She sat on the bench. It was cold and hard beneath her. She shifted
uncomfortably. Sleep was an illusion. Exhaustion had taken over.
Awaiting the decision that would change her life was pushing her over the
edge. The littlest thing made her jump and tears formed at the corner of
her eyes, from fatigue, stress, and anxiety. But holding the tears back,
she stayed strong. Somehow, amidst all the apprehension, sleep finally
came.
She was running, running, running. Just ahead, but always out of reach, was the prize. No matter how fast she ran the dangling reward remained unattainable. She feared for her life. If she slowed down or stopped running all together, the last thing that was precious to her would slowly fade away. She feared for the life of the beloved prize; she must keep running, keep striving, in order to keep the treasure in her life.
As she scampered to keep up the relentless pace, her knee gave out. She stumbled, tripped, fell, and the glowing light of the prize ahead dulled into the distance. Her world shattered into a million shards, like broken glass. "No!" she screamed. Uselessly, she stood up and sprinted into the oblivion. Without the incentive of the reward, she was lost. Not knowing which way to run next, she sat down, helpless and confused.
Slowly, her new life appeared on a 360o filmstrip. It was dark, an unhappy scene: sixteen-hour days, demanding cases, and no personal days. But even if she were given the day off, there was no one to go home to, to love and hold. Like a silent movie, her future-life played in shades of gray. She saw what an impact the single stumble had made on her life. The images revolted her.
It was all about mistakes. She had made one mistake along the way, and it cost her. It cost her the joy, love, and custody of her daughter. For so long, she had fought the good fight, struggled in this battle with this man, only to have it end like this. And just as the symbolic light at the end of the tunnel appeared, she had faltered. It was all over now. There was nothing left for her to do, except watch her daughter grow up without her.
The tears that she had always kept back threatened to sharpen the reality of her situation. She felt a hand upon her cheek, felt it wipe away the tears. She looked up and recognized the kind face. The face became real, she woke up and became aware of her surroundings: The cold, hard bench. The enormous room with marble floors and grand pillars. The kind face of a concerned man.
"Jamie?" The kind-faced man sat down on the bench next to her.
She struggled to keep her composure. "They're still deliberating."
"You did what you had to. You gave more than enough and did all you could."
"But, Jack, I made a mistake. I tripped, I fell, and..." she trailed off.
"Only in your dreams," Jack offered.
The squeak of a massive wooden door cut the conversation short. "Ms. Ross, please follow me."
Jamie looked at Jack. He nodded at her. "The bigger the effort, the greater the reward," he spoke, like a Chinese fortune cookie. Jack's words rang in her ears as she entered the courtroom. For once in her life, she was unsure of the outcome. But as the judge's lips parted to speak, she was certain of one thing: the silent movie of her dreams would never be a world she allowed herself to live in.
She was running, running, running. Just ahead, but always out of reach, was the prize. No matter how fast she ran the dangling reward remained unattainable. She feared for her life. If she slowed down or stopped running all together, the last thing that was precious to her would slowly fade away. She feared for the life of the beloved prize; she must keep running, keep striving, in order to keep the treasure in her life.
As she scampered to keep up the relentless pace, her knee gave out. She stumbled, tripped, fell, and the glowing light of the prize ahead dulled into the distance. Her world shattered into a million shards, like broken glass. "No!" she screamed. Uselessly, she stood up and sprinted into the oblivion. Without the incentive of the reward, she was lost. Not knowing which way to run next, she sat down, helpless and confused.
Slowly, her new life appeared on a 360o filmstrip. It was dark, an unhappy scene: sixteen-hour days, demanding cases, and no personal days. But even if she were given the day off, there was no one to go home to, to love and hold. Like a silent movie, her future-life played in shades of gray. She saw what an impact the single stumble had made on her life. The images revolted her.
It was all about mistakes. She had made one mistake along the way, and it cost her. It cost her the joy, love, and custody of her daughter. For so long, she had fought the good fight, struggled in this battle with this man, only to have it end like this. And just as the symbolic light at the end of the tunnel appeared, she had faltered. It was all over now. There was nothing left for her to do, except watch her daughter grow up without her.
The tears that she had always kept back threatened to sharpen the reality of her situation. She felt a hand upon her cheek, felt it wipe away the tears. She looked up and recognized the kind face. The face became real, she woke up and became aware of her surroundings: The cold, hard bench. The enormous room with marble floors and grand pillars. The kind face of a concerned man.
"Jamie?" The kind-faced man sat down on the bench next to her.
She struggled to keep her composure. "They're still deliberating."
"You did what you had to. You gave more than enough and did all you could."
"But, Jack, I made a mistake. I tripped, I fell, and..." she trailed off.
"Only in your dreams," Jack offered.
The squeak of a massive wooden door cut the conversation short. "Ms. Ross, please follow me."
Jamie looked at Jack. He nodded at her. "The bigger the effort, the greater the reward," he spoke, like a Chinese fortune cookie. Jack's words rang in her ears as she entered the courtroom. For once in her life, she was unsure of the outcome. But as the judge's lips parted to speak, she was certain of one thing: the silent movie of her dreams would never be a world she allowed herself to live in.