Chapter Three

Chapter Three
Changes in Attitudes

My desk phone was ringing. I sigh, and pick it up. What else could go wrong on a Monday? Well, at least the day was almost over. “Mara Ravenclaw.”

“Ms. Ravenclaw.” I recognized the voice in an instant. It was my latest boss, Jack Marquis. We called him “De Sade” behind his back, but Sir to his face. And unfortunately, he didn’t appear to be planning on packing it in any time soon. “Do you have a moment? I need to speak with you.”

“Sure. I’ll be right there.” I reply and hang up. Crap. This was all I needed on my birthday. The third anniversary of my twenty-ninth birthday, to be exact. I look at the papers piled on my desk, the vase of pink roses that sat nearby. Well, my case reviews will have to wait until after I’ve had a chance to speak to his majesty. I negotiate the maze of cubicles and stride into Marquis’ office right behind Renee Choi. Huh? What the heck? Why has he called both of us into his office?

I look at Renee, who is wearing head to toe black today. Black suit, black blouse, black hose, black heels, and even black earrings. She was going to a funeral at Washington Memorial Cemetery this afternoon. Sadly, her mother had died in a car accident two days ago. The guy had hit her and then taken off, leaving her to die at the scene. The cops had caught up to him eventually, and booked him on charges of vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence. Renee looks back at me. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and the black mascara that had run down her cheeks now marred her normally flawless makeup job. That prick De Sade had refused to give Renee the time off, saying that we were too busy because we were short-handed.

I offer a small smile and gesture to the door to Marquis’ office. “Ladies first.” I offer. Even though I was female, I didn’t consider myself a lady. Renee walks in and I follow.

Behind the oak desk, Marquis was on the phone. He looks up a moment, and covers the receiver. “Close the door and sit down.” He orders. Uh oh. There were few things worse than closed-door meetings with the boss. I again glance at Renee as I close the door. Renee sits down. She takes a wadded up tissue from her pocket and dabs at her eyes. I put a hand on her shoulder, trying to offer her what comfort I could.

I glare at Marquis. He was making us wait to throw us off balance. I study the deep lines in his forehead, and his short cropped salt and pepper hair. I wanted to hate him, but I couldn’t. He was trying to do his job, just like I was trying to do mine. However, denying Renee bereavement leave was a shitty thing to do. We could have done without her for three days.

Finally, Marquis gets off the phone, and looks at us. “Choi. Ravenclaw. Thanks for coming.” His gratitude seemed as phony as a three-dollar bill, but I tried to hide my utter contempt. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to have caught on. “I have good news and bad news for you.” He tells us. “The good news, Choi, is that Diego Garcia Rivera, the guy that hit your mother, isn’t going to need the services of the OPD. He’s hired his own counsel.” That had been a sore point for the last few days. If the guy couldn’t afford counsel, we were required to represent him, but on the other hand, since the victim’s daughter worked here, it was also a clear conflict of interest. I then wait for the bad news that was soon to follow. “The bad news is that Jeff Fisher quit this morning.”

Ah crap. That explained why I hadn’t seen him today. This made three attorneys we’d lost in a single month. That had to be some sort of record for this office. “How soon can we get replacements?” I ask. Our caseloads had been steadily increasing, and while the latest resignation was no surprise, it meant we now would have to handle even more work than before.

“The application notice was posted two weeks ago. The deadline to apply was today.” He replies. I try to hide my utter disgust. If today is the deadline, that meant we probably wouldn’t get any new help for at least a month, considering the long drawn-out process of applying and interviewing candidates. “I also put up a notice at the Gonzaga, Seattle University, Lewis and Clark and University of Washington campuses looking for paid legal Interns.”

Lewis and Clark. That law school was far to the south of us in Portland, and Gonzaga was in Spokane. If they were putting up notices there, they were indeed getting very desperate for help. I guess King County was finally trying to make an effort at granting defendants their Constitutional right to due process. I nod and try to change the subject. “What is the status of Fisher’s cases? Are there any that are due in court in the next week? Have the continuances been filed?”

Marquis picks up a stack of papers that had to be at least six inches thick. “Fortunately, Mr. Fisher had a knack for picking the easiest cases, and he managed to complete the majority of them. The remaining cases are the ones he inherited from Magruder and Vance. I’m assigning them to Harris and Nguyen.”

I stare at him in shock. He wasn’t giving us any cases??? That couldn’t be good at all. Marquis then sets the pile of papers in front of us. I can see by looking at them that they are standard King County Application for Employment forms. “These are all the applications we’ve received. I want you two to go through this pile, select some suitable candidates, and make arrangements with HR to schedule the first round of interviews, which the two of you will conduct. Select the best 6 of the interviewees, and refer them to HR, who will then arrange the second round of interviews, which I will conduct.

Renee is the first to speak. “Why us, Sir?” I had to wonder the same thing, actually. Usually, the person in Marquis’ job made all the hiring decisions.

“Ms. Choi, of all the attorneys currently in the department, you and Ms. Ravenclaw have been here the longest.” He replies. “I want to start seeing a bit more longevity in the attorneys here, so I’m hoping that you can recognize similar qualities in the prospective candidates. It’s time to put the revolving door to an end.”

For once, Renee and I were speechless. In all the time I’d been here, both as an intern and as an attorney, I had never heard my boss utter those words. But then again, before Marquis’ arrival, they’d all been short-timers. I guess I’d better start learning to like my boss. And fast. I take the stack of papers and start to get up, hoping that the meeting was now over. “Thank you Sir, we’ll get to work right away.”

“You have two weeks to present the suitable candidates.” Marquis replies. “And do not let the interviews interfere with your court schedules.”

I inwardly shake my head. There would be lots of long workdays ahead of us. Such a pity that we weren’t hourly employees, because there’d be lots of OT paid out just in time for Christmas shopping. Of course, I didn’t have anyone to shop for besides my co-workers and boss. All my family was dead. “Of course, Sir.” I reply. I start to make for the door, carrying the papers. Thankfully, Marquis doesn’t stop me. Renee is quick to follow, and we start walking back to our cubicles.

Knowing that we were still in range of the boss, I slow my pace so I can catch up with Renee and whisper in a low tone. “Boy, aren’t we lucky? We get to pick the next batch.”

“I guess.” Renee replies. She looked miserable. I can’t say I blamed her.

Again I touched her on the shoulder. It was the most physical contact I’d had with any one person in a single day for several years. “Look, I know how hard it is to lose your mother.” We had reached my desk, so I set the papers on top of my inbox. You need to be at the cemetery soon. Why don’t you let me screen the candidates?”

Renee dabs again at her eyes with the tissue. “Thanks, Mara.” She replies.

I look to the vase of pink roses on my desk. They were my annual tribute to my mother and grandmother. Just then, I had a flash of inspiration. I reach for the vase. I could buy another dozen for my own ancestors later. “Here. Take these to your mother.”

Renee smiles and shakes her head. “Thanks, Mara, but flowers are not a traditional gift for a Chinese funeral. But I’d really like it if you came with me. My mother always thought highly of you.”

I did like her mother. Renee had invited me to a few of their family celebrations because she knew that I didn’t have any family. Her mother had always been nothing but kind to me, and I was always treated as an honored guest, if not as a daughter. I look down at my attire. I was wearing a navy suit with a white blouse, and flat shoes in anticipation of my evening trek to the graveyard. I suppose it was suitably dark enough to wear for a funeral. And the funeral was in the same cemetery, just a different section.

“Sure. I can do that.” I reply. “I suppose the applications can wait until I get home.” I instantly regret making that statement as soon as it leaves my mouth. “Separate cars?”

Renee nods. “I have to get back to my parent’s house actually. As eldest daughter, I’m required to be part of the funeral procession. It’s traditional.”

“Um, are there any traditions I need to be aware of?” I ask. Now I’m really starting to regret agreeing to go. But then again, I was going to the cemetery anyway. I put the applications in my briefcase and start to get ready to leave. I take the roses with me.

“Oh, you don’t have to bring those.” Renee says. “They look better on your desk.”

I smile sadly, and now feel forced to give Renee a glimpse into my private life. “I was going to deliver these to my mother and grandmother tonight.”

Renee looks at me, and the light suddenly goes on as she makes the mental connection. She smiles sadly. “So I’ll see you there. About 7:00.”
“Seven it is.” I reply. A strange feeling of déjà vu comes over me. I could swear that I’d told her that before. But then, we often met up after work for drinks and war stories.