In the courtroom, Riana Raymond and Desmond Raymond, who was also her uncle, were there to watch the verdict of a court hearing. It was an accident case, the victim died after the accident, and the defendant? Someone else was taking the charge. It was crystal clear, but why is the court punishing an innocent?
Simple.
No evidence.
Although there was a witness, it was still considered insufficient evidence.
Reason: the witness is a seven year old kid. A reasonable child would have been traumatized after witnessing their parent being hit by a car, and might blame others for their loss.
The little boy, already terrified by everything, started to tremble there and his father, trying his best to comfort his son but also trying not to break down after hearing the verdict.
It was ridiculous, but no matter what, without proper evidence, there's no way to prove that the defendant was guilty. Therefore, the swapped man was also found not guilty.
Riana clenched her pen and wrote down in her notebook,
Truth is not evidence.
Kids are not witnesses.
The system favors power.
Again.
With that, she closed her book and looked at the little boy and the father, remembering she was just like the little boy and the father was just like her mother back then.
Before she could slip into her past, her uncle tapped her shoulder, indicating to walk out the courtroom. Riana sighed, gathered her things, and walked out of the courtroom with her uncle.
Outside the courtroom, Riana and her uncle went to the nearest Indian restaurant to have their lunch. The restaurant offered a warm and culturally immersive atmosphere by soft lighting, traditional Indian decor and gentle background music which Riana loved. The restaurant was not crowded as well, only a few customers were there.
They both placed their order and sat at the corner of the restaurant for privacy.
"So, what do you think about the hearing we saw today?", her uncle asked.
"Injustice as always.", replied Riana.
Her uncle sighed and corrected her, "Not always. Not every verdict is unjust, Ria. Some verdicts are worthy to consider. You know, the court considers evidence first no matter what. As a lawyer, you need to understand that."
"But still, why can't the court consider a kid as a witness? The little boy was crying. Grieving.", Riana protested.
"And traumatised. Remember, taking a child as a witness is not going to win the case easily. You need to understand, we lawyers have to be aggressive towards witnesses to win the case. Moreover, there is no other evidence to support them as well."
Riana sighed in frustration, knowing her anger is not going to do anything with it. "The little boy is the evidence. He is a witness."
"Can you prove it, Ria?"
Riana stayed quiet as she had no answer for that. Her uncle continued, "How sure are you that the boy actually saw the accident? There is no evidence that the little boy saw that accident."
"But he was crying."
"He was emotional after realizing his mother was dead and never coming back." Her uncle repeated the sentence the defense lawyer said in the courtroom.
Before Riana could argue back, a waitress came with a tray of food and drinks. The waitress placed the food and drinks on the table with a smile and left. The table was filled with a bowl of spicy chicken curry, two plates of lemon rice, two boiled eggs in a small plate, two small bowls of rasam soup, two small bowls of cucumber and onion salad, and two cups of warm water.
Riana was already melted by the food and glanced at her uncle, silently asking if they could eat first and discuss the court incident later. Her uncle gave a quiet chuckle and nodded his head. With that, both of them started to eat while talking about anything but the courtroom incident.
After some time, her uncle said, "Ria… I made a decision for you. I hope you will consider it."
"What is it?" She asked while placing her spoon and fork down on the table after finishing eating.
"I applied for a job for you. I would like you to work in a hospital as a part-time legal assistant."
"No." Riana immediately said.
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"That's not the answer for my question, Ria."
"And that is also not the answer for my question too, Uncle."
Her uncle looked tired just by hearing Riana's protest. "You need more experience in the legal firm. And I don't want you to just focus on accident and child witness cases. There are still more cases in this world to crack and solve. Focusing on particular cases is not going to boost your career. As a lawyer, we can't just choose sides just because we like it or had a connection with our past."
"It still doesn't fully answer my question and I'm not choosing. I just can't stand how unfair the court can be."
"So you think staying like this is going to change anything? Or it's going to make you stronger?" Her uncle replied.
Riana had no answers for that so her uncle continued, "No. It's not going to make you strong. You are already refusing to look at the other trivial cases like, littering, trespassing, vandalism and many more cases. Fine. Hypothetically, what kind of people will go to you when they need you to fight for them?"
"Hypothetically, I'll just refuse them." Riana said bluntly while drinking her warm water which already turned cold.
Her uncle sighed in frustration and asked. "Then, what's your goal to become a lawyer?"
"I want the system to be fair. That's all."
"And you think you can change that?"
"Yes." She replied confidently.
"How?"
"I'll take a big case, debate it and win it. Again and again. Then, I'll do something to change the system."
"And who is going to give you those big cases when you haven't taken or won any cases before?"
Silence again.
Riana had no answer to that as well.
"No one. Even a poor family won't go to you, all because you don't have experiences. You think, being a lawyer is just about taking big cases and winning? Let me break your imagination, Riana. It's a big no. Because the opposite defense will crush you the moment you step in the court. You have no idea how the system works, or be cruel and unpredictable. One minute, you feel like you have everything in your hand, but the next minute, everything can be crushed the moment the opposite defense speaks up. No one in this world becomes popular or great in their first try. People fail but they still try. Until they succeed. Until they win. That's how everything works in this system."
"Then what should I do? I just don't want anyone to suffer from an unfair verdict." Riana whispered while looking down at her cup and fidgeting on it.
Her uncle's eyes softened slightly and said, "I understand, Ria. But you can't just fixate on one thing while ignoring others."
There was a moment of silence. Riana was rethinking her goals, the reason why she badly wanted to change the system, why she actually decided to become a lawyer, and what will happen if she becomes a lawyer without a proper experience of the legal system. Although she hates the idea of being a powerless lawyer that won't change anything, she can't deny the fact her uncle stated.
Her uncle continued after a while, "I suggest you consider the choice I gave you. It's for you and your career, Ria. I already sent an e-mail to you about the hospital and what you can do there. All you need to do is work, learn and do your research there. And about the interview, you don't need to worry about that. They will ask a few legal and hypothetical questions, you just need to answer it honestly and professionally."
"I'll think about it, Uncle." She whispered.
"I hope you do as well. And if you get the job there, you can also meet Lia there."
Riana frowned and asked, "Layla is working there? Is it RBN Hospital?"
Layla Raymond, whose nickname is Lia, is actually her uncle's daughter, who is studying medical nursery and they are besties / cousins. Her uncle nodded his head, "As an intern."
"Then, I'll give it a try." Riana said enthusiastically after confirming the hospital, making her uncle relieved.
"Then, everything is settled. Just do some research on the hospital before going to your interview session. All the best, Ria." Her uncle said and stood up from his chair. "Let's go."
Riana nodded her head and followed her uncle. After her uncle had lunch, they left the restaurant and went to her uncle's car while chatting. Throughout the drive, they shared a comfortable conversation. Soon, they reached her uncle's legal firm. After that, they went to their respectful position. Riana was just temporarily working at her uncle's firm as an intern.
In the evening, her uncle was the one who dropped Riana off at her house after work as always. When they reached Riana's house, she waved goodbye to her uncle, went out of the car, and walked straight to her house. Only after confirming Riana went inside the house, her uncle left the neighbourhood relieved.
Inside the house, Riana saw her mother sitting on the couch while watching her latest Korean drama episode. Sensing Riana's appearance, her mother, Victoria Raymond, patted the empty space beside her with a smile, indicating Riana to sit. Riana immediately went there, sat beside her mother and laid her head on her mother's shoulder, whining about her day and her uncle's suggestion to work as a legal assistant in a hospital where Layla was working as an intern.
"It is a great idea though. You will already have a friend when you join there. Plus, I trust Lia can handle you there." Her mother patted her hand softly, still eyes on the television, watching the drama.
"You sound like I'm in trouble, Mom. I can handle myself perfectly." She whined.
"Sometimes, you are." Her mother teased."
"Mom!"
"Okay, okay. As long as you are safe."
"I'll be." she promised her mother.
That's how they spent their evening, teasing and bickering nonsense.
At night, after her mother finished ticking her students' school work, her mother made a cup of black tea with less sugar, just like Riana preferred, and placed it on the dining table. She patted Riana's back, saying good night and left for her room, leaving Riana with her laptop and papers at the dining table while she read the e-mail her uncle sent and did her research about the hospital.
RBN Hospital, it is a private hospital and also a well-known hospital. Rich to poor people go there. There haven't been any scandals about the hospital so far.
"The thing I'm signing up for… is… nothing interesting so far. But the salary is fine. Lia will be there, so it's fine. As long, I'm not targeted. I just need to work, do my own business, have the money, and keep my mouth shut. Then, I'll be fine." Lia murmured to herself while going through the hospital information, without knowing what her future held for her.
When she reread the e-mail, until something caught her attention.
You will be interviewed by Mr. Xavier Robinson (Cardiologist)
"Xavier Robinson… Xavier… A cardiologist. Why would they prefer a cardiologist to interview people?" Riana mumbled, searching the name of the cardiologist in the hospital staff list. However, the universe made her life easy by just showing Xavier profile's at the second position in the staff list.
Dr. Xavier Robinson, MD, PhD
Position: Chief Cardiologist
Age: 38
Education: Harvard Medical School; Fellowship in Interventional Cardiology
Awards & Recognition:
"Young Innovator in Cardiology" Award, 2018Best Research Publication in Cardiovascular Medicine, 2020Featured in Medical Leaders Magazine as "Rising Star in Cardiology"Specialties: Interventional Cardiology, Patient-Centered Critical CareAbout: Known for his meticulous approach and exceptional surgical skills, Dr. Robinson has led groundbreaking research in heart disease treatment. Recognized as one of the youngest department heads in the hospital's history.
"Now, it makes sense." She thought, still reading his other features.
"Something about this guy is making me suspicious." She felt a shiver running down her spine just seeing Xavier's profile picture.
"Hope I won't pee in the middle of the interview."