Excerpt from the Testimony of Sebastian Saidi
SS: What can I say about Vera? She’s a smart girl.
(Pause.)
SS: I didn’t think so at first. I mean, it took me a while to realise there was a brain beneath that blonde mane.
Don’t get me wrong, please. It’s like a stereotype, isn’t it?
The dumb blonde. I fell for it. My bad. It’s just that…
Well, yes, at first, I thought it was a joke.
When I saw the girl that my uncle had chosen for an internship at the firm, I thought he was messing with me.
I’ll be a little blunt here. It’s necessary to set the scene: seven-thirty in the morning, the first Monday after summer vacation.
I’m at the reception desk, covering Sarah’s shift.
My uncle tells me the new hire will be arriving that morning.
Fine, I think. I’m absorbed in my papers, only looking up to sip my coffee, and not much else.
Until I hear a deep voice. Hi. I’m Vera.
Vera Rodríguez. It’s my first day. I keep my gaze fixed on the desk.
André will want to see you first, I tell her.
To which she responds, she doesn’t know where his office is.
For heaven’s sake, there was a huge sign with his name on the door!
I looked at her. Blonde hair, long and wavy.
Big almond eyes. A shy smile. That’s when I thought that it was a joke from my uncle.
I mean, Vera’s question was pretty silly.
Now I know she sometimes gets nervous and says things like that.
And André isn’t the kind of person who jokes around, you know?
I pointed her towards his office, and the girl disappeared in that direction.
As she walked away, I noticed she was wearing a pair of stiletto heels.
I had seen Vera Rodríguez’s résumé myself.
Impressive. A year ahead in her studies.
Winner of the Chance Program, which all the law students in the English-speaking world apply for…
The girl who showed up at the office —I really am sorry, I don’t think like this anymore, I’m just trying to help you paint a picture— didn’t match the profile.
Minutes later, she emerged from my uncle’s office with him.
They shook hands, and he showed her to her office.
“We’ll have a nameplate made for your door,” he told her.
Vera just smiled, as if it made perfect sense that a girl like her had landed a job at Saidi.
As if it were a trifle. Something easy to accomplish.
What I want to make clear is that Vera is deceptive.
She’s not easy to get to know. You could say she has a public and a private life.
I think André chose her as his assistant on the Garros case for two reasons: to let her prove what she’s capable of, and because there would be cameras and reporters following the case.
Vera’s smile could light up a whole room, and she works hard.
(Pause.)
SS: I don’t admit this often, because I would have liked to be the one handling the case, but everyone in the office knew she’d win. I knew she’d win, even if I was praying she’d lose. She’s one of the smartest people I’ve met.
Her private life? Ah, well… As I said, her family is humble. Vera almost never talks about them. I think it’s best if you ask her directly. Can we move on to a different topic?