Just Be True To Me

“This man, my client, his name doesn’t matter. All you need to know is that he is everything you think he is. Liar. Adulterer. Womanizer. This man is a predator. Don not trust him around any women you care about.” She removed the bandage on her forehead, receiving an audible gasp in response. “A man was the cause of this. My own father.” The audience gasped again.

Her targets’ eyes were wide, their mouths agape. Her smirk grew into a grin. They were in the palm of her hands. The key to winning any case was to take the jurors on an emotional rollercoaster. Another tip given by Milton.

“I found out he was cheating on my mother. I wear his mistakes just like my client’s victims. He’s an asshole,—

“Language Ms. Bishop,” the judge said.

“—his crimes leave emotional and physical scars, but that is all,” Mia continued. “He is a predator that hunts for va*ina, not dollars. You want to lock him away for being a perv, we can do that at another trial, but as for this one, he is not guilty.”

The champagne cork tumbled across the floor. Cheers filled the offices as Mia opened the doors. Confetti rained down on her head as she walked through the wall of applause. The associates gave her high fives and back slaps, offering kind words, both with the intent of being noticed and getting on her good side. The bass in the music thumped through the walls, the vibrations causing the floors to shake. She lived for moments like these.

“Everybody.” Milton Lent, the managing partner, was standing on a filing cabinet. His sharp whistle cut through the noise. “The champ is here.” Everyone began cheering again as she made her way toward him. “I’ll keep it short since I know you all have cases you need to prepare for. We all know about the streak.”

Behind him was a large white banner. Bright red letters spelled out her name. A manual scoreboard rested on the table beneath it.

He slid an arm across her shoulders. “Do you want to do the honors or should I?”

“You’re my good luck charm,” she said.

He flipped the number on the right. “14 cases in a row. We all know it’s not a competition—his eyes rolled—but I’m pretty damn sure that we have the best lawyer in the whole damn city. Like I said, we have cases that we should be working on, but today, they can wait. There’s cake and ice cream in the break room.” After the cheering ended, he and Mia walked back to his office. Despite closing the door, the noise still found a way inside.

“Thanks for this, Bobby. I really appreciate it.” She laughed as he pulled out a bottle of champagne. Accepting the cup he handed her, they clinked and she took a sip.

After tossing his cup in the trash, he stared at her for a long while. “Hasn’t been that long, but it feels like it. You’ve come a long way. I still remember your first trial.”

“Please don’t.”

“You froze.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she was tried to delete the memory. “You don’t have to remind me. I work so hard so that that never happens again.”

“Be glad it happened. That was the turning point of your career.” Making his way to the other side of the desk, he sat on the edge, his eyes flowing over her face. He held her chin. His touch was soft as his thumb traced the shape of her jaw. “I’m proud of you. So proud.”

“That means a lot to me.”

He opened his arms, wrapping them tightly around her as she stepped into them. “You’re like the daughter I never had.”

“You have three daughters,” she said with a laugh.

“Yeah, but they’re doctors. You’re competitive like me. They wanna save lives and make people better.”

She continued laughing after he released her. “You’re set. You have someone to save you and get you out of trouble.”

His eyes shone at the epiphany. “I’m a lucky man.”

“And don’t you ever forget it.” Finishing what was in her cup, Mia trashed it. “If that’s all, I have a potential case that I need to check out.”

“I have one more surprise for you.” Milton reached across the desk and pulled the middle drawer open, pulling out a wrinkled envelope. Flattening it on his thigh, he held it out. “For your hard work.”

Taking it, she pulled the door open. “Thanks boss.”

“And I’m officially putting you on vacation for the next week. “You need a break and I know you won’t take one unless I make you.” His guffaw overpowered the music as he watched the joy drain from her face. “Don’t worry, I do the same things for my other girls.” His laugh deepened at her scowl. “I love you. Have an awesome vacation.”

The first three days of Mia’s vacation had passed in a state somewhere between semi-consciousness and unconsciousness. Though she didn’t want to admit it, she’d needed the break. Having worked up to 70 hours a week since the streak started, her mind and body took full advantage of the rest. The break also allowed her to take advantage of the self-care articles she liked to read. Steaming hot baths, steaming hot mugs of tea, hanging out in her leopard print Snuggie, and filling her stomach with foods that her trainer assured her came from the devil himself were what her waking hours consisted of. Most satisfying of all was the gift of airplane mode. Her phone hadn’t been so quiet since the day she’d gotten it.

Deciding that it was time to resurface, she turned the silencer off. The calls and texts rushed at her like a tidal wave.

Her mother’s picture appeared on the screen. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Hello to you too,” Mia said with a huge smile.

“I’ve been trying to call you for the past three days. I filed a missing person’s report.”

A soft whirring appeared in the background. “Are you printing flyers?”

“No. Yes. You know how I get. I was worried.”

“I know mommy. I’m sorry. Milton made me take a week off. I turned off my phone.” Mia meandered into the living room and filled her tea kettle. She nodded absentmindedly as she listened. Turning on the TV, she was immediately taken by the handsome man that was speaking on-screen.

“Are you even listening to me?” Anita asked.

“Yeah, of course.”

“Then you’re okay with dark maple for your father’s casket?”

Mia choked on the water she was drinking. “What? Daddy’s dead?”

“See, you weren’t listening.”