Of course he was great, he was absolutely wonderful. The way he nailed it and got Mr Brown out of harms way was spectacular, and even the way he addressed the issue in court was basically every lawyer's dream. If I could handle cases like that, and get everyone to believe that my client isn't guilty of theft even when the stolen items are right in his possession, mehn, the sky will be my starting point. I will surely be going on vacations to that hotel that Elon Musk is trying to build on Mars.
" Please tell me, how was my performance?" He asked again, and I rolled my eyes, clenching my fingers around the wheel.
" Not too bad", I said, " your client didn't receive full penalty for his obvious actions and wasn't convicted, so I guess it's a win".
Of course I wasn't going to tell him that I was practically left speechless by his performance. I still hated him, but that didn't mean that I was blind to his talent, and he had a knack for what he was doing. No wonder he was so famous in the legal profession.
" That sounds so nice coming from you", he said, relaxing back and still grinning.
" It wasn't a compliment", I said as a matter of fact.
" Well, I'll take it as one", he said, looking out the window.
" How did it go?" Galinda asked as she spotted me taking the box back to the storage room.
" It went well. Mr Brown wasn't convicted".
" I knew he was going to nail it. That case sure was a hard nut to crack", she said, sounding so much like a proud mother, and that irked me out.
She didn't have to make it so obvious that she liked him.
" Well", she continued, turning her attention to me as she helped me with the door, " you have to get ready to learn from him so that the both of you can dominate the court".
I placed the box on the shelf, almost dying, breathing hastily, and with my two hands on my waist, I said, " we'll see about that".
I had been expectant about training under him; that was when I didn't know that he was Hakim, but things were now different. I was caught up in a dilemma of deciding which one was better for me; to subdue the hate I had for him and learn as much as possible from him, or to forget about the training and stick to my comfort zone.
" Is that even a question? Of course you should chose the former", Sasha said as I shared my thoughts with her. " Why the hell should you stay in your comfort zone?"
" I don't know...….. because it's safe and comfortable?" I said, making it sound more like a question than a statement.
" That is what your mind programs you to believe, but trust me, that is not the case".
" So what? You expect me to throw myself at him and clear my mind off everything and what? Ready myself to be his trainee?"
" Exactly. That is what you're meant to do. You didn't struggle to get a high G.P.A just so that you can lodge around and stay within your ' comfort zone'", she clicked her fingers on the air to throw more emphasis, " and you are never going to be that person you want to be, that badass lawyer that you want to be, if you stay in that damned comfort zone of yours".
She was right, and she knew that I knew that she was right. I had read my eyes out while still at Harvard law school, aiming for a high G.P.A. I didn't leave the kind of life that most of my peers were living; the kind that was filled with friends and parties and dates and all that, with a little addition of studying, especially whenever exams starts drawing near. That was never me. I always started reading from day one, making sure to go over the syllabus time and time again.
" But what if I have no choice?" I was almost tearing up, and I took a pillow from the sofa, gently hugging it.
" You always have a choice. You do, you just have to make a scale of preference and chose the ones that are most important to you".
" Look, I don't think I can do it. I don't think I can bring myself to learn from Hakim. I just hate him so much that...…..gosh, I won't be able to grasp anything. My mind has a mind of it's own, it's ironic, but that's what it is, and not only has this mind of mine projected me to look at him and see nothing but a trash can, it has also influenced my heart to shut him off. There is no fucking way that I can train under such psychological and mental circumstances", I said.
" Listen, I know it was hard for you, but you have to move on. I'm not saying that you should forget what happened, but don't let it influence who you are, and what you do, and besides, you made mention of the fact that he seems as if he's complacent about all that happened between you two".
" Pure rubbish. I bet he didn't mean even a word of that", I retorted immediately.
" Well, even if he didn't mean it, you have to let him go".
" Do you see me holding on to him?"
" You have to forgive him and move on".
" Is that really possible? Because I don't think it is".
" It is. Time will tell, but for the meantime, do what you are supposed to do, start training with him, and start pruning your skills".
" Okay, I've heard", I said, surrendering to her whimps, besides, I could still do whatever it is that I want to do.
" Your phone's been beeping non-stop. Won't you check who it is?" She asked, trying to change the subject.
" Don't worry, I know who it is".
" And you don't want to reply?"
" Certainly not. I just don't want anything to do with him. It was a one time something; well, two times, but that was it, so what else does he expect? That I present him with a bouquet?" I said and Sasha couldn't control her laughter.
" Well, I bet this one doesn't want to be just a one-night stand".
" Well, lucky for him, he was a two-night stand", I said and she laughed more, almost choking on her laughter.
I checked my phone again and saw that he had sent over thirty-eight messages. He had called me non-stop since morning, accounting for a total number of Forty-three missed calls, and when he saw that I wasn't responding, he switched over to texting me.
" Please, just give me a chance", he said in his last message.
I looked at the message and hissed. Never.