13 years later.....
"Will the jury foreperson please stand?" the judge asked.
The old lady closed the buttons of her blazer and stood, head high.
"Has the jury reached an unanimous verdict?"
"Yes your honor," the lady answered.
The clerk took the verdict form from the foreperson and handed it to the judge as he read it silently while Paula waited eagerly for him to finish.
The judge nodded his head slowly and passed down the form to his left, he then called the clerk over.
"All rise," the Bailiff boomed.
Everyone in the court stood in silence.
"Members of the Jury, on the case of Albert Mendes verses Paula Jones," the clerk began, "Find the defendant, Albert Mendes, guilty of sex offend. Albert Mendes is charged with first degree sex assault and will serve thirteen years in prison."
Paula's tears streamed down her face as she looked at the judge in astonishment, she thought her own ears were deceiving her.
"Members of the jury, this court dismisses you and thanks you for a job well done," the judge added, "This court is adjourned."
When the trail was over the judge left the bench and everyone in the room raced towards Paula to hug her. They were all crying and smiling but Paula's smile was the widest.
"Miss Morr,I can't thank you enough," she cried as she held my hands, "I never imagined someone would believe an ex-sex worker was getting raped for years! I never imagined I would see that man behind bars!"
"The law was made to protect everyone and no matter what you were or are if you're a victim, I'm going to do everything I can to give you a fair trail," I squeezed her hands.
"God bless you Miss Morr, you're truly an angel."
I smiled at her and excused myself to answer the phone that was ringing in my pocket.
"Angelica Morr speaking," I talked as I walked out of the court.
"Angy! Help I forgot to pick up the cake!"
"Don't worry! I got it!"
"You're a life savior! Is the trail over?"
"Yup! We won!"
"I knew you can do it! I'm sure Paula is over the moon right now!"
"You bet," I smiled, "I'm gonna hang up now. I'll be over in a second."
"Bye!"
"Bye."
"I hope the traffic is light," I thought as I put the car in reverse. My eyeslids felt droopy due to the lack of sleep, this case took a lot of time and energy but the shot of adrenaline at the end was worth it. "I need a trip to the spa," I thought, "Or maybe a vacation."
The roads seemed endless and for a second I felt like the car wasn't moving, "Maybe I shouldn't have had a lot of coffee this morning but I needed it to make up for the restless night." I parked my car in front of the patisserie but took my time before getting out, my head was spinning and I was zoning in and out. "Get a grip of yourself, soon you will be home taking a nice cool shower."
****
"Claire!" I yelled as I shut the door with the my foot.
An electric toy helicopter flew just above my head.
"Wow!" I ducked quickly.
"Mayday! Mayday! We're going down! I repeat we are going down!" the little boy yelled and ran towards me, holding the remote controller tightly with his hands.
"Captain the tower isn't responding and we have a failing engine!" I raced with him to the kitchen.
"This is it Angy, this is the end. It was good knowing you, pal."
"Aww, can't we use some Hollywood magic to survive the crash? We could fall into a swimming pool on a penthouse!"
"That's lame and unrealistic," the little boy frowned.
"Yeah you're right," I agreed, "Well back to reality then, happy birthday!"
I brought him into a hug and kissed his cheeks.
"Angy nooooo," he tried to break free while giggling, "I'm too old for kisses."
"Too old? You're only thirteen!"
"Yeah a teen."
His comment made me chuckle, a teenager! I can't believe it has been thirteen years since---
Just then a tall woman came into the kitchen, her thin figure barely covered the door frame. I think the first thing you'd notice is her green eyes and her short blonde hair that reached her shoulders.
"How dare you start the birthday without me?" she chuckled.
"No birthday without you Claire," I smiled as I unboxed the cake.
"And presents," Nathan mumbled.
"Hey!" Claire chuckled.
"Oh! Go grab yours from my car. I think you'll like," I said.
"On it."
And with that he ran out of the kitchen.
"My son prefers gifts over me!" Claire puffed and shook her head, "Is that the cake? Let me see it."
She stood beside me and smiled proudly to herself, "He'll love it!"
I checked my phone and nodded my head, I'll read the email later.
"So how was your day?" Claire asked.
"Tiring but we won the case," I said as I took off my high heels.
"It's a case of murder," Nathan declared as he re-entered the kitchen.
"What makes you think that, detective?" I asked.
"I can't say anything at the current moment until I have enough evidence."
"You bought him a detective set, didn't you?" Claire looked at me.
"He likes it."
Claire smiled at her little boy, he is really growing faster than we expected.
"I'm gonna take a quick shower before cutting the cake," I told her.
I made my way to the wide, curved flight of stairs and passed both Claire's and Nathan's bedrooms before reaching mine. I'm so glad I've agreed to move in with Claire and her son, their presence fills up the empty house when it gets lonely.
It was hard at first, we lived in small apartments because we were barely able to pay rent and things were tougher (and less affordable) with a baby. I remember the many times Claire told me she wanted to drop out of college and get a full time job but I couldn't let her do this, I knew she won't be able to give Nate the luxurious life she wants him to have with the salary of a waitress. He was seven when I moved in with them, I remember in details Claire's phone call that night and how hard she was crying, I remember when she asked me to move to Cali and stay with her and Nate. It was a hard decision to make since I was a new graduate and after living seven years in Britain, I was planning to make a name for myself there but I promised Claire I would help her. And with that I packed my things and flew to California.
Life was and still is expensive here but things gradually got better. It took a while before people started hiring me as their trail attorney but the paychecks were worth it. Claire was still working and studying and it would take her another three years to graduate so I helped her with the money, she profoundly refused at first but gave up when she saw how little she could offer her son. I suggested that she quit her job and focus on studying and Nathan, I knew it was crazy to ask her this since we needed every penny we earned but his happiness was more important, Claire barely spent time with her child and I saw how he secluded himself from everything and everyone. Money won't bring him the happiness he needed at that age.
Things began to look up after Claire's graduation, she didn't take too long to find a job at a hospital and by the age of twelve Nathan was living in a nice suburban house and getting home schooled by the finest teachers. After five years of practicing in my profession, I somewhat became a well known lawyer. Claire was also a very successful cardiologist and that earned her a lot. I recall the day when she came to my office to return my money; she kept every receipt, every bill and paid me back everything. We argued a lot before I agreed to take the money but I secretly added them to a bank account for Nate. I know she's saving up for his college but a little extra cash won't hurt him.
I took off the suit I was wearing, placed my heels on the floor, and went to take a shower. "Finally," I thought when the water hit my skin, "Things are beginning to look up."
****
Claire was in the backyard placing the cake on the picnic table while Nate was playing with a couple of neighbors who arrived when I was still in the shower.
"Who wants cake?!" Claire yelled.
"Me!" the children cheered.
Nate made us swear we won't sing the birthday song because it's awkward and cliche so instead we're gonna take pictures and cut the cake.
"Okay buddy get ready to make a wish," I smiled as I held the camera to my face. Nate smiled and blew out the candles while everyone clapped.
****
I was sitting in the living room, watching TV when Claire collapsed beside me on the coach.
"So tired," she moaned.
"Cheer up, tomorrow's gonna be a long day."
She groaned, "I have a busy schedule tomorrow."
"Thirteen years, Claire. We've been hustling for years and there is still so much to do."
"Damn.... thirteen years huh? It seems like it was only yesterday that we found out I was pregnant."
Oh I remember that day vividly.
Thirteen years ago:
It's been two months since I arrived to the UK, my courses don't start until next month but my parents thought it was a good idea to sent me earlier so I can settle down and explore the country. I was staying temporarily with some distant relative whom are nice and then I'm going to move into a dorm.
My phone began to ring.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Angy!" Claire's voice came from the other end.
"Hey Claire! How are you?"
"A little better, I might start seeing a therapist soon."
"That's great news, Claire! I'm so glad you're reaching out for help."
"Yeah."
There was at pause that got me a bit worried.
"You there?" I asked.
"Uh yeah.... hey my parents wanted to surprise me with a getaway vacation before college starts and I get to choose a country I want to visit."
"Oh why don't you come here? I miss hanging out with you!"
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Two weeks later....
"Hello!" Claire beamed when I opened the door for her.
"Gosh Claire I missed you!" I quickly leaned for a hug.
"I missed you too, how are you?"
"Amazing! I'm finally living my dream!"
"I'm happy for you Ang. Nice place by the way," Claire said when I let her in.
"I'm staying here for a while before school starts."
"Oh yeah you mentioned this previously. My parents and I are staying in a nearby hotel."
"I'm still surprised you're here with them. I thought you guys don't talk."
"Well we don't, but they reached out when you left and I thought it might be better to work things out between us."
"Have you.... um.... told them about what happened?"
"No.... though they've been suspiciously nice to me these days."
"Maybe they've changed."
"Oh trust me they will never change. They're just glad their daughter is gonna become a doctor. What a great honor that is!"
"At least they agreed to pay your tuition fees."
"God bless their kind heart," she said sarcastically.
****
Time flew by with Claire around; we spent most of our days touring in the Cambridge and I got to meet her parents, they seemed pretty decent but definitely superficial. They made snarky comments on my financial state but they were delighted when Claire mentioned that I'm going to study law in Harvard University. Bottom line, I'm glad our meet ups were short and over.
"Claire?" I frowned as she ordered her third burger in a row.
"Yeah?"
"I don't want to sound like a jerk but don't you think you're eating a lot of junk food these days? You've even gained some weight recently and that's not healthy at all."
She swallowed her drink slowly and leaned back, "I guess I'm just hungry."
"We had breakfast two hours ago."
"So now you're watching me and counting my calorie intake?" Claire snapped.
"I'm just pointing out your new unhealthy eating habits."
"There's nothing wrong with my diet."
"You put mustard and mayo on your scrambled eggs this morning."
"And it was delicious now would you please let me enjoy my burger?"
I wanted to argue with her but I knew she wouldn't listen so it was better to drop it than start a fight. I kept an eye on Claire and tried to make several excuses for her odd behavior and sudden mood swings but all of them weren't even close to being logical, it got even worse when her feet began to hurt her on our way back to the hotel.
"You're feet are swelling a lot lately," I said as I put a large bowl of cold water in front of her.
"I could see that."
"Are you still feeling nauseous?"
"No."
"Claire," I raised my eye brow at her.
"Just a little."
"I think we should see a doctor."
"I'm sorry but what is it with all these demands."
"These are suggestions," I spoke impatiently, "I'm suggesting you should go and see a doctor because you've been feeling sick lately."
"And I suggest you concentrate on something other than my health and diet."
"I'm worried about you!" I threw my hands in the air out of frustration.
"I can take care of myself, Angy!"
Okay I'm angry, she's fuming so right now isn't a good time to argue and I shouldn't leave her alone. I took a deep breath and tried to think, I know what's going on, she definitely knows what's going so we can't ignore it any longer.
"I'm gonna book you an appointment for tomorrow. We'll go to the doctor for a quick check up to make sure everything's okay," I said quietly as I gathered my things to leave.
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Your parents won't know about this and I'll text you the details tonight."
I didn't want to give her time to argue so I left as fast as I could, we can't wait around much longer.
****
I was beside Claire gazing at the monitor in front of us. I'm glad she agreed to come to the appointment after three hours of convincing. Her belly was exposed and covered with gel for the ultrasound.
"Congratulations you're four months pregnant!" the doctor announced.
My eyes almost popped out of my skull and Claire's face was as pale as a sheet.
"Ex- excuse me?"
"You're pregnant."
"You're joking, right?"
"I'm not," the doctor looked at me, reluctantly.
"Angy he's joking,right?" Claire turned to me but I couldn't tell her the things she wanted to hear right now, it was real and she is pregnant.
"I don't even have a baby bump!" she yelled.
"Some bumps go unnoticed until the third trimester, it depends on the nature of the body," the doctor explained.
In the middle of the silence Claire began to cry and I wished I could go back in time to fix this but that was impossible.
"Can you give us a minute," I asked the doctor who politely nodded and left the room.
"My life is over," Claire sobbed, "I can't carry this baby! My college is starting soon and I barely have enough money to eat!"
"You can ask your parents to help you."
"Are you nuts?! My parents don't know I was...raped," she stopped talking once the realization of the situation hit her,"The baby.... that can't be.... oh my God! But the pregnancy test-"
"Pregnancy tests aren't always accurate."
"Angy," Claire whispered in disbelief, "I'm carrying the baby of my rapist."
"Is there a chance that the biological father is Walter?"
"Walter is sterile."
I didn't know what was worse: getting raped or carrying the baby of your own rapist, having a piece of him growing inside of you for months when you're trying hopelessly to forget him.
"Second trimester abortions are a bit risky and expensive," Claire sniffed.
"Ask your parents for the money and pay them back later."
"You don't get it Angy, they need to know what's the mother for and personally make sure it was spent well."
"You can tell them it's for college."
"They're paying for everything and I'm on thin ice, they didn't know I was living with Walter let alone sleeping with him when they found out they stopped paying half the rent of my old apartment and I was forced to move back with them after I was fired from my job. They're very religious people and I can't risk lying again, it will cost me my degree."
"Well then tell them the truth."
"Ever heard of a prolife?"
"Damn."
"Exactly," she sniffed, "I have no choice but to keep the baby."
I looked at her with the sad eyes, poor Claire she doesn't deserve what she's going through she should be able to abort unwanted pregnancy if she wants to, she should be able to live the life she wanted and planned so long for but she can't.
Four months later....
"Oh my GOD!" Claire screamed.
The nurses were pushing her wheelchair to the emergency room while I was running beside her.
"It's okay Claire everything will be okay," I shouted in panic.
"AGHHH!"
***
"Hey," I whispered as I stepped inside the room, she was in the bed holding the baby in her arms.
"Hey," she whispered back. Claire looked exhausted, her hair was a mess and her sweat and tears were finally dry against her breaking skin.
The baby was a little bit underweight because Claire wasn't eating well enough these past few months. After her bump began to appear, despite trying to hide it under baggy clothes and shorten her visits back home, her parents found out about the pregnancy and froze her bank account but they kept paying for the tuition fees which was a relief. They refused to help their daughter drop the baby so Claire had to start working again but she only did part time jobs because of how sloppy the pregnancy was making her, she got sick a lot and her feet swelled frequently. Her parents cut all connections with her and didn't want to be here during the delivery. On the bright side, the baby boy was safely sleeping in his mother's arms.
"What are you going to name him?"
"I was thinking.... Nathan," she answered, "I'm trying my best to control my feelings because none of this is his fault but every time I look at him I remember that motherfucker and these bad ideas cross my mind."
"Don't do this to Nathan, Claire. He doesn't deserve the hate."
She inhaled deeply and looked at her child then gave him to me, it was all too much for her to process and she needed sometime to think. The nurses took Nathan afterwards and I left the room so Claire can sleep. This is going to be one hectic journey.
****
"Yeah feels like it was only yesterday," I said.