From Dusk Till Dawn (English)

I

On this foggy morning, I am sitting in my bed. My legs are sprawled in the white cotton sheets and I'm feeling thoughtful about my life at the moment. My girlfriend just left the house for her work and I have another rough day planned. I'm a lawyer in a small advocate cabinet. I just had this job as I finished my studies at Oxford. I had to find a place to practice and get some more experience before getting some recognition in this harsh shark world. Of course, it wasn't as prestigious as some of my friends, who were recruited by well-known businesses, but at least I knew I would find my way to get in a better position soon.

I got up and made myself a quick breakfast. I dressed up in my casual lawyer outfit, suit and tie, and drove to the court. In the heart of Kensington district on this grey and foggy London morning, I had to meet a new client to defend. Usually, I work on small cases. Most of them are smooth criminals, not dangerous people. They usually did small robberies or vandalism, but nothing too violent.

I opened the door and slid into this amazing jungle of good and bad ferocious people. I didn't know what my day could be like on this typical Londonian morning.

-Mr. Payne? We found you a new client, said my assistant, sitting by the office.

-OK, I'll get to meet the accused as soon as possible. I just need to classify some old files from yesterday. Thank you for letting me know Jessica, I told the tiny brunette.

I put some files in the locked drawer and I took a deep breath as usual. Every meeting is stressful as I didn't study the cases, always getting assigned to these likewise customers at the last minute. I read quickly the document Jessica gave me. I grab another latte and hailed a taxi to get to the county jail where my next client was detained.

- Good morning Mr. Payne, the security guard greeted me. You know the deal! he smiled.

I passed the metal detector and he checked my bag as usual. I took note of the room where my client was assigned and revised the notes about the case again.

The tiny room was hot, without proper aeration due to the lack of windows. A man, with tanned skin, shaved hair and a small beard were sitting, almost crying. With his black jacket, white t-shirt and skinny jeans, I could be sure he was accused of dealing, stealing or any kind of related crimes. Nobody told me that he was one of the leaders of a local mafia around the city.

-What's your name? Can we talk? I've asked.

The guy's face was imprinted with shyness but was also raging fire at the same time. I didn't know how to react. I did get this weird feeling while looking at his dark shiny eyes. If he did the crime they relate him to, why does he have this beautiful angel face?

I left him to his thoughts and detailed the accusation again. Yes, I'm pretty insecure when it comes to working that I have to keep the pace and find more information each time. The court was judging him for burglar and gangsterism. This man with a strange name, probably not English, was leading his role into a gang of dealers who ruled the Lambeth area. Originally from Bradford, he moved to London to expand his lucrative business. I was wondering if he was able to murder someone if he was that kind of dangerous man. I was in an ambiguous situation. Quite happy with the challenge of keeping him free, I was at the same time so afraid of what could happen to me.

-Mr. Malik? I've started. So what do you wanna say for your defence?

-Nothing, it's your work to find and sort this out. I'm completely innocent, Mr. Payne, he told me with raw brown eyes.

-Completely innocent? You got a weapon, drug and attack charges, it's nothing in your situation, especially since you are in deep shit with your gang. The police are after you since a long time ago, but I'll see what I can negotiate with the judge, I added.

-Do your job, that's all that I'm asking, he reassured me with a deep look.

-I'll do. It's my first time with something that bad, but I'll do anything I can, I explained.

We discussed a few minutes of his version of the latest events which led him to these allegations.  An hour later, I sat back in my car, thoughtful.
This day changed my life. I don't know how really but I knew I was going to see life differently from now on. What will my foreseeable future will be like?