Starting Over
by Katie
Disclaimer: If you don't know it by now, I don't think you ever will.

* * *

Joshua and Kathryn Jinn sat in their small kitchen, having an early breakfast before starting their first day of work.

Kara sipped her coffee.

When are you due in at work? she asked.

Eleven, he replied. Wait, no, that's my first class. I'm supposed to be there at nine to get a tour, be shown my classroom, and prep up. You?

Kara made a face.

You teachers are so pampered, she mock sneered. If I leave right after I finish this coffee, I'll have fifteen minutes before I'm considered late.

You mean they expect you in at seven thirty? Joshua gasped. Jerks.

You can say that again and again and again and again! Kara said, and finished off her coffee. You know, you didn't tell me what you thought about the school when you first saw it. No time now, but I expect a full report when I get home!

You got it, boss! Joshua replied, saluting his wife.

Kara grabbed her carry bag, packed with a laptop, some sketches, and a book of esotaric HTML and Java tags. Joshua walked her to the door, and gave her a kiss goodbye.

Good luck, he said.

Back at ya, she replied. Going over to the Nolans?

Joshua nodded.

Kathy's already at work, he said. She leaves even earlier than you do, and Mrs. Nolan gets lonely being alone there all day.

Kara kissed him again.

You're so sweet.

I know, Joshua replied. Now go!

Kara laughed, gave him one last kiss, and and went to work.

Joshua sighed as he watched his wife drive away, and walked down the steps, and across the small patch of lawn he and Kara shared with the Nolans.

Hey Mrs. Nolan! he called out cheerfully as the door opened.

Joshua! Mrs. Nolan said delightedly. Oh, come in, come in! It's so nice to see you.

Joshua walked inside. The rooms had an old, cozy feel to them.

How are your children? he asked.

Oh, Denny's fine. And Bobby's getting married, don't you know. Never thought that would happen. He was going to marry a girl when he was seventeen, but I managed to talk him out of it, and then it seemed like he was never going to marry. But he's getting married soon. She was his first kiss.

How sweet, Joshua said with a grin. Never would have expected it of Bobby Nolan. How bout Paul?

Oh, Paul's fine, Mrs. Nolan said. He's in Social Security, you know. He seems to stay home a lot, though. I'm never quite sure whether he works or not. Kathy's a teacher. Patty's doing fine. She travels a lot. And Kathy, well, my Kathy, she works too much. She had to leave at six this morning! They work her too hard, especially with having to care with an old woman like me...would you like breakfast?

No thank you, Mrs. Nolan, Joshua said. I had breakfast with Kara.

Oh! Where is she? Did she not want to visit?

Kara would have loved to visit, but she had to leave for work.

Oh, that's a pity. Do you work?

Yeah, I'm teaching at the law school in Cincinnati. I leave in an hour.

Oh.

Joshua spent a half-hour with the chatty, forgetful old woman. She was a hypochondriac, convinced that every little ache and pain was a deadly illness, and she repeated her questions, forgetting that she had already asked them, but Joshua enjoyed her company anyway. Everything about her was child-like, and he appreciated the little-found innocence.

Well, I have to be going, Mrs. Nolan, he said finally. I need to get some things together, and then make sure I can find my way to the school. Don't want to be late on my first day.

Oh no, you can't be late! Mrs. Nolan said. She slowly made her way to a small table next to her favorite chair, and picked something up. She handed it to Joshua. It's a Saint Josheph medal. It's to give you patience.

Joshua smiled, and thanked her. He was still smiling when he drove off for school.

* * *

Kara was mad. No, she wasn't mad. She was furious!

Katie, she muttered to herself, you are going to pay for this.

Resolutely she returned her attention to her laptop, trying to ignore her boss' smelly, greasy, and overly close presence.

You're good, Kara, Mr. Collins, her boss, murmured in her ear.

Excuse me, sir, she said, standing abrupty. She made a beeline to the nearest payphone, and angrily dialed Katie's number.

Katie's funeral home, you slice em, we dice em. Got a corpse? We've got a grave.

Very funny, Katie, Kara snarled.

Kara! Katie exclaimed. You sure work fast! Don't tell me you've already killed Collins. I thought your Baptist beliefs would have held you back for another couple of hours.

Stuff a sock in it, Katie. I'm in no mood for your jokes, Kara snapped. You KNEW Collins was a pig?

I've talked to the man, Kara. That's answer enough.

Why didn't you tell me?

If I told you, you wouldn't have taken the job.

And with good reason! Good grief, Katie, I've been in this place for less than two hours and I already have plenty of material to charge him with sexual harrasment.

Then do so. Katie's voice was surprisingly matter of fact.

What?

Charge the creep with sexual harrasment, Katie repeated. Believe me, he deserves it. If it has boobs and breathes, he'll screw it.

Kara winced at Katie's vulgarity, but had to acknowladge the truth of her words.

Why'd you send me to such a place? she asked. Couldn't you have found a better postion?

Probably, Katie answered frankly, but this is the place that needs you.

What do you mean, needs me?

Katie sighed.

Look, William Collins isn't just a pervert, she said. According to Big Brother, he's using the company to practice extortion and a whole slew of other crimes.

Oh great, so my boss is a crook as well! That's just grand.
Katie continued as if Kara hadn't spoken.

But the others, Kara...they really need this job. If the company falls, we'll have a bunch of starving families. You're a natural leader, and you've got guts and initiative. If there's anybody can get Collins out of the management position and get the company in better order, it's you.

Katie, you have been reading way too many American Revolution books, Kara said. Think about it. You're asking me to stage a coup and start a revolution!

Your words, not mine.

Kara glared at the phone, knowing Katie would correctly interpret the silence.

Look, Kara, I know I'm asking a lot, but this is the only way I can think of to get a creep like Collins off the streets. I think you can do it. Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.'

Kara winced as the prayer she gave Joshua returned to her.

Fine, fine, fine, she grumbled. I'll try. She slammed down the phone, and stormed back to her desk.

Dammit, he's still there.

* * *

Joshua puttered nervously around his desk. Five minutes until his first class. Good grief, just because he practiced law didn't mean he was qualified to teach it!

The bell rang, and the first students began filing into the room. Joshua gulped. Joshua, you've faced down Sandoval and Volunteers. You've looked into the face of death. You've gotten married! This is nothing.

Finally it seemed like everyone was there. Or at least enough to begin class. Joshua cleared his throat, and willed his nervousness not to show as he began.

Hello. I'm Joshua Jinn, the new mock trial professor.* I know it's usual for the professor to prattle on about his life for the entire first class, but I'm going to be cruel and only say I was a practicing lawyer for ten years. Sorry, not going to catch up on missed sleep in this class. To Joshua's great surprise, the class chuckled. But I am going to go easy on you. Today, and only for today, I took your notes for you. Everything I planned to cover today is on here. You might take some notes, if someone asks a question pertaining to something I didn't write up, but for the most part all you have to do is stay awake and listen. He handed a girl in the front row the papers to be passed around. Just so you know, I've never been a teacher before. So if I do something stupid or un-teacher like, that's why. If you guys know classmates from another class, great. If you don't, get to know them. Any one of the people in this room could be either your oppposition, your second chair, or your judge. No matter which of the three he or she is, it would behoove you to know the biases, faults, strengths, and idiosyncrasies of your classmates. You don't have to be best friends, but a good knowladge of friend and foe is imperative to the battle that is a trial. As for the judge, I think that is self-explanatory. Anyway, we're going to spend the first term going over trial procedures and courtroom etiquette. Second term, after you've learned enough in your other classes to go to court', we'll start having some mock trials. Outside reading is recommended. Nothing is more impressive than being able to recite from memory any precedents or similiar cases. It's not requiered, but it'll be helpful ten years down the road, and it will improve your grade.

Joshua clapped his hands together.

So, enough with my ramblings, everybody got a paper? Good. Let's begin.

* * *

Joshua had just finished making the sauce when Kara walked through the door, looking exhausted.

Mmm, spagetti, she moaned as she plopped onto a chair. You're a god, Joshua.

Joshua laughed.

I know, he said teasingly. How was your day?

Well, Kara said, grabbing a soda out of the refridgerator, Katie has decided to use me as a pawn for her psychotic history-induced revolutionary tendancies.

Meaning?

The web design company she hired me to? She expects me to stage a coup, overthrow the perverted crook of a boss and keep the company from falling apart so the poor people who work there can keep their jobs without Big Brother closing the place down. She sipped her soda. So how was your day?

Fun, actually, Joshua replied, dishing out pasta onto two plates, and handing Kara a plate. Classes went without a hitch. I think I'm going to like being a law teacher.

Glad one of us is going to enjoy it, Kara mumbled.

Oh come on, Joshua said, sliding into his seat. Don't tell me you're not looking forward to overthrowing your boss. You adore rescuing people and playing hero.

Yeah, but who rescues the hero? Kara asked in retort.

The hero's husband, of course.

Kara smiled affectionately.

For which the hero is eternally grateful, she replied.

Suddenly starting over didn't seem so hard.

* * *
Finis


*No clue if there's such a thing, but I don't care.