A Melody Of You

Cristina

"I don't drink."

He looks back at me and does that mocking scoff again. "It is not strong liquor. I don't drink like that either."

"I'm okay. Thank you."

He lets out a soft breath through his nose and begins to serve me anyway. I frown as he puts the cup in front of me and he swirls the other in his hand. He chuckles at my frown and says, "Don't worry, Dr. Wong. It is apple juice."

I can't help but snort when he says this. I cover my mouth and he does a grin at my surprise. "You're kidding?"

He shakes his head and he almost seems like a child doing mischief as his dark eyes shine. "Try it." I look at the cup but don't take it. He chuckles at my hesitation and says, "You don't believe me?"

"Well...I think drinking something suspicious from a stranger who claims it to be apple juice is not the best idea."

He does a laugh that seems to make my stomach flip. He gestures at the cup and says, "I promise I won't hurt you, Dr. Wong. This is a university and there are many cameras here. Pretend to be fancy with me, Dr. Wong."

I am skeptical as I gently take the cup. I smell it and realize that he is right. I take a small sip and chuckle. "Oh wow."

"A lawyer must never lie. That is our oath." He takes another sip of his drink.

I point at his cup. "Is that apple juice, too?!"

He looks at the cup and then at me. "Will you never talk to me again if I say yes?"

I laugh loudly at whatever is happening right now. "This is so silly."

Mr. Chu shrugs in his seat as he begins to organize a few papers on his glass desk. "I use it for the students. It makes them feel equal. It helps them envision what they are getting into. It helps them feel...good about themselves when they come to talk to me."

I am so amused by this, but I haven't felt this good about a silly situation since college. This moment reminds me of the carefree days I once had back then. Where we did silly things like this just to pretend to be brave or adults. I didn't know we could still be as silly as before even if we had turned into adults and used too much courage.

Mr. Chu clears his throat and gently folds his hands on his desk. He gets in a posture as if we were in a business meeting and I also put down the cup. "Tell me," he now says. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"I tried reaching out to you. I have gotten into a situation and Dr. Kim recommended me to you."

He nods at my words but lets out a sigh. "I told him to stop sending his doctor friends to me..." I furrow my brows at his words and he goes back to his firmness. "If this is about a lawsuit, I cannot help. I don't...work much in the courtroom anymore if it isn't for my classes."

You've got to be kidding me.

"You can't. I mean...I need a lawyer. Soon. I will go to court in the coming week and I can't go there empty-handed. I need to be protected in some way."

"Doesn't the hospital offer some kind of help? What did you do? Malpractice? An accident? Did someone die in your hands? Is someone upset because you prescribed the wrong medication?"

I don't know why I'm so offended by the way he says these words as if they were not serious things. He doesn't even take my case seriously. What can I expect from someone who doesn't even care to look at my emails? I am still a client.

I'm doing it again with him. I'm embarrassing myself.

So I get up without another word and give him a small nod. "Thank you for your time. I will look for someone else to help me. Enjoy the rest of your day, Mr. Chu."

He watches me walk out with my chin held high and an upset heart. But I keep moving forward as I walk out and let out a soft sigh of disappointment.

What will I do now?

"Dr. Wong."

I stop at the sound of his voice. I turn to see him just outside his office. He lets out a soft breath through his nose and does a nod. "Send me the file of your report. I must be extra informed when it comes to child abuse."

So he did read my emails. Why did he not respond back?

My heart comes back to life with happiness to his words, but I keep my back straight and expression small as I give him a head bow. "I will do just that once I get back to my office. Thank you for using your precious time to help me."

He nods and says, "Thank you for coming to see me even if I did not respond back. I apologize for that."

Hm.

I let my eyes give him a quick scan and this time I give him a small smirk. "Make sure you teach your students to respond back to their clients. Especially when they come out of their way to ask for help. Have a good day, Mr. Chu. I wish you the best in your classes and I hope you are a good example to future lawyers."

I don't look at his surprise run through his dark eyes for too long. I turn around and keep my smirk on my lips as I let my high heels clack loudly against the tile floor.