Chapter Five: Part 1 -- From Conviction...
"Bray Thompson did not just open the door to his old sister-in-law Trudy's apartment and start beating Amber Thompson," Rick Daniels paced the floor of the courtroom. "He was intoxicated. And not by his doing." He kept pointing in the air, like he was using his thin index finger as a wand to try to make his obvious lies truth.
Amber shot a look at Bray. He was sitting across from her, with the assistant defense attorney. Amber was sitting with her own lawyer, Dan Johnson, and his assistant prosecutor, Salene. The courtroom had been a small hearing room long ago, so the space was cramped. She didn't like being so close to Bray, but Salene held her hand for support, and Lex, Trudy, Siva, Tai-San, Alice, and Pride sat in the audience. Jack was there as well, ordered by the court because he was Bray's boss. She felt overwhelmed with love.
"You see, your honor, Bray Thompson has a mental illness. He is depressed. His doctor, Grant Field of the practice on 1st Street, prescribed Mr. Thompson antidepressants made from natural substances in the forest surrounding the City. Those antidepressants were full of chemicals, that, combined with alcohol, are a lethal dose into losing the control of one's actions," Rick explained, talking mainly to the judge. He was nervous trying to protect Bray by the large turnout of people in Amber's defense.
Amber thought Rick's case sounded very rehearsed. She could just imagine Bray and the sleazy lawyer drinking late into the night, thinking up the elobrate story that would try to get Bray off the hook.
"So why was Mr. Thomspon drinking, you ask? Because a peer at his work, The City Engineering Firm, slipped alcohol in Mr. Thompson's normal orange juice beverage at breakfast that fateful morning. That peer, Mr. John Matheson, was staying with Mr. Thompson because his wife, Mrs. Amber Thompson, was-"
"Objection, your honor, the couple is officially divorced," Dan stood up, his lanky, but commanding figure, towering above Amber. She was thankful he objected. Being refered to as Amber Thompson, especially with the Mrs. on the front, made her sick.
"Sustained. Mr. Daniels, please refer to the plaintiff by her proper name," The judge said authoratively. Amber hadn't been surprised to see Jet, former leader of the Gulls, as the judge of the Civil Court. Though sometimes stubborn and idiotic, Jet had always helped the MallRats with threats against the City. They had been close allies the entire duration of the tribal era.
Rick coughed, and adjusted his collar. "As I was saying, Bray Thompson's colleague, Mr. John Matheson, was staying with Mr. Thompson for emotional support as he searched for his ex-wife, Amber Jennings. Because Mr. Thompson and Mr. Matheson are very inclined to do so legally, Mr. Matheson thought it would help lift Mr. Thompson's spirits by pouring a small amount of red wine into Mr. Thomspon's orange juice..."
Amber stopped listening. The story was completely absurd, not to mention pathetic and unbelievably stupid. It was full of more holes than the drainer she used for all those spaghetti dinners Bray stained their carpet with in his fits. She didn't think Bray could ever stoop that low. Especially because most of his and Danni's earlier court systems at the mall had laid the foundation for these new ones.
But Bray had changed.
Salene nudged Amber's foot. They met eachother out of the corners of their eyes. Salene was skeptical too. She would be.
The end result of the complicated fabrication was that John had spiked Bray's orange juice with wine, which had drugged him up enough combined with the antidepressants that he couldn't control his actions. He went to work where he heard from another friend (Daniels didn't provide an identity for this wisp of his imagination) that Amber was at Trudy's. He was angry with her for leaving him and taking BJ, so he went to the apartment and the rest was history.
When the court recessed for a lunch break, Amber's supporters congregated in the main hallway.
"What a load of it!" Alice barked harshly, mainly due to the fact Bray was just leaving. By law the defendant and the plaintiff were forbidden to communicate during court procedures in or out of the courtroom. He gave Amber a threatening glare as he turned the opposite direction.
"He won't win, don't worry. Jet's not stupid," Trudy hugged her.
"I just want this to be over, and get on with my life," Amber stuffed her hands in her coat pockets. It was raining outside, and the cold air had blown into the City Hall, where the courts were located.
"You will. We all did," Siva smiled gently. Both her and Trudy had taken work off to support her as Dee stayed behind to run the store.
"Of course you will, Amber. You've gone through a lot of hell, but you always came out of it on top," Jack shrugged. Amber smiled. Jack had turned out to be a handsome man. He didn't shave a lot, so a garden of stubble was rampant above his lips and down his cheeks. He had married Ellie the year before she had married Bray, and she was pregnant with their third child.
"Jack's right. All in a matter of time. But since it's lunch, should we go get something to eat?" Tai-San suggested. Amber's stomach grumbled in response. The stress made her long to stick her teeth in something that would fill her stomach fast.
"I'm starving," Trudy said beside her. She offered her hand to Amber's shoulder and rubbed comfortingly. Amber put her hand on Trudy's.
"What about that new vegetarian deli downtown?" Pride suggested.
"God Pride, Amber wants something good and relaxing, not a bunch of leaves," Salene laughed as she and Dan walked briskly out of the courtroom.
"If it's alright, I'd like to discuss the case with you, Amber," Dan said, swiftly moving in front of her.
"Oh, er-- would it be a problem if you could tell me at lunch with my friends?" Amber asked sheepishly. The group stared at Dan. But unlike Rick Daniels, he was confident in his skills, and large groups didn't do much for him except exist.
"Perfectly fine," Dan replied, pulling some papers from his briefcase.
"Why not the new pizza place on 5th Street?" Siva said, irritated by the lack of decision.
Everyone agreed, except for a sulky Pride, who was finally convinced when Salene told him about the salad bar. Pizza it was.
As they walked out of City Hall, Lex slid up beside Amber and took her hand. She turned to smile at him.
"You're doing good in there," Lex whispered.
"I hate being so close to him," Amber confided.
"I'm sorry, babe-"
"Now, obviously Mr. Thompson's case is not solid at all," Dan interrupted, walking on the opposite side of her, sending a startled Trudy behind him. He shoved papers into Amber's hands.
"That first page contains the defense by-laws, which are the underlying rules for all defense cases in any of the courts here. The next five pages are Bray's defense, and our rebuttal can be followed on the next fifteen--" Dan explained.
Like she had stopped listening to Rick Daniels, she stopped listening to Dan. She just wanted to be with Lex and enjoy a nice lunch with her friends. Legal babble was the lowest thing on her priority list. Lex squoze her hand tightly and rolled his eyes as she interjected Dan's legal talk with random "okay"'s. Salene giggled behind her.
They stepped outside, the icy wind hitting them hard. Coat hoods were pulled up and covered heads as the group seperated into different cars.
"Dan, can you ride with me and Pride? I want to discuss some ideas for the rebuttal with you," Salene asked Dan loudly through the pouring rain, pulling him toward her and Pride's car. Salene had caught Amber's drift. Amber gave her the thumbs up sign as Dan agreed.
"You and Lex can ride with me if you want," Jack said. Amber, who hadn't spent time with Jack in ages, agreed happily and the three ran to Jack's silver Ford Explorer.
"Terrible weather," Lex muttered as he got in the front seat. Amber jumped in the back, and leaned her head against the cold window. As a child on holidays, she prefered to sit in the back seat, driving long lengths and traveling in varying degrees of weather over long distances that seperated her family from the City. She especially loved driving in the rain. She would look out the window, enjoying the cool touch of the glass as her thoughts drifted away into the gray sea of clouds above her.
It had been her special time. Her mother, father, and sister dubbed the moments "Amber's Nutters" because she would remain silent for hours upon end.
"Yeah," Jack said as he started the car. He backed out of the parking lot, and drove onto the main road.
"Ellie stopped by a few weeks ago, when is the baby due?" Amber asked. She loved her "Nutters" but she wanted to catch up with Jack. She would have time for those later.
"Two months. She's getting pretty big now," Jack's pride filled the entire car like a giant invisible marshmellow.
"Your [I]family[/I] is getting pretty big now," Lex laughed.
"Sure is. We're doing really good," Jack smiled warmly into the rearview mirror at Amber. She smiled back. Jack was a good man. She liked to know that. It was good to know good men existed; men who didn't send their wives to clinics or make their children fear them. Good men who helped the world.
"I want to visit you guys sometime," Amber said.
"We should go together-- their house is as big as the Mall," Lex exagerated.
"It's a larger house. Up in old St. Mary Heights," Jack replied, like what he said meant nothing.
"God, those houses were huge!" Amber said in awe.
At her old school, all of the popular kids lived in St. Mary Heights. It was a rich and very exclusive development that was only "Old Money". "New Money", the second class of popular kids, lived in different developments. That didn't matter though-- if you had lived in St. Mary Heights, you were royalty. Immortal. At Christmas her dad used to drive them through the area to view the beautiful lights that the families had landscape businesses string up to decorate their houses. They had been so large and beautiful.
"Believe me, it took a lot of work to fix it up. The damage after the Virus was pretty bad. Did it in maybe three years? And by ourselves, me and Ellie. On weekends and holidays. We've really worked hard to get where we are," Jack said.
Another thing Amber could add to Jack's being a good man: he was humble too.
"But enough about me, what about you two?" Jack turned down 5th Street.
What about us? Amber thought, feeling uncomfortable. What was there to her and Lex? A visit, a divorce, a rescue, a new friendship, a kiss? A future? She didn't know, but obviously their connection had been leaked to their circle of friends. Amber wondered if Tai-San had told them she saw the two leave the clinic holding hands.
"Er-"
"We're..." Lex started.
Jack turned red. "It's fine. I know how it feels to label stuff."
"I don't know what to call it," Amber said finally.
"It...well, it just [i]is[/i]," Lex shrugged.
For the moment that was enough.
They reached the resteraunt. Jack parked out front on the side of the street, where Alice, Siva, Trudy and Tai-San were waiting by the door. Pride, Salene, and Dan were getting out of their car. Dan and Salene were immersed in serious conversation about a biased code for building permits being passed by Aphrodite Stevens and her supporters at City Hall.
"God, is Aphrodite that bad?" Amber asked as they went inside the resteraunt.
"She hasn't been great," Lex said dryly.
The pizza resteraunt was decorated like a Mexican hacienda. The walls were painted with a thick yellow stucco that sported random adobe windows with glazed glass. Tropical birds and cactus paintings hung from the ceilings and on the walls. It looked more like a Taco Bell than a pizza "cafe".
A hostess with a bright pink nametag ("HOLA, IM SENORITA CAROLE!") escorted them to two tables. Dan and Jack pushed them together so the group could fit, and everyone sat down.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" Senorita Carole took out a notepad from a black band around her waist.
"Can I get a pina colada?" Siva eyed the menu.
"I'm sorry, miss, we don't carry exotic beverages," Senorita Carole said matter-of-factly.
"Well, sh.it, you're decorated like a goddamn Mexican rester-" Siva began when Trudy interrupted her.
"We'll have waters, thanks."
"Alright, two waters."
"We'll have cranberry juice," Pride and Salene said at the same time. Despite their contrast in healthy living choices, they both loved the dark liquid. Their fridge was always stocked.
Tai-San nodded in approval and ordered the same, Jack and Alice ordered two beers, and Lex ordered ale.
"And you, miss?" Senorita Carole came to Amber.
Amber studied her menu. She loved looking over the flimsy cardboard with glued paper to it. Viewing menus was like an exciting adventure to see what silly graphics resteraunts had painted their lists of food with. It seemed URSULA'S PIZZA CAFE used, of all things, medieval English knights to boast eight different types of pizzas, and three cartoon maidens to shout what was available at the salad bar. A castle housed the very small list of beverages.
Amber decided to be daring.
"I'd like a beer, please," She nodded boldly.
"She'll have water," Tai-San called from the other end of the table.
"I want beer, Tai-San," Amber gave her healer a look.
"Amber, alcohol will do nothing good for your system. Your still recovering. Water, Carole," Tai-San argued, and than looked up at the waiting waitress.
"It's Senorita Carole. I'll have your drinks to you in a moment," Senorita Carole tore the slip of paper off the notepad and fled through a pair of wooden doors that led to the kitchen.
"She's not getting tipped," Siva muttered.
"So what about the case, Dan?" Trudy asked the lawyer, who was spreading a pink cloth napkin on his lap.
"Oh yes, the case. As I was saying, Rick Daniels obviously has no evidence to support his claims, and because of that, I'm sure the hearing will result in a jail sentence," Dan explained.
"How long of a jail sentence, though?" Siva asked.
"Mmm," Dan said in thought, "I'm guessing he'll be convicted of 1st degree Assault, and that's a month."
"A month?! For beating Amber in the head with a gun? For God's sake!" Alice roared.
"But wouldn't my transcripts of Amber's injuries be enough evidence for the prosecution to get him a harsher conviction?" Tai-San said.
"Not necessarily. And even if the transcripts held up in court, the worst Bray could get is Intentional Assault, which is a six month prison sentence," Dan grimaced.
Lex held Amber's hand under the table.
"I don't want him dead, you guys," Amber said quietly.
"But Amber, don't you want him to pay for what he's done?" Trudy whispered.
"I want to see justice, but..." Amber stopped. She didn't know what she wanted done. What she did want was to go back to Trudy's apartment and watch an old movie with BJ; not eat, and not go back to the hearing.
"They want me to, um, er-- fire him," Jack said suddenly.
"Fire him from the Engineering Firm?" Lex asked.
"Yeah. That's why Jet called me in today," Jack looked down at the empty plate before him.
"God," Amber mumbled. She hid her face in her hand. A jobless Bray was too stressful to think about.
The doors leading to the kitchen burst open, and Senorita Carole pushed a large green cart out that contained their drinks on top, and a large pizza on the bottom.
"Um, we didn't order yet," Siva said harshly.
Senorita Carole gave her a dirty look. "This is the only pizza we have."
"But the menu-" Trudy started.
"We just opened, give us a break, lady. The menu will slowly be filled over time, but for now it's cheese," Senorita Carole grinned. Happily, she slid the steaming hot pizza off the cart and onto the table before unloading the drinks.
"Have an [I]amigo[/I] meal, and remember to come back to Ursula's!" Senorita Carole chimed with bad Spanish grammar and went back into the kitchen.
"This place is mad!" Lex said. Amber agreed. Her throat dry from stress, she cupped her glass of water and held it to her lips to drink just as Trudy knocked it from her.
"What the hell?!" Amber cried.
"Amber, look," Lex said, pointing to his ale. Large bits of dust were floating around in grimy-looking water. She felt sick. Everyone held up their glasses, because everyone had things floating in their drinks. Salene and Pride had hair they were sure was Senorita Carole's, all of the alcoholic beverages looked like they had been brewed before the Virus, and the water smelled like it was from the sewer.
"Look at the pizza!" Tai-San gasped.
The pizza was not baked, and the cheese on top was moldy.
"Jesus Christ!" Salene rolled her eyes.
"Aren't resteraunts supposed to have permits before they open from City Hall inspections?" Amber sighed, her hunger dieing insantly.
"Yes. This is a public health danger-- it should be reported," Dan said.
"Like that would do anything. Aphrodite's administration would blow it off like they have everything else!" Pride shouted, banging his fist on the table.
"Let's just get out of here," Amber whispered so loudly that everyone heard her. Quietly, they left Ursula's Pizza Cafe.
They left no tip.
~*~
"Quite the day," Trudy said.
It was night. They had just gotten home after spending all day at the hearing. Amber collapsed on the sofa in drowsiness.
"I'm so tired," Her muffled voice came from the pillows where she had buried her face.
"I called Dee, and she's going to watch the kids tonight," Trudy said. She brought two steaming mugs of hot tea out from the kitchen and joined Amber on the couch.
"That's nice of her," Amber yawned, sitting up. She took the mug, the heat tracing her fingers and meeting her palm's center.
"I told her the hearing didn't go so well," Trudy frowned.
"At least I'm divorced," Amber said dryly. As long as he couldn't touch her or BJ, she was fine with whatever he was doing.
Bray had been sentenced to one month in jail for 1st degree Assault. Jet warned him to stay away from Amber, and after the hearing was ajourned, she spoke privately with her and urged Amber to get a restraining order. Amber said she would think about it.
But what would a piece of paper that said "Stay Away!" do to protect her? Nothing. Paper was easy to tear, promises were easy to break. She just wanted to be away from him. At least the divorce didn't tie them together anymore, and the Article 5 law had come in place.
Amber had thought about that during the rest of the hearing, and on the way home. What did she want from Bray? For him to leave her alone. Not to be in prison for the rest of his life, not to be shot, not to suffer like she had. She just wanted him to not be involved in her life. Was that so hard to ask?
Trudy wrapped her arm around Amber, and the two watched GONE WITH THE WIND on The City Network. The entire length of the movie they didn't utter a word, and when they went to bed they fell asleep as soon as they laid their heads down on their pillows.
It was the best time Amber had spent with Trudy.
That night she slept badly. She kept twisting and turning, her thoughts turning into bad dreams.
She was at Ursula's Pizza Cafe, but it was decorated like an old McDonalds. Lex was working behind the counter, and Trudy was mopping the floor. She kept asking Amber if she could help her. Lex was throwing burgers at her. And from the backroom came Senorita Carole, holding BJ and pretending he was her daughter.
The next morning, she lie awake in bed, delirious and tired when Trudy knocked on her door.
"Amber, are you awake?"
Groggily, she shoved the covers away and opened the door.
"Yeah, what is, Trude?"
"I'm going to work, but I was wondering if you wanted to take me so you could take the car and look for a job today?" Trudy smiled, working to fasten an earing on her ear.
A job? Amber had thought about getting one before, but had forgotten those last weeks with all of the dramatic events that had occured.
"Um, yeah, I guess," Amber yawned, running her hands through her tangled hair.
"K, meet me in the living room in ten minutes," Trudy said. She pulled the earing off, and was off to search for ones that fit better.
Amber closed the door of the guestroom, and rummaged through the chest of drawers for her red Albertson's pajama pants and a white t-shirt. She got dressed, pulled her hair up in the bathroom, and sat on the sofa waiting for Trudy.
"Is anyone accepting applicants?" Amber asked as Trudy tinkered with two pearl earings in the mirror in the hallway.
"I don't know. You should go to City Hall, I think they'd know," Trudy suggested.
"Aha," She smiled as the earings finally snapped on. "Let's go."
Amber grabbed her purse, and the women left the house. Trudy made sure to lock the door.
"You know, just in case," Trudy said quickly as Amber caught her eye.
"Yeah," Amber said. They walked down the staircase and than into the parking lot. Trudy's navyblue Honda sat gleaming in the morning light.
"Here's the keys," Trudy threw the silvery objects over the car as she got into the passenger seat. Amber positioned herself in the front. She hadn't driven for a while, but once she pulled out of the parking lot and started down the main road from the apartment it felt natural.
"While you're at City Hall, you should file a complaint about that pizza place," Trudy laughed, spreading "Pine Nut Berry" lotion on her arms. The smell of trees filled the air.
"I reckon Dan already has," Amber looked in the rearview mirror as the policeman directing traffic made the sign with his arm that meant go.
"That was nice of Salene and him to volunteer to defend you," Trudy looked out the window.
"Yeah, I thanked Salene after the hearing was over. I love that woman," Amber smiled. Trudy agreed, and five minutes later they were at Albertson's Department Store. Amber eyed the brick building as Trudy got out.
"Remember to pick up the kids after school, and good luck hunting!" Trudy poked her head through the window.
"Thanks, Trude. Have a good day."
As she turned onto the main road, she couldn't help but feel a prickly fear that she wouldn't find a job. After all, Dan, a man very immersed in City politics, had said that Aphrodite Stevens had messed up the entire City's rebuilding process. Did that mean the economy was in a slump too?
Amber remembered Aphrodite Stevens vaguely. After the Technos came, she had been one of the few Mozzies to escape the VR labs. Instead, the Technos had used her on their CityNet television network to combat a video Amber and the MallRats had aired of Amber telling the City the truth about the VR labs. On her counter-video, Aphrodite claimed those who spoke about the VR labs were making things up, and that the resistance groups were the real terrorists.
She had caused Amber a lot of grief. The VR labs were still strong in her memory. They had been horrible. She had had no control of anything, not even her own tears. At least she had that when Bray beat her. Yes, the VR labs had been evil, and Aphrodite Stevens maybe ruined a possible uprising that could have saved many lives.
She felt a pang of anger toward the City Leader as she drove back to Trudy's apartment. How could she not care about the City?
Even Amber remembered all of the promises Aphrodite had made during her campaign. Better schools, a better economy, more public services, "An Olympus Quality of Life" playing off the origins of her name. It had sounded good, but she had not followed through. Not at all.
Amber pounded up the steps to the apartment three at a time. Maybe she should work at City Hall if she thought they were all idiots. That way she could impliment her feelings about the running of the City at meetings, and conferences and the like. Maybe she would have influence?
She unlocked the door, and threw herself into the bathroom where she showered for five minutes and jumped out. She had decided now, and it made her excited: she would work at City Hall.
I'm going to change things, Amber thought as she did her hair in the mirror. She decided she would borrow one of Trudy's business suits. She picked out a classy brown pants-suit. She wanted to look presentable, but not too cutesy. Who knew what she was up against?
She hurried down the hallway to Trudy's very purple room and borrowed a spray of "Lavendar Honey Paradise". The perfume made her cough as it settled into her pours. Definitely not a part of her morning ritual.
"Alright," Amber whispered, looking into the full length mirror beside Trudy's bed. She smoothed her front. Her hair fell straight to her shoulders, her ears dangled two golden looped earings. She had smacked on a tiny amount of soft pink lipstick, and black eyeliner under each eye.
She looked classy.
Ten minutes later as she walked into City Hall, she hoped they thought so too.
~*~
Readers,
This is part 1 of Chapter 5. Part 2 will be up soon. I hope you enjoy!
Plane tickets and trays of cookies for all,
~h2o
"Bray Thompson did not just open the door to his old sister-in-law Trudy's apartment and start beating Amber Thompson," Rick Daniels paced the floor of the courtroom. "He was intoxicated. And not by his doing." He kept pointing in the air, like he was using his thin index finger as a wand to try to make his obvious lies truth.
Amber shot a look at Bray. He was sitting across from her, with the assistant defense attorney. Amber was sitting with her own lawyer, Dan Johnson, and his assistant prosecutor, Salene. The courtroom had been a small hearing room long ago, so the space was cramped. She didn't like being so close to Bray, but Salene held her hand for support, and Lex, Trudy, Siva, Tai-San, Alice, and Pride sat in the audience. Jack was there as well, ordered by the court because he was Bray's boss. She felt overwhelmed with love.
"You see, your honor, Bray Thompson has a mental illness. He is depressed. His doctor, Grant Field of the practice on 1st Street, prescribed Mr. Thompson antidepressants made from natural substances in the forest surrounding the City. Those antidepressants were full of chemicals, that, combined with alcohol, are a lethal dose into losing the control of one's actions," Rick explained, talking mainly to the judge. He was nervous trying to protect Bray by the large turnout of people in Amber's defense.
Amber thought Rick's case sounded very rehearsed. She could just imagine Bray and the sleazy lawyer drinking late into the night, thinking up the elobrate story that would try to get Bray off the hook.
"So why was Mr. Thomspon drinking, you ask? Because a peer at his work, The City Engineering Firm, slipped alcohol in Mr. Thompson's normal orange juice beverage at breakfast that fateful morning. That peer, Mr. John Matheson, was staying with Mr. Thompson because his wife, Mrs. Amber Thompson, was-"
"Objection, your honor, the couple is officially divorced," Dan stood up, his lanky, but commanding figure, towering above Amber. She was thankful he objected. Being refered to as Amber Thompson, especially with the Mrs. on the front, made her sick.
"Sustained. Mr. Daniels, please refer to the plaintiff by her proper name," The judge said authoratively. Amber hadn't been surprised to see Jet, former leader of the Gulls, as the judge of the Civil Court. Though sometimes stubborn and idiotic, Jet had always helped the MallRats with threats against the City. They had been close allies the entire duration of the tribal era.
Rick coughed, and adjusted his collar. "As I was saying, Bray Thompson's colleague, Mr. John Matheson, was staying with Mr. Thompson for emotional support as he searched for his ex-wife, Amber Jennings. Because Mr. Thompson and Mr. Matheson are very inclined to do so legally, Mr. Matheson thought it would help lift Mr. Thompson's spirits by pouring a small amount of red wine into Mr. Thomspon's orange juice..."
Amber stopped listening. The story was completely absurd, not to mention pathetic and unbelievably stupid. It was full of more holes than the drainer she used for all those spaghetti dinners Bray stained their carpet with in his fits. She didn't think Bray could ever stoop that low. Especially because most of his and Danni's earlier court systems at the mall had laid the foundation for these new ones.
But Bray had changed.
Salene nudged Amber's foot. They met eachother out of the corners of their eyes. Salene was skeptical too. She would be.
The end result of the complicated fabrication was that John had spiked Bray's orange juice with wine, which had drugged him up enough combined with the antidepressants that he couldn't control his actions. He went to work where he heard from another friend (Daniels didn't provide an identity for this wisp of his imagination) that Amber was at Trudy's. He was angry with her for leaving him and taking BJ, so he went to the apartment and the rest was history.
When the court recessed for a lunch break, Amber's supporters congregated in the main hallway.
"What a load of it!" Alice barked harshly, mainly due to the fact Bray was just leaving. By law the defendant and the plaintiff were forbidden to communicate during court procedures in or out of the courtroom. He gave Amber a threatening glare as he turned the opposite direction.
"He won't win, don't worry. Jet's not stupid," Trudy hugged her.
"I just want this to be over, and get on with my life," Amber stuffed her hands in her coat pockets. It was raining outside, and the cold air had blown into the City Hall, where the courts were located.
"You will. We all did," Siva smiled gently. Both her and Trudy had taken work off to support her as Dee stayed behind to run the store.
"Of course you will, Amber. You've gone through a lot of hell, but you always came out of it on top," Jack shrugged. Amber smiled. Jack had turned out to be a handsome man. He didn't shave a lot, so a garden of stubble was rampant above his lips and down his cheeks. He had married Ellie the year before she had married Bray, and she was pregnant with their third child.
"Jack's right. All in a matter of time. But since it's lunch, should we go get something to eat?" Tai-San suggested. Amber's stomach grumbled in response. The stress made her long to stick her teeth in something that would fill her stomach fast.
"I'm starving," Trudy said beside her. She offered her hand to Amber's shoulder and rubbed comfortingly. Amber put her hand on Trudy's.
"What about that new vegetarian deli downtown?" Pride suggested.
"God Pride, Amber wants something good and relaxing, not a bunch of leaves," Salene laughed as she and Dan walked briskly out of the courtroom.
"If it's alright, I'd like to discuss the case with you, Amber," Dan said, swiftly moving in front of her.
"Oh, er-- would it be a problem if you could tell me at lunch with my friends?" Amber asked sheepishly. The group stared at Dan. But unlike Rick Daniels, he was confident in his skills, and large groups didn't do much for him except exist.
"Perfectly fine," Dan replied, pulling some papers from his briefcase.
"Why not the new pizza place on 5th Street?" Siva said, irritated by the lack of decision.
Everyone agreed, except for a sulky Pride, who was finally convinced when Salene told him about the salad bar. Pizza it was.
As they walked out of City Hall, Lex slid up beside Amber and took her hand. She turned to smile at him.
"You're doing good in there," Lex whispered.
"I hate being so close to him," Amber confided.
"I'm sorry, babe-"
"Now, obviously Mr. Thompson's case is not solid at all," Dan interrupted, walking on the opposite side of her, sending a startled Trudy behind him. He shoved papers into Amber's hands.
"That first page contains the defense by-laws, which are the underlying rules for all defense cases in any of the courts here. The next five pages are Bray's defense, and our rebuttal can be followed on the next fifteen--" Dan explained.
Like she had stopped listening to Rick Daniels, she stopped listening to Dan. She just wanted to be with Lex and enjoy a nice lunch with her friends. Legal babble was the lowest thing on her priority list. Lex squoze her hand tightly and rolled his eyes as she interjected Dan's legal talk with random "okay"'s. Salene giggled behind her.
They stepped outside, the icy wind hitting them hard. Coat hoods were pulled up and covered heads as the group seperated into different cars.
"Dan, can you ride with me and Pride? I want to discuss some ideas for the rebuttal with you," Salene asked Dan loudly through the pouring rain, pulling him toward her and Pride's car. Salene had caught Amber's drift. Amber gave her the thumbs up sign as Dan agreed.
"You and Lex can ride with me if you want," Jack said. Amber, who hadn't spent time with Jack in ages, agreed happily and the three ran to Jack's silver Ford Explorer.
"Terrible weather," Lex muttered as he got in the front seat. Amber jumped in the back, and leaned her head against the cold window. As a child on holidays, she prefered to sit in the back seat, driving long lengths and traveling in varying degrees of weather over long distances that seperated her family from the City. She especially loved driving in the rain. She would look out the window, enjoying the cool touch of the glass as her thoughts drifted away into the gray sea of clouds above her.
It had been her special time. Her mother, father, and sister dubbed the moments "Amber's Nutters" because she would remain silent for hours upon end.
"Yeah," Jack said as he started the car. He backed out of the parking lot, and drove onto the main road.
"Ellie stopped by a few weeks ago, when is the baby due?" Amber asked. She loved her "Nutters" but she wanted to catch up with Jack. She would have time for those later.
"Two months. She's getting pretty big now," Jack's pride filled the entire car like a giant invisible marshmellow.
"Your [I]family[/I] is getting pretty big now," Lex laughed.
"Sure is. We're doing really good," Jack smiled warmly into the rearview mirror at Amber. She smiled back. Jack was a good man. She liked to know that. It was good to know good men existed; men who didn't send their wives to clinics or make their children fear them. Good men who helped the world.
"I want to visit you guys sometime," Amber said.
"We should go together-- their house is as big as the Mall," Lex exagerated.
"It's a larger house. Up in old St. Mary Heights," Jack replied, like what he said meant nothing.
"God, those houses were huge!" Amber said in awe.
At her old school, all of the popular kids lived in St. Mary Heights. It was a rich and very exclusive development that was only "Old Money". "New Money", the second class of popular kids, lived in different developments. That didn't matter though-- if you had lived in St. Mary Heights, you were royalty. Immortal. At Christmas her dad used to drive them through the area to view the beautiful lights that the families had landscape businesses string up to decorate their houses. They had been so large and beautiful.
"Believe me, it took a lot of work to fix it up. The damage after the Virus was pretty bad. Did it in maybe three years? And by ourselves, me and Ellie. On weekends and holidays. We've really worked hard to get where we are," Jack said.
Another thing Amber could add to Jack's being a good man: he was humble too.
"But enough about me, what about you two?" Jack turned down 5th Street.
What about us? Amber thought, feeling uncomfortable. What was there to her and Lex? A visit, a divorce, a rescue, a new friendship, a kiss? A future? She didn't know, but obviously their connection had been leaked to their circle of friends. Amber wondered if Tai-San had told them she saw the two leave the clinic holding hands.
"Er-"
"We're..." Lex started.
Jack turned red. "It's fine. I know how it feels to label stuff."
"I don't know what to call it," Amber said finally.
"It...well, it just [i]is[/i]," Lex shrugged.
For the moment that was enough.
They reached the resteraunt. Jack parked out front on the side of the street, where Alice, Siva, Trudy and Tai-San were waiting by the door. Pride, Salene, and Dan were getting out of their car. Dan and Salene were immersed in serious conversation about a biased code for building permits being passed by Aphrodite Stevens and her supporters at City Hall.
"God, is Aphrodite that bad?" Amber asked as they went inside the resteraunt.
"She hasn't been great," Lex said dryly.
The pizza resteraunt was decorated like a Mexican hacienda. The walls were painted with a thick yellow stucco that sported random adobe windows with glazed glass. Tropical birds and cactus paintings hung from the ceilings and on the walls. It looked more like a Taco Bell than a pizza "cafe".
A hostess with a bright pink nametag ("HOLA, IM SENORITA CAROLE!") escorted them to two tables. Dan and Jack pushed them together so the group could fit, and everyone sat down.
"Can I get you anything to drink?" Senorita Carole took out a notepad from a black band around her waist.
"Can I get a pina colada?" Siva eyed the menu.
"I'm sorry, miss, we don't carry exotic beverages," Senorita Carole said matter-of-factly.
"Well, sh.it, you're decorated like a goddamn Mexican rester-" Siva began when Trudy interrupted her.
"We'll have waters, thanks."
"Alright, two waters."
"We'll have cranberry juice," Pride and Salene said at the same time. Despite their contrast in healthy living choices, they both loved the dark liquid. Their fridge was always stocked.
Tai-San nodded in approval and ordered the same, Jack and Alice ordered two beers, and Lex ordered ale.
"And you, miss?" Senorita Carole came to Amber.
Amber studied her menu. She loved looking over the flimsy cardboard with glued paper to it. Viewing menus was like an exciting adventure to see what silly graphics resteraunts had painted their lists of food with. It seemed URSULA'S PIZZA CAFE used, of all things, medieval English knights to boast eight different types of pizzas, and three cartoon maidens to shout what was available at the salad bar. A castle housed the very small list of beverages.
Amber decided to be daring.
"I'd like a beer, please," She nodded boldly.
"She'll have water," Tai-San called from the other end of the table.
"I want beer, Tai-San," Amber gave her healer a look.
"Amber, alcohol will do nothing good for your system. Your still recovering. Water, Carole," Tai-San argued, and than looked up at the waiting waitress.
"It's Senorita Carole. I'll have your drinks to you in a moment," Senorita Carole tore the slip of paper off the notepad and fled through a pair of wooden doors that led to the kitchen.
"She's not getting tipped," Siva muttered.
"So what about the case, Dan?" Trudy asked the lawyer, who was spreading a pink cloth napkin on his lap.
"Oh yes, the case. As I was saying, Rick Daniels obviously has no evidence to support his claims, and because of that, I'm sure the hearing will result in a jail sentence," Dan explained.
"How long of a jail sentence, though?" Siva asked.
"Mmm," Dan said in thought, "I'm guessing he'll be convicted of 1st degree Assault, and that's a month."
"A month?! For beating Amber in the head with a gun? For God's sake!" Alice roared.
"But wouldn't my transcripts of Amber's injuries be enough evidence for the prosecution to get him a harsher conviction?" Tai-San said.
"Not necessarily. And even if the transcripts held up in court, the worst Bray could get is Intentional Assault, which is a six month prison sentence," Dan grimaced.
Lex held Amber's hand under the table.
"I don't want him dead, you guys," Amber said quietly.
"But Amber, don't you want him to pay for what he's done?" Trudy whispered.
"I want to see justice, but..." Amber stopped. She didn't know what she wanted done. What she did want was to go back to Trudy's apartment and watch an old movie with BJ; not eat, and not go back to the hearing.
"They want me to, um, er-- fire him," Jack said suddenly.
"Fire him from the Engineering Firm?" Lex asked.
"Yeah. That's why Jet called me in today," Jack looked down at the empty plate before him.
"God," Amber mumbled. She hid her face in her hand. A jobless Bray was too stressful to think about.
The doors leading to the kitchen burst open, and Senorita Carole pushed a large green cart out that contained their drinks on top, and a large pizza on the bottom.
"Um, we didn't order yet," Siva said harshly.
Senorita Carole gave her a dirty look. "This is the only pizza we have."
"But the menu-" Trudy started.
"We just opened, give us a break, lady. The menu will slowly be filled over time, but for now it's cheese," Senorita Carole grinned. Happily, she slid the steaming hot pizza off the cart and onto the table before unloading the drinks.
"Have an [I]amigo[/I] meal, and remember to come back to Ursula's!" Senorita Carole chimed with bad Spanish grammar and went back into the kitchen.
"This place is mad!" Lex said. Amber agreed. Her throat dry from stress, she cupped her glass of water and held it to her lips to drink just as Trudy knocked it from her.
"What the hell?!" Amber cried.
"Amber, look," Lex said, pointing to his ale. Large bits of dust were floating around in grimy-looking water. She felt sick. Everyone held up their glasses, because everyone had things floating in their drinks. Salene and Pride had hair they were sure was Senorita Carole's, all of the alcoholic beverages looked like they had been brewed before the Virus, and the water smelled like it was from the sewer.
"Look at the pizza!" Tai-San gasped.
The pizza was not baked, and the cheese on top was moldy.
"Jesus Christ!" Salene rolled her eyes.
"Aren't resteraunts supposed to have permits before they open from City Hall inspections?" Amber sighed, her hunger dieing insantly.
"Yes. This is a public health danger-- it should be reported," Dan said.
"Like that would do anything. Aphrodite's administration would blow it off like they have everything else!" Pride shouted, banging his fist on the table.
"Let's just get out of here," Amber whispered so loudly that everyone heard her. Quietly, they left Ursula's Pizza Cafe.
They left no tip.
~*~
"Quite the day," Trudy said.
It was night. They had just gotten home after spending all day at the hearing. Amber collapsed on the sofa in drowsiness.
"I'm so tired," Her muffled voice came from the pillows where she had buried her face.
"I called Dee, and she's going to watch the kids tonight," Trudy said. She brought two steaming mugs of hot tea out from the kitchen and joined Amber on the couch.
"That's nice of her," Amber yawned, sitting up. She took the mug, the heat tracing her fingers and meeting her palm's center.
"I told her the hearing didn't go so well," Trudy frowned.
"At least I'm divorced," Amber said dryly. As long as he couldn't touch her or BJ, she was fine with whatever he was doing.
Bray had been sentenced to one month in jail for 1st degree Assault. Jet warned him to stay away from Amber, and after the hearing was ajourned, she spoke privately with her and urged Amber to get a restraining order. Amber said she would think about it.
But what would a piece of paper that said "Stay Away!" do to protect her? Nothing. Paper was easy to tear, promises were easy to break. She just wanted to be away from him. At least the divorce didn't tie them together anymore, and the Article 5 law had come in place.
Amber had thought about that during the rest of the hearing, and on the way home. What did she want from Bray? For him to leave her alone. Not to be in prison for the rest of his life, not to be shot, not to suffer like she had. She just wanted him to not be involved in her life. Was that so hard to ask?
Trudy wrapped her arm around Amber, and the two watched GONE WITH THE WIND on The City Network. The entire length of the movie they didn't utter a word, and when they went to bed they fell asleep as soon as they laid their heads down on their pillows.
It was the best time Amber had spent with Trudy.
That night she slept badly. She kept twisting and turning, her thoughts turning into bad dreams.
She was at Ursula's Pizza Cafe, but it was decorated like an old McDonalds. Lex was working behind the counter, and Trudy was mopping the floor. She kept asking Amber if she could help her. Lex was throwing burgers at her. And from the backroom came Senorita Carole, holding BJ and pretending he was her daughter.
The next morning, she lie awake in bed, delirious and tired when Trudy knocked on her door.
"Amber, are you awake?"
Groggily, she shoved the covers away and opened the door.
"Yeah, what is, Trude?"
"I'm going to work, but I was wondering if you wanted to take me so you could take the car and look for a job today?" Trudy smiled, working to fasten an earing on her ear.
A job? Amber had thought about getting one before, but had forgotten those last weeks with all of the dramatic events that had occured.
"Um, yeah, I guess," Amber yawned, running her hands through her tangled hair.
"K, meet me in the living room in ten minutes," Trudy said. She pulled the earing off, and was off to search for ones that fit better.
Amber closed the door of the guestroom, and rummaged through the chest of drawers for her red Albertson's pajama pants and a white t-shirt. She got dressed, pulled her hair up in the bathroom, and sat on the sofa waiting for Trudy.
"Is anyone accepting applicants?" Amber asked as Trudy tinkered with two pearl earings in the mirror in the hallway.
"I don't know. You should go to City Hall, I think they'd know," Trudy suggested.
"Aha," She smiled as the earings finally snapped on. "Let's go."
Amber grabbed her purse, and the women left the house. Trudy made sure to lock the door.
"You know, just in case," Trudy said quickly as Amber caught her eye.
"Yeah," Amber said. They walked down the staircase and than into the parking lot. Trudy's navyblue Honda sat gleaming in the morning light.
"Here's the keys," Trudy threw the silvery objects over the car as she got into the passenger seat. Amber positioned herself in the front. She hadn't driven for a while, but once she pulled out of the parking lot and started down the main road from the apartment it felt natural.
"While you're at City Hall, you should file a complaint about that pizza place," Trudy laughed, spreading "Pine Nut Berry" lotion on her arms. The smell of trees filled the air.
"I reckon Dan already has," Amber looked in the rearview mirror as the policeman directing traffic made the sign with his arm that meant go.
"That was nice of Salene and him to volunteer to defend you," Trudy looked out the window.
"Yeah, I thanked Salene after the hearing was over. I love that woman," Amber smiled. Trudy agreed, and five minutes later they were at Albertson's Department Store. Amber eyed the brick building as Trudy got out.
"Remember to pick up the kids after school, and good luck hunting!" Trudy poked her head through the window.
"Thanks, Trude. Have a good day."
As she turned onto the main road, she couldn't help but feel a prickly fear that she wouldn't find a job. After all, Dan, a man very immersed in City politics, had said that Aphrodite Stevens had messed up the entire City's rebuilding process. Did that mean the economy was in a slump too?
Amber remembered Aphrodite Stevens vaguely. After the Technos came, she had been one of the few Mozzies to escape the VR labs. Instead, the Technos had used her on their CityNet television network to combat a video Amber and the MallRats had aired of Amber telling the City the truth about the VR labs. On her counter-video, Aphrodite claimed those who spoke about the VR labs were making things up, and that the resistance groups were the real terrorists.
She had caused Amber a lot of grief. The VR labs were still strong in her memory. They had been horrible. She had had no control of anything, not even her own tears. At least she had that when Bray beat her. Yes, the VR labs had been evil, and Aphrodite Stevens maybe ruined a possible uprising that could have saved many lives.
She felt a pang of anger toward the City Leader as she drove back to Trudy's apartment. How could she not care about the City?
Even Amber remembered all of the promises Aphrodite had made during her campaign. Better schools, a better economy, more public services, "An Olympus Quality of Life" playing off the origins of her name. It had sounded good, but she had not followed through. Not at all.
Amber pounded up the steps to the apartment three at a time. Maybe she should work at City Hall if she thought they were all idiots. That way she could impliment her feelings about the running of the City at meetings, and conferences and the like. Maybe she would have influence?
She unlocked the door, and threw herself into the bathroom where she showered for five minutes and jumped out. She had decided now, and it made her excited: she would work at City Hall.
I'm going to change things, Amber thought as she did her hair in the mirror. She decided she would borrow one of Trudy's business suits. She picked out a classy brown pants-suit. She wanted to look presentable, but not too cutesy. Who knew what she was up against?
She hurried down the hallway to Trudy's very purple room and borrowed a spray of "Lavendar Honey Paradise". The perfume made her cough as it settled into her pours. Definitely not a part of her morning ritual.
"Alright," Amber whispered, looking into the full length mirror beside Trudy's bed. She smoothed her front. Her hair fell straight to her shoulders, her ears dangled two golden looped earings. She had smacked on a tiny amount of soft pink lipstick, and black eyeliner under each eye.
She looked classy.
Ten minutes later as she walked into City Hall, she hoped they thought so too.
~*~
Readers,
This is part 1 of Chapter 5. Part 2 will be up soon. I hope you enjoy!
Plane tickets and trays of cookies for all,
~h2o