Chapter 93
Davian
Director Candidates
They’ve All Gone
Mr. Kamera
With unbearably growing nervousness, I clutched the golden mini-typewriter in my pants pocket, ran my fingers along its edges, and scanned the audience for Quill.
Fifteen minutes had passed, and thirteen minutes ago the head of the Ethics Committee had stepped behind the podium and announced that the nomination of new director candidates would take place today and that it was now time to propose candidates.
Arnold was just about to finish his ten-minute praise speech about Joseph Richter, who, in his eyes, would make an excellent faculty head because he had not only learned from the best but had also played in their league.
The old bastard had successfully ignored me, which assured me that he couldn’t care less whether I became Joseph’s successor, which in turn could only mean that Joseph must have assured him he could keep me in check.
Oh, he had no idea what was in store for him in a few minutes.
The audience applauded as Arnold made room for the head of the Ethics Committee, and I looked around again, but my gaze lingered on Anthony, who was still giving me a withering glare; next to him Monica, looking at me with concern; and beside her Lara, her expression apologetic.
I didn’t even want to know what it did to Quill to know that her brother and my mother didn’t accept her as my partner, which was why I kept it to myself that Monica had asked me to end my relationship with her.
Someday Monica would understand. I was sure of it. And someday I would be able to forgive her completely.
I knew myself too well. Holding a grudge for years had never been part of my personality, though by now, whenever I had to think of Joseph, I wasn’t so sure anymore.
Where was he, anyway?
Playing Mr. Ganz
Carlos Rafael Rivera
“We thank the director of the law faculty for his nomination. Would anyone like to nominate another candidate?”
My gaze darted toward the stage as the audience, like the head of the Ethics Committee, looked around.
“No one?”
I quickly made my way forward, politely asking the ladies in front of me to make room, and received flirtatious smiles while more and more eyes turned to me until I finally reached the steps leading up to the podium.
For a moment, I defiantly held Arnold’s darkening gaze.
Have a miserable evening, too.
“Professor Rydell…” came the surprised voice of Professor Dr. Fischer, and a quiet murmur spread through the audience. “What a delightful surprise.”
I broke the increasingly uncomfortable eye contact with Arnold and gave the man a polite smile as he made room for me at the podium.
“Are you nominating yourself?”
“Certainly not,” I laughed, and he joined in, along with a large part of the audience.
“No. Actually, I have something important to say.”
The room fell silent immediately, and I noticed the expectant gazes of the guests fixed on me. Along with the surprised looks from Tony and Monica.
But I tried to focus on my next words; on all the lawyers and judges I had met over the past two decades, and on whether all my career years of networking with them would pay off.
Strangely enough, it was the students and reporters at the edge of the stairs who made me the most nervous. The latter didn’t know that they would get a promotion after tonight.
Fuck, I needed Quill, needed her eyes. I knew that once I saw her, everything inside me would relax. We would pull this off tonight. Together.
But I couldn’t find her anywhere.
She should have waited until later so I could help her with her manuscripts. She was probably struggling with those boxes she’d told me about.
I had wanted to follow her, but countless former fellow students and ex-colleagues had literally hunted me down and grilled me about my career plans, and once again I was surprised at how quickly news and rumors could spread around here.
Focus, Davian…
I cleared my throat and looked around.
First Day in Court
Atli ?rvarsson
“Many of you know me from D.C., and many of you have asked me over the years why I gave up my good job nearly ten years ago for a position at Maplecrest Law School.”
Nods of agreement spread through the audience.
“Already back then, I was inspired by the idea of being among those who prepare tomorrow’s most renowned lawyers for the brutal competition within the legal system.
And for the harsh reality they’ll face the moment they’re thrown into courtrooms without warning, where, with the weight of great responsibility on their shoulders, they must learn to decide between right and wrong. ”
Amused smiles appeared on the nodding faces of a few quietly chuckling guests.
“Some of you will call me an idealist, but I had intended to make a difference. To make the system better.”
A few of the idiots and a few people I didn’t know laughed as if I had made a joke, and the rest of the audience joined in.
“And yet I had been blind for nearly ten years.”
The amusement faded from their faces and absolute silence fell.
Good.
“Blind to the fact that I can’t make anything better as long as I support those people who promote regression instead of progress. And who would be questionable role models for the lawyers of tomorrow.”
Without hesitation, I looked at Arnold, next to whom Thadd?us had joined with his son and wife.
I didn’t care that Thadd?us looked once again as if his jaw was about to drop off his face.
All I saw was an enraged Arnold, regretting that he had never eliminated me.
The murmuring in the audience grew louder, and camera flashes blinded me out of the corner of my eye.
Let the reporters from D.C. go ahead and capture how much I despised this man.
I looked back into the crowd, where Monica was smiling at me with glassy eyes, while Tony ground his jaw more fiercely.
I knew he appreciated what I was doing here, but he wouldn’t show it because his own pride stood in the way. And because he would probably want to tear me apart for the rest of my life.
“It took me nearly ten years to realize that Maplecrest Law is the most backward law school in this nation. This year, something happened that should have happened a long time ago. The first woman ever enrolled as a student.”
The corners of Monica’s mouth turned up further until a tear escaped and she quickly wiped it away.
The excited whispering in the crowd grew more intense.
“And as a member of the faculty, I have sadly come to realize that this place is neither safe for women nor open to change, and that absolutely nothing will change if Maplecrest Law is taken over by someone who was trained firsthand by the very person who let this place fall into such disrepair.”
The reporters moved closer, some hastily jotting down notes, while the audience grew increasingly restless.
“Joseph Richter was my mentor. I owe him a great deal. He taught me a lot about life. And that is precisely why I take the liberty of saying that there is no man – Arnold Fitzek excluded – who is less suited for this position.”
My words sparked a storm of uproar in the crowd, and I dug my fingers into the wood of the lectern, not ready for what was coming next.
I needed Quill, needed her eye contact, her smile…
Where the hell was my feather?
Only now did I realize that my car keys were still in my pants pocket. Quill had wanted to take them so she could put the manuscripts in the car…
The nervousness in my stomach was growing stronger, but I pushed it aside.
We had a plan. And if I backed out now, it would all have been for nothing.
“I would like to nominate someone who deserves this position. Because that person – unlike the current director and his preferred successor – actually advocates for the future of the law school and a more just world, without ever once bowing to those who rest on the assumption that they are in the majority.”
Silence fell again.
Tension hung in the air.
I reached out my hand and gestured across the audience.
Immediately, everyone turned toward Tony.
“Professor Monica Berger”
She brought her hands to her mouth, unable to hold back her tears, and three women from the Ethics Committee standing right next to her immediately began to smile and applaud, prompting a surprising number of professors and eventually the rest of the guests to join in.
Several reporters rushed immediately to Monica, next to whom Lara smiled at me with tearful eyes, while Tony stared at me in confusion and then at Monica before the tension finally slipped from his face and he pulled Monica into an embrace.
For a moment, I was transfixed by Arnold’s gaze, which was no longer fixed on me but was now drilling into Monica. And the uncomfortably intense way he was glaring at her sent a chill down my spine.
He hated her. But just how much only dawned on me now.
It should have filled me with nothing but satisfaction, but that look was something else. Something that would make me ensure Monica would never even be near him again.
“Professor Rydell!” called one of the reporters crowding the stairs in front of me. “What qualifies Professor Berger for this position?”
A female reporter pushed him aside and held her microphone out to me. “What were you implying about Director Fitzek?”
“Professor Rydell!”
More reporters forced their way up to me.
“What did Joseph Richter do to make you turn against him?”
With exploding nervousness inside me, I leaned toward the microphone.
“He is the reason Atrianima had to remain anonymous and didn’t write for years.”
Immediately, the crowd turned back toward me. Especially the students.
All the reporters now approached the stairs, and journalists signaled the cameramen to turn away from Monica.
“How do you know that?”
More and more microphones pressed in on me, and I let one hand slip into my pants pocket to clutch the typewriter.
The only key I would ever need.
“Because I am Atrianima.”
All that remains I need is you.
So tell me, where you hide, my blue.
– Leaking Batteries Diary