Page 11 of Objection
It took us a few hours to get things situated. First days were always like that, I think. She took about an hour to herself, to set up her computer and programs the way she needed to before we really got down to working. Once she was settled; however, that’s when she really impressed me. Without saying a word, she jumped into each case, familiarizing herself with the details. I watched as her calendar filled up with reminders, tasks, court dates, and other items. She was organized, just as I was.
“Would you prefer to be included on any particular emails, calendar dates, et cetera, Mr. Wellington?” she asked, breaking a long spell of quiet.
“Any correspondence to clients, opposing counsel, judges, and the like, I would like to be cc’d on. Any calendar dates that are important for me to know, particularly deadlines, please include me on. Your general tasks you may keep to yourself. I have access to your calendar should I need to look at such things.” She nodded her head once and dove back into her work.
The afternoon passed into early evening without either of us noticing, until her stomach literally rumbled with hunger.
“Ms. Adams, I do not believe you took a lunch break this afternoon,” I remarked, looking at the time for the first time in a long time.
“I suppose I didn’t. I will tomorrow. I just need to finish drafting these documents for the Newman case and I should be set for the day,” she explained, not looking up from her computer, her fingers still clicking away at the document she was working on.
“It is required by law that I offer you time for lunch and breaks. If you choose to work through them, that is your prerogative, but please note that you may take a lunch every day and I do encourage it. I don’t need you passing out on me in the middle of a workday due to starvation.” I did my best to make my tone as kind as possible, but this was an issue I faced in many facets of my life. Caring for a person’s health was paramount. I could not have unhappy employees.
“I understand, Mr. Wellington. I just finished the pleadings needed for the Newman case. Is there anything I can finish for you before leaving for the day?” she offered kindly.
“I don’t believe so.” I re-focused my attentions on the current research I was doing. The case I had taken on was a bit of a long shot, but I liked a challenge. Unfortunately, it required more research than I had anticipated and would probably keep me busy for most of the night. I barely noticed the front door closing before the lights on her sedan filled the kitchen windows and she backed away.
Tomorrow, hopefully, we could make some real headway in these cases. After I purchased that software, of course. She had been right. After Ms. Adams had left for the day, I read through the software company’s website, which led me to make a phone call to their customer service department. The choice was obvious. While it was more expensive up front, the benefits far outweighed the price. The fact that Jack, with his ridiculous profit margin, didn’t upgrade to a software like this, even with the necessary labor cost, was just asinine. It was also completely Jack. He was a fool.
I worked until the early morning hours, before eating a late, late dinner and heading to bed. Tomorrow would be a much better day. We were off to a good start. I just knew it.
I had barely closed my eyes to sleep when my phone buzzed.
-I need you. - L.
I rolled my eyes. This was not the night. That was not the way, and she knew it.
-Are you safe? - S.
I waited for the phone to buzz again.
-I am safe, I just need you. I want to play. - L.
She was trying to get a rise out of me, and it wasn’t going to work.
-You and I both know the proper way to request playtime. Please refer to our contract if you have any questions. - S.
I turned my phone upside down and shifted my pillow around trying to find a comfortable position. I needed sleep if I were going to handle the insane workload, I had set for myself tomorrow. I growled when the phone buzzed again.
-But I want to play now. - L.
Without another thought, I typed out my answer, angrily hitting send before setting it back down and doing my best to ignore it.
-If you continue to break the agreement we have set out in the terms of our contract, I will consider this your way of telling me you want out of said contract. If this is the case, I will call you tomorrow to set up a time to properly end our contract. If this is not the case, then, please, cease and desist in order to carry on the proper respect our dynamic deserves. - S.
I didn’t wait to hear any more buzzing from my phone. I was tired, and I was done with that issue. I would handle her tomorrow or at our next meeting, whichever she ended up choosing. Either way, that was a tomorrow Soren problem.
6
Posey
It was invigorating,working at a new firm from the ground up. Mr. Wellington had been open to many of my suggestions those first few days, but as the week wore on, so did his attitude. I was seeing less of the man I saw that first day and more of the man I had seen for the last five years. He was overwhelmed and it was obvious.
“Mr. Wellington, I —” I began only to be cut off by his harsh tone.
“What is it now?!” His eyes lifted to mine across the table and I could see the agitation living within them. My initial reaction was to back down. I lowered my eyes and took a breath before starting again. When I raised my eyes, there was a completely different look in his.
“Mr. Wellington, I’m sorry to interrupt but I just wanted to remind you that you have a telephone conference with the Plaintiff’s counsel on the Smith case in twenty minutes. I thought you might want to prepare.” I nudged the file across the table to him, my eyes finally lowering under his odd gaze. He was looking at me with an intensity I wasn’t used to or prepared for. It felt odd. Granted, that was more likely me reading into things than anything else.
