Violets Are Blue

Chapter 4: Violet

I was given the room number of the lawyer I was going to be shadowing. I know I wasn’t suppose to come until next year but I just had to see what I’m going to be doing. I took a bus after school to downtown. The bus stop was across the street from
the firm.
I would always pass by it but never went in. My father would never allow me. He would scold me when I was a little child whenever I tried to follow him to work. He always loved to keep his family life and work life apart. I walked up the grand steps, taking in each step.
I marveled at the sight in front of me. The building was large, with thick steps being split into two by a twenty foot stone statue of lady justice. The building was five stories tall made of white brick, with tinted windows. At the top was a bell tower, with a  replica liberty bell within it. I couldn’t help but smile. My first time in these walls. I know I passed by it many time but now I can step in and follow my dreams, just as my father did.
The paper said the lawyer’s name is Thomas Black and he was on floor three, room twenty-four.
I arrived at the elevator and was followed by two other workers. It was a man ane woman, no doubt they work here. The lady looks to be in her early twenties. She was white. The man looks to be in his early forties, probably the same age as my father. I never got to see his face, just his short brown, greying, hair, “I have a case for Toledo v. Morrison. I need you to go and file this under new cases and also change all of my morning appointments to evening appointments, tomorrow.” The man said.
“Yes, sir.” The lady said.
The elevator door opened on the second floor and the lady stepped out. The elevator doors were beginning to close, the man stuck his hand between the doors and the elevators reopened.
“I’m gonna miss you when you’re gone.” He said with a smile.
The lady gave a heartwarming smile, “Don’t worry I’ll be here for about six more months.” The doors closed.
“Why is she leaving?” I asked.
He turned around. I don’t even think he noticed I was here. “She's my intern. A very good intern. She took this internship a few years ago, but now she’s leaving.
“Why?”
“She recently got an admission into Brown University. She decided to free herself to focus on her studies. She starts in six months.”
“Wow.” I said. “She got into brown?”
“Yeah.” He said. He had a proud look on his face. He knew that she would go onand make something of her life.
“She’s gonna be something great isn’t she.” I said.
“Yeah she is.”
“How nice.”
The doors opened and he and I stepped out.
“You’re quite perceptive, young lady.”
“Thank you. I’m hoping to be a Lawyer some day.”
“Well isn’t that nice. I wanted my intern to become a lawyer, but she wants to be a judge.” I wanted to tell him that I was following my father’s footstep, but knowing myself I would have to bring up his death. I didn’t want to think about it right now in such a happy moment.
“So what brings you here?” the man asked.
“I have an internship with a lawyer here. His name is Thomas Black.”
“Oh really? Internships aren’t renewed until next year.” He said.
“Yeah, I know but I thought I could come early and see what I’m going to be getting myself into. You know him?”
“I guess you can say that.”
“What made you want to be a lawyer, If I might ask?” He asked.
“Well.” I thought about my words. I still didn’t want to bring up my father. “I wanted to become a lawyer because of influences in my life. I love the idea of helping people. I live to serve justice whenever it is needed.”
“Wise words.”
We both stepped off the third floor. I looked at the numbers of the doors we both passed by. I finally saw room twenty-four. So did the lawyer. He took out a pair of keys and opened the door. He turned around, showing his dark grey eyes. “My name is Thomas black.”
I was quiet. I didn’t expect it to be him. I stuttered, “H-h-hello Mr. Thomas Black.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Violet.” He said with a smile.
“How do you know my name?”
“I was told the internship would be given to you. I couldn’t help but be happy to know I was going to be interning the daughter of a friend.”
“You knew my father?” I asked.
“Yeah, he was my legal partner from time to time."
I stared him down. He looked familiar. I finally realized he was one of the pallbearers at the funeral.
“So how long have you known my father?” I had to ask. I never met any of my father’s friends.
“I’ve known him for about sixteen years. He was a good man and a wonderful lawyer.”
“He was?”
“Yeah. Would you like to see his office?”
I simply nodded my head. We went back to the elevator. He pressed the the button to the highest floor in the building. His room was the only thing on the floor. His office. My father’s office. It had grey carpet, with light grey walls. In the top center sat a
dark brown desk. It still had documents he was looking over, laid down on it. In the top left corner it had a nice shelf of books. On the right were two stacks of folders in a paper
basket bin. They were labeled won and loss. The cases he won were about five feet tall. There may be even more. There were only two in the loss bin.
Curiosity guided me to the loss stacks. The one on top was from when he was just starting out. That was understandable. The one at the bottom was the one that
made my heart skip a beat. It was titled Jefferson v. Jefferson. My mother and father. I could be wrong. I picked it up and opened it. My theory was proven true.
He was defending himself. I wondered if my mother had a lawyer. Still the one word jammed in my head was loss. He lost the case. I read it more and saw that it was a custody battle. The one he claimed to have won. Hell he did win. He has me. But the documents never lie.
“How much of a father was he?” I looked back. I completely forgot he was here.
He was standing over the desk, looking at the pictures my father had put down for others to view. I relaxed myself.
“He was a great father.” I said with a soulless smile.
“How about your step-mother, Abigail?” He asked.
I wondered how he knew my father’s wife, but I remembered he was a friend of my fathers. He may have talked about it at some point.
“That isn’t my mother anything.” I let my anger get the best of me. Mr. Black could see the anger in my eyes and didn’t ponder on it for too long.
He led me out of the room and back down to the first floor.
“Since you’re here I wanna show you the ropes of what you’ll have to do.”
He led me down a long hall. “This place is also a place of study as much as it’s a place of work.” He led me to a court room. The room had rows of light brown wood chairs, with the defendant’s table on the right and the plaintiff’s on the left. The judge’s
chair was in front of both tables, with a smaller witness stand on both sides. In the top right of the room was the jury. Mr. Black continued. “This place is the natural habitat of the lawyer. As soon as you step in this room you need to have a well, organized, plan.
Your evidence, your client, even your speech, needs to be ready before you even think about putting your toe through the door.”
I was so enamoured by his knowledge. He looked like a man who knew his way around the courtroom.
“How many cases did you win and lose?”
“I lost count. I didn't keep a bin like your father did. But I know how many cases I’ve lost. A lawyer never forgets that. I lost five cases in my time as a lawyer.”
Lost. It was on my mind again. My father lost me. But how? He has custody of me? I tried not to think about it right now. I was here to learn more about the internship.
Everything else can wait.
“What if you can tell if someone is lying during the court battle?”
Mr. Black thought for a moment, “If you know your opponent is lying do nothing.
You need to have faith in the evidence you have brought. Let the opponent worry about that. Remember you can’t have evidence to something that never happened.”
I wondered if my mother lied, and my father couldn’t find anything to back up his truth. Sometimes justice can be blind. Really blind.
“Now follow me. I’ll show you the places of study.”
He led me down another corridor into another room. This room had a large
screen at the end of it, and rows of chairs and tables. Young people sat in them. No more than twenty. They were either new lawyers, or lawyers in training. They had on headphones, and a video was playing.
“This is the screening room. This is where students, or beginner lawyers come to study other, more experienced, Lawyers. We hand pick cases that were already won, or
videos of lawyers who have passed, to keep it safe. In here we want someone to look at all the things to do right, as well the things that can be done wrong. You'll be doing this in your final years of becoming a lawyer, if you choose to work or continue your intern at this firm.”
I kept on looking at the video. To see if I can spot anything wrong, to see if I have at least the smallest amount of knowledge. I was staring so intently it took me a second to see my father appear on the screen.
He was wearing one of his usual suits. He was talking but I couldn’t hear him. His defendant had a scared look on his face. My father said a few words which caused his client to look shocked, as if he said something he was not suppose to say. The judge
thought for a moment and banged his gavel. My father smiled, and the defendant stopped sweating. He looked relieved. He shook my father’s hand.
I didn’t know what was exactly going on but I know my father won, using his knowledge and wits. I smiled. My father then looked at me. Not to the camera. At me. The same look he gives me whenever he sees me. The only look a father can give to a daughter. It was as if he knew someday I would be looking at this video.
I excused myself. The pit in my stomach was returning. The sad reminder that he was gone. I rubbed my temple. I tried so hard to just forget about it and focus on such a
happy and proud occasion, but this damn pit just won’t go away.
I heard Mr. Black come from the screening room. “I’m sorry, I didn't know it was a video of his court date.”
“It’s fine,” I replied. “I just didn't expect it. I’m fine honestly.”I faked another smile.
Mr. Black sighed.
“A good lawyer can always tell when someone is lying and you’re lying.”
I sighed. “Is it that obvious?”
“Not really.” He said, “You can’t hide a lie but you can at least react to it
differently.” He touched my shoulder. “Look, I don’t know what you’re going through right now. I mean you lost your father. You need to talk with someone who has experienced the same thing, or at least someone who knows him the way you did.”
I thought of my mother. I should go see her again.
I thanked Mr. Black for allowing me to come here, and he said he’ll see me in six months.
I walked out the door and headed toward the bus stop. The bus wasn’t suppose to arrive for another two hours according to the schedule. I decided to walk four blocks
to the other one. As I was walking, I saw Abigail’s car come into view. I didn't want a ride from her. I turned the corner as she drove up and hoped she wouldn’t look to her right.
I peeked around the corner. Unfortunately there was a red light. Luckily she wasn’t looking to her right. Hell she wasn’t even looking forward. She was looking down
at something. She had a depressed look on her face. She didn’t even notice when the light turned green. She was although told by the car horn, and she drove off. I wondered what was bothering her, but at the same time I didn’t care.
I walked from the corner but kept on looking back, in case she would somehow see me from her rear view mirror. I didn’t see the woman in front of me and we bumped heads. We both fell and she dropped some cards she was holding.
“I’m so sorry.” I said. I got a look at the woman. She was wearing a very white sun dress. I got a look at her face. She was Mexican and her hair was in a slightly messy bun. Her face looked a bit unruly with dark bags under her brown eyes.
Nonetheless she looked no more than to be in her late twenties.
“It’s fine,” she said. “I wasn’t looking either.”
We both picked up the cards and she gave me one, and was on her way.
I read the card: Harold and co. self-rehabilitation clinic. I stuffed it in the pocket of my jacket.