Place on Earth
Belinda Prejean worked as a public defender in Los Angeles, USA. If you've ever crushed your hand in a car door you've had a taste of an hour in her life. Belinda had more cases than time to dedicate per client and could not remember the last time she slept or ate more than a candybar. Belinda grew up in a safe neighborhood, went to a good college and never broke a bone in her life.
Presently her workload and stress-levels were taller and thicker than her desk. Belinda considered becoming the other kind, better paid, lawyer over and over again until she met her new clients. They were forgotten loser beaten bloody by bad luck and cruel life. Every new client she met she had to protect and save from the hopelessness of jail.
Getting off the bus Belinda rolled her lint-picker twice up her suit sleeves. The day was hot but she marched up the courthouse's stairs with gusto. Today she'd have to defend her client Meg Massana; an alcoholic homeless woman who attacked a child in a grocery store. Belinda pulled out an extra-sugary bar of caramel from her back pocket and chewed without removing the wrapper.
She stopped at the roar of laughter coming from a big man with an even bigger cowboy hat. Hank McQueen, an oil drill owner, was hugging his lawyer who, again, had just gotten him free from any chargers. Belinda hated McQueen's lawyer.
Sulfus Morningstar was a joyfully ruthless snake that would cut off a child's hand just to get their candy and then blame the child's parents for making the arm so susceptible to chainsaws. He was smart and twisted and loved that about himself very much.
Belinda could admit he had that horrible kind of charm that turned on her body on but when he talked her brain got angry.
"Boy, I wish a had a hundred of you." McQueen said, tipping his hat to Sulfus.
"It was my pleasure, partner. Wouldn't want a nice hat like that to spend a minute in lock up." Sulfus said with a mock southern accent.
McQueen laughed, slapped his lawyer's back, then moseyed on out.
"That man was responsible for a five mile oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. How do you sleep at night?" Belinda asked Sulfus, she knew it was stupid to fight but talking to anyone at that moment kept her awake.
"On my generously ample thread counted Egyptian bed sheets." Sulfus said, "Morning, Prejean, eaten yet?"
"Yes, did you enjoy your lab rats this morning?" Belinda said.
"Oh yes, in fact I have a good amount of time the next duck shoot so I'm going to treat myself to a long lunch. Want half a sandwich?" Sulfus asked with a grin.
"You want to try charity? Try to take on a few of my cases once in a while!"
Sulfus half chuckled, "I can hook them up to primo drug dealers if that's what you're asking."
"There is a special place in hell for you, Morningstar." Belinda promised.
"I hope so, had my first class seat reserved years ago." Sulfus said, waving his hand as he walked away.
Belinda didn't know how to respond to someone willing to go to hell. She was embarrassed her sheltered upbringing kept her from reaching darker comebacks. She huffed and puffed and kept onto that annoyance because it fueled her to march to her office and begin the day.
On the bench outside her door there was Meg, looking grey and grimy as usual. Next to Meg was a blonde woman with a glowing tan and the kindest eyes. The woman was walking to Meg like Meg was a normal person instead of the threatening stranger people usually took her for. Belinda was impressed and a bit guilty because she didn't even talk that civilly to Meg.
Belinda watched them for a second longer; she saw the new woman place a manicured hand on Meg's hairy, blistered hand. Meg responded by jumping to her feet and screaming at the woman, spouting nonsense and harsh curses. Belinda stood in front of Meg and tried to calm her down but an office already arrived and began to cuff the furious client.
Belinda begged, "Please, don't hurt her. Meg, we talked about this-"
"Shut up!" Meg yelled as the policeman dragged her down the hall away from the other women.
Belinda felt a headache pulsing behind her ears. She looked at the woman who Meg almost hit and she didn't look scared. She looked genuinely concerned and regretful.
"Meg has had a hard run. She's lost, not bad." The woman said, her hands laced at the waist.
"Inside is actually a lovely and capable woman." Belinda said.
"Yes, I can see that under the pain and fear." The woman said, her blue eyes were teary.
"Are you alright? I have tea, I mean, I have a flat stove in my office to make tea. Do you like tea?" Belinda felt her cheeks blush.
The woman smiled slightly and nodded, "Thank you, that would be very nice."
They went into Belinda's crowded office and the tea was eventually poured into plastic mugs. They were goofy looking and the mystery woman took the luke-warm cup gratefully.
"I gotta ask, why did you approach Meg?" Belinda stated as she tried to match the straight back of the woman.
"I was walking by and her presence called out for me, for some shred of kindness and human interaction. Maybe I came on too strong." The woman said.
Belinda nodded, "Heck, you probably talked to her almost as much as I did in three months. Good for you."
"It can be a burden caring for the forgotten but as long as cry out I hear them. Some days it's like I walked into a wild concert and everyone's screaming from every direction." The woman said, a hand to her forehead.
"Omg, I know right! I'm a public defender, most days I'm the one with the microphone!" Belinda said, leaning back in her swivel chair.
"Tell me about it, I'm a family counselor, I'm sorry to say the whining is the same even if they're small or tall." The woman grinned ironically. "Why do we go through this?"
"Higher calling? For the sake of good? The nice paycheck?" Belinda threw out, amost crying-laughing.
"Oh yeah, for Goodness's sake. Heaven help us help them." The woman said, raising a hand to the ceiling.
"Wow, you still believe in heaven?" Belinda asked incredulously.
"At the end of the day you've got to right?" The woman said, not to convince Belinda but to assure her personal claim.
"Cool. I'm so sorry, we've been talking and I didn't ask your name. What is it?"
"Full name is Raf Morningstar PHD, but I only answer to doctor if you've got chocolate." Raf said with a smirk.
"I've got chocolate somewhere….wait…" Belinda felt a cold chill go up her back. "Do you kno-"
Belinda's door slammed opened with Sulfus unsmiling and glaring at Belinda.
"Prejean, I just heard one of your lunatics went off on this woman!" Sulfus said going to stand behind Raf.
"Yeah, and she survived. Where you hoping your vultures could eat off the remains?"
Sulfus' eyes narrowed deeper, "Dammit, I don't make jokes about my wife."
"Darling, I'm fine." Raf said, taking his hand and soothing him.
Belinda dry heaved but covered her mouth. "Don't say….you…married….that piece of…..?"
"I know, I know, he can be evil when he wants to be. Believe me, I know where the bodies are buried but," Raf said looking up at her husband, "The good stuff you really couldn't believe."
Belinda loudly whispered, "If he's blackmailing you blink twice for yes."
"I am going to take every last tissue and babywipe you have, Prejean." Sulfus said, "If you thought this job was tough before, I-"
"Sulfus, cool down." Raf calmly said, stepping in front of him with her hands on his shoulders. "I got sidetracked on my way to meet you. We can talk about this over lunch but give me a minute with my new friend."
"Friend?!" Belinda and Sulfus squealed at the same time.
"I mean, if you want to be. I thought we were hitting it off." Raf said, shyly brushing her long bangs behind her ear.
"I mean, yeah, Dr. Raf, I like you already but you….he….barf." Belinda said, a hand to her stomach.
"Raf, can we talk about this?" Sulfus asked, surprisingly needy in his tone.
"Sure we can, but that won't make me change my mind." Raf handed her smartphone over to Belinda.
Belinda typed her number in and thought cheerfully 'New great best friend and a way to annoy Morningstar.' Then a dreadful thought came 'I'm friends with a crazy person and Morningstar might have reason to hunt me now."
