45. Mason
Chapter 45
Mason
October 2023
You know that feeling when you’ve gone all day thinking it’s one day only to find out halfway through that it’s not that day? Yeah, that’s where I am today. I’ve been pulling long hours in the office because I’ve got one last case that I need to finish up before I can leave.
I’ve gone all day thinking that it was Thursday and that I’d be getting on an airplane tomorrow evening and heading to Georgia. Sadly, it’s only Wednesday. The good news is, I’ve got most of my things packed.
I haven’t seen Cal since we hung out with Holden and his family a few weeks ago. I had to come back to New York and tie up some loose ends. Thankfully it’s all gone much smoother than I anticipated it would. Now all I’ve got left to do is finish this last case I’m working on and finish packing.
It’s 7 pm and more than anything I want to just go pass out in my bed, but I’ve got to make myself something to eat. A good meal the day before an important court date has always been my routine.
I sit my work bag down in the recliner, set my shoes on the mat by the front door, and slowly make my way into the kitchen. I can either do leftovers from last night, spaghetti is better the second day anyway, or I can season some chicken and throw it in the oven with some cubed potatoes and asparagus.
Opting for the chicken I pull it out of the fridge, along with the asparagus I roasted the other night. I grab two potatoes from the basket on the counter and a knife from the drawer. I preheat the oven to 400. While this is in the oven I am going to go jump in the shower and get into some sweats. I’ll leave shaving for the morning, so I won’t have the five o’clock shadow for court.
The oven beeps so I take the sheet pan I’ve carefully laid everything out on and place it on the middle shelf, set the timer for 25 minutes, and head to my bedroom.
I step into the shower before the hot water has fully made its way to the bathroom and it does exactly what I need it to—wake me up a little. After washing up and standing under the stream for a few minutes, I cut the water off and grab my towel off the counter.
As I’m walking back towards the kitchen I’m hit with the scent of dinner. I grab an oven mitt from the wall hooks before grabbing a plate, knife, and fork, setting them down on the counter, and turning the oven light on. The timer still has 3 minutes left on it, but it smells and looks amazing.
I grab the Tupperware with the asparagus in it and set it in the microwave for a minute and a half.
After plating my food, I grab my phone off the counter and head to the table. Leaning my phone up against my glass I pull Callie’s contact up and hit dial.
It doesn’t even fully ring once before she picks up and clicks on the video button to turn our audio call into a FaceTime call.
“Work late again, huh?” she says, smiling.
“Ugh, yes. How’d you know?”
“Well, it’s after 7:30 at night and you’re eating dinner. So, either you worked late, or you brought work home and lost track of time.” Her smirk lights up her entire face.
“It’s like you know me or something,” I say, laughing. “I got home about forty-five minutes ago. It’s been a long day and I’m exhausted, but I wanted to chat with you for a bit before turning in for the night.”
“Tomorrow is your court date, right? You think this will be the final one?” She’s lying on her couch twirling her hair. Her kindle rested on her chest. I must have interrupted her reading time.
“Yeah, tomorrow morning. I hope it’s the last one. There’s no reason it should be continued again. Although, I’ve thought that the last two times, too.” I say, rolling my eyes.
“They better not continue it again! It’s been too long since I’ve seen you.” She’s giggling so I know she’s kind of joking, but also not really.
“Ugh, I know. How was your day? Hopefully better than mine.”
“It was good, actually. I met another of our new physical therapists and helped with intake for a new patient. Other than that, I was in the office getting some paperwork done before our IDG meeting tomorrow.”
“I thought your IDG meetings were on Tuesdays?”
“They usually are but this week we had to move some things around. So, I had an extra two days to prep all my notes and get patient documentation caught up. It was nice.”
“I think I am going to wash up these dishes and head to bed. I’ll text you after court tomorrow and let you know how it went. Cross your fingers it goes well, and I can tie up this case.” I say, holding up my crossed fingers.
“Fingers crossed! Goodnight, Mase. Love you.” Her hands dance across my screen, fingers crossed.
“Love you, too. Goodnight, Cal.”
I set my alarm for 6:30 this morning and shockingly, I didn’t hit snooze. I thought for sure even though I went to bed early last night I was going to have to hit it at least once. But I’m awake and ready to go.
My court briefcase is sitting in the chair with everything I’ll need for today. This last case has been kicking my ass. Everything that could go wrong, has. It should have been done at least a week ago but the attorney for the defendant keeps pulling shit out of the air and adding court dates.
I have to be there at 10 am, so I pull out the documents and go over them one more time. You can never be too prepared for court.
I arrive at the courthouse twenty minutes early and make my way into the main lobby. I can see my client sitting in the chairs along the side of the long hallway that houses courtrooms on either side. When he sees me walking his way, he pulls his hand up in a wave. He’s as tired of this being continued as I am, but we’ve got to do what the judge says.
“Good morning Mr. Ward. How are you?” Mr. Stevens asks as I sit in the chair close to him.
“Despite the circumstances, I’m doing okay. Hoping this goes in our favor and we can close this case. How about you?” I ask while running my hands down my tie to make sure it’s straight.
“About the same. I don’t understand why the continuations keep happening, but I’m here.” He says, shaking his head.
“I completely understand, Mr. Stevens.”
I could cry happy tears right now. The judge ruled in our favor, and I couldn’t be happier. There for a minute, I thought for sure there was going to be another continuation and I would have to be back in New York for the next hearing but thankfully the judge decided he’d heard enough.
“Congratulations, Mr. Stevens,” I say, gently slapping his shoulder.
“Thank you so much, Mr. Ward. I could not have done this without you. I’m so glad this chapter is closed, and I can move on.”
“Have a great rest of your day. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”
“Thanks again. You enjoy yours as well. And safe travels this weekend.” Mr. Stevens knows about my move to Georgia. I filled him in when our case kept getting continued just in case it wasn’t taken care of before I started the moving process. He was very understanding and most of our communication has been done through emails, so nothing would have affected anything between us too much.
He turns to walk away, and I take a deep breath. I feel free.
Being a lawyer isn’t always easy but it’s always rewarding when you’ve won the case for your client. The entire time you’re in court you’re stuck holding your breath, even when you know you have everything you need to prove your client’s innocence, but once you’re out and on the side of victory it’s so relieving to let that breath go.
It’s tough thinking that Mr. Stevens would be my last client in New York, the last client of this chapter of my life. Leaving New York is bittersweet. This is where I went to school, where I did my internship and shadowed countless lawyers, where I started my practice and the first chapter of my adult life. On the other hand, I’ve had a good run at life in New York. It’s taught me many life lessons and treated me very well financially.
Now I only had one thing in mind. Getting back to Cal.
I’ve got a few things left to pack before the movers show up tomorrow to load everything in their truck and deliver it down to my parent’s farm. I originally was going to rent a U-Haul and drive myself, but I don’t want to wait any longer to see Cal, so I’m paying movers to do it for me while I fly down.
One thing I know for sure is that I won’t miss the traffic in New York. I took for granted growing up and living in a small town and now that I’ve lived in a big city, I won’t ever do that again. I’m less than a mile from the parking garage for my apartment building and I’m stuck, sitting completely still in traffic.
I grab my phone from the cup holder, pull up the DoorDash app, and find my favorite Chinese restaurant. I order some Hunan Pork with fried rice and an egg roll and hopefully, I’ll make it home before it’s delivered.
I’m packing up the last box when my phone rings.
“Hey Ma, what’s up?”
“Oh, I’m glad I caught you before you passed out for the night. I was just calling to check in and see if your plans had changed at all. I know you were waiting to see what the court case looked like.”
“Shit, I meant to call you after I got home but got caught up in packing the last of my stuff. We are good to go for tomorrow. I should be there around 3:15. Is Dad still able to pick me up from the airport?” I can’t believe I forgot to check in with Ma and let her know how court went. She’s been my biggest hype person since before I finished college.
“It’s okay, son. Dad will be there to pick you up from the airport. How’s packing going? They’ll be there early in the morning, right?”
“Thank you. I’m finishing with my last box now, actually. The only stuff left out is what I’m putting in my carry-on. Other than that, the only thing I need to do is turn in my keys to the rental company for my apartment tomorrow before I go to the airport.”
“Oh, I can’t wait until you’re back home. It’ll be nice having you here.” I can hear her voice breaking, full of emotion.
“Me neither, Ma. I’m ready to be back on the farm, living the small-town life, and of course closer to Cal.”
“She’s so excited to have you back, too. I’ll let you get back to packing and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Alright, goodnight, Ma. I’ll see you tomorrow.”