen could only shrug in response.
Later that day, a knock at the door interrupted Barba rehearsing in his office.
"Come in." He said, thinking it was Carmen.
Instead, the persistent young attorney popped her head in. He froze and stared as the smile on her face grew. She slipped in and lifted a plastic bag in her hand. He was amused by her shameless intrusion, but didn't feel offended.
"I assume you didn't eat lunch yet?" She grinned, dimple to dimple.
He sighed and tossed his note cards onto his desk. So much for rehearsing. At least, the interruption was for food, because he was starving. Even though he was hungry, he was not going to praise her for her timing.
"You're irritatingly persistent, you know that?" He said, his eyes narrowing into a scowl.
She was stubborn, so not even the scowl in his eyes intimidated her. She set the bag onto a side table and unpacked it. He felt bad for rejecting her countless times, but seeing her take charge this time, he was impressed.
"I consider that to be my better traits." She chirped.
She lifted the two wrapped hoagies as Rafael slowly approached her, taking a seat at the round table. He rolled up his sleeves, already getting ready for lunch.
"Roast beef or chicken?" She offered, waving the wrapped hoagies.
"Beef." He answered, grabbing a napkin for himself.
She handed the beef over and took a seat beside him. He kept his eyes on her, still very entertained by her casual demeanor. She acted as if they were familiar with each other.
"So what can I do for you?" He asked, then took a bite out of his wrap.
His eyes were trained right on her, anticipating a favor. She took a deep breath and smiled, hoping the smile would help disguise her nerves.
"Well, I hope that I would be gifted the opportunity to learn from you." She explained.
Judging from the his eyebrows rising, she deduced that he was surprised by her request. She thought, maybe given his reputation, he never had many requests to be a mentor.
"And why me?" Rafael asked, in between chewing.
He was genuinely curious to the true reason. He didn't feel like he gave off an approachable vibe. The only person who had asked to be mentored was Carisi. Although the time was enjoyable, Carisi had experience as a detective, something the woman before him didn't.
"Because you're the best and I want to learn from the best. You're ruthless, like a hungry shark smelling blood in the water. That's exactly the type of attorney I want to be. I am confident that I will grow from your mentorship." She confidently stated.
Rafael's stern expression was threatening to break from her flattery. He cleared his throat, trying to distract from the corner of his lips curling up.
"Flattery isn't going to get you anywhere." He quipped.
This time her eyes narrowed into a scrutinizing stare, "Really? I'm not convinced." She said, noticing the twitch in the corner of his lips.
He chuckled, despite being exposed by her. He had to admit, he admired her confidence. He wasn't sure how the whole mentorship was going to work, especially since, he couldn't see himself as a teacher. Even so, he wanted to give it a try. He had a feeling it was going to be an interesting journey.
"Fine. You can start tomorrow morning. 8AM sharp." He said.
Her eyes lit up and a bigger smile spread on her face. Her heart raced with excitement. She stuck out her hand and beamed when he shook her hand.