edenjane
02-08-2009, 09:34 AM
There's definitely going to be more added to this. I'm just not exactly sure what yet.
The first thing that she would remember about that day would not be that she woke to a shrieking alarm clock at four AM. It would not be that she cleaned her apartment until it felt sanitized, despite the fact it had already been inspected for cleanliness and adequacy. She would not remember sitting in a freshly painted nursery; nor would she remember sobbing into an unopened pack of receiving blankets, suddenly understanding why friends had asked if she was sure she wanted to finish the room just yet. She would not remember looking through her closet for over an hour; trying to find the outfit that made her look the least like the monster she had become in the media.
She would not remember wanting a pill.
The first thing that Mia Richmond remembered about that day would be a sign someone held outside of the courthouse. Whoever held it stood behind the barricade of policemen lining the walkway as well as the parade of reporters; but it was raised high enough to be visible.
“GOD HATES UNWED MOTHERS” it read.
Mia pressed her lips together to stifle a small smile. It was almost refreshing- imagining someone getting up early and driving to a craft store to get poster board, plywood and markers, taking the time to write in neat orderly letters a message which conveyed a hate toward Mia for not being married; instead of for the obvious reason. She wondered if the cashier at the craft store ever thought, for even a moment, that the poster board might be used for such purposes.
“No comment.” Adam Daniels, her attorney, bellowed in the direction of the press as he led Mia up the concrete steps and into the large building, his hand on the small of her back. “No comment from Ms. Richmond.”
“What are you smiling about?” he asked once they entered the relative quiet that only halls worthy of justice seemed to hold.
She rubbed her hand across her mouth a few times in an attempt to stop the grin.
“Nothing, I just saw-”
“Mia, it doesn’t matter what you see now, only what they see. And if they see us smile, they see a smug defendant who deserves to be harassed regardless of the outcome of this trial. Don’t give them something to use against us before we even get in the ring.”
She nodded, her face solemn. She assumed Adam was tougher on her than most lawyers generally would be with a seven month pregnant client, but he also had a reputation for being harsh and tough with prosecuting attorneys as well as detrimental witnesses. Ultimately she decided it was better to have a lawyer who made her cry occasionally and won rather than one who coddled her and lost.
Given that her everything was on the line.
The first thing that she would remember about that day would not be that she woke to a shrieking alarm clock at four AM. It would not be that she cleaned her apartment until it felt sanitized, despite the fact it had already been inspected for cleanliness and adequacy. She would not remember sitting in a freshly painted nursery; nor would she remember sobbing into an unopened pack of receiving blankets, suddenly understanding why friends had asked if she was sure she wanted to finish the room just yet. She would not remember looking through her closet for over an hour; trying to find the outfit that made her look the least like the monster she had become in the media.
She would not remember wanting a pill.
The first thing that Mia Richmond remembered about that day would be a sign someone held outside of the courthouse. Whoever held it stood behind the barricade of policemen lining the walkway as well as the parade of reporters; but it was raised high enough to be visible.
“GOD HATES UNWED MOTHERS” it read.
Mia pressed her lips together to stifle a small smile. It was almost refreshing- imagining someone getting up early and driving to a craft store to get poster board, plywood and markers, taking the time to write in neat orderly letters a message which conveyed a hate toward Mia for not being married; instead of for the obvious reason. She wondered if the cashier at the craft store ever thought, for even a moment, that the poster board might be used for such purposes.
“No comment.” Adam Daniels, her attorney, bellowed in the direction of the press as he led Mia up the concrete steps and into the large building, his hand on the small of her back. “No comment from Ms. Richmond.”
“What are you smiling about?” he asked once they entered the relative quiet that only halls worthy of justice seemed to hold.
She rubbed her hand across her mouth a few times in an attempt to stop the grin.
“Nothing, I just saw-”
“Mia, it doesn’t matter what you see now, only what they see. And if they see us smile, they see a smug defendant who deserves to be harassed regardless of the outcome of this trial. Don’t give them something to use against us before we even get in the ring.”
She nodded, her face solemn. She assumed Adam was tougher on her than most lawyers generally would be with a seven month pregnant client, but he also had a reputation for being harsh and tough with prosecuting attorneys as well as detrimental witnesses. Ultimately she decided it was better to have a lawyer who made her cry occasionally and won rather than one who coddled her and lost.
Given that her everything was on the line.