New World

Part II: Dylan Cooper; CHAPTER TEN: New Client

It's another gloomy day. I wonder if I will be able to get new clients again. I don't want it. I need it – badly. My supplies are running short. I am not earning anymore because of that incident that changed my life forever. Since that incident happened, I lost hope. I lost faith. I lost the persons I love. I lost everything – even myself.

People call me crazy because of my thoughts and I do not mind them because I believe that if I give them the impression that I am tolerating what they are saying, then they will think that I really am crazy. I do not mind them. Why should I mind them? They do not affect me. I do not affect them. I am happy with what I am doing and they should get out of my way.

Sometimes I think what if I quit being a lawyer? No one trusts me, anyway. They even believe that I am crazy. Since that incident happened, everyone in New World criticized me. They say that I am weak. I am a failure. I am nothing. And those words push me to quitting being a lawyer. Of course, why would anyone waste time waiting for the impossible to come? Some would say that it would be foolish to do so. Waiting for the impossible to come is like waiting for oil and water to combine.

But whenever I think of quitting, I remember that there are still people out there who seek justice. There are still people out there who are waiting for someone to help them escape the suffocating ambiance of a cold prison cell. There are still people out there who are suffering because of the doings of others. And I know that if there is one person that can help them with their problems, it is I, the Great Dylan Cooper.

Oh, how I miss that. Back in the time when I was famed for the cases that I won, I was called the Great Dylan Cooper. The whole New World trusted me. A lot of jobs were entering my office every day. And I was able to win all of them. All of the newspaper headlines contained my name. Actually, I have a boxful of those newspapers hidden under my bed. But every time I take a look at them, a pain strikes my heart. It reminds me that it is now just a part of my past. The stars that used to light my way lost their brightness. The people who have been so friendly to me when I was rich slowly started walking away from me. I hate them. If I could tell them how much I hate them, I would do it. The bad thing is I do not know where they are. I loathe them very much. All they wanted of me was my money.

Ding dong!

I was shocked. I was surprised. I just heard my doorbell ring! I just heard my doorbell ring! Excitement rushed through my veins. My heart beat fast. It means I have a new client. It means that someone trusts me again. I will be able to get my mind working again. I am so excited.

I quickly stood up and excitedly walked to the entrance of my house. I reached for the door knob and turned it. I pulled the door and saw a familiar face. She is small, freckled, her hair is black, and she is suppressing a smile. The smile on my face faded. It's just Ethel, an old friend.

"Oh. Ethel. What are you doing here? Is there something that I can help you with?" I respectfully asked.

"Dylan, I need you."

"With what?"

"Uhm... maybe we could talk about it inside your house?"

Inside my house? How dare she request to enter my house? After what she has done to me? After she betrayed me inside this very house of mine? "Look – I stopped buying pleasure from a whore like you. You know that, right?"

She did not reply. I waited for her to respond but all I was able to receive was her message from her watery eyes. She looked at me like I insulted her.

"Look – I respect you," she said with a trembling voice, "and I want you to know that I am very sorry for that. I can't blame you for hating me. It was my fault after all."