Ellis Keler - The Widows Justice

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Just click on the image above!

Blow

"I s the jury ready?"

Waiting for the jury to come up with their verdict was the lengthiest moment of the proceeding.

I can remember how my heart raced and my hands got sweaty from the anxiety I felt.

I looked around the courtroom trying to get my shit together but all I could think of was the negative aspect of it.

"We find the defendant not guilty."

As easy as those words sounded, they sent a rush of happiness to my nerves.

I could feel my eyes tearing up but that was okay, the hardest cases turn us into whiny babies.

A smile crept onto my lips as I vividly remembered the whole scenario.

It's been six hours since the win and although I wanted to celebrate this with David and Nicholas, they had to leave hurriedly.

Annie is on her leave and so I had no one to have drinks with. I returned home shortly after, and I've been trying to get the house cleaned up.

Maybe it's my way of celebrating too, you know? Just doing things I ordinarily can't do due to the nature of my job and how demanding it has been.

It took a few minutes to get my clothes back into the wardrobe. The good lord knows how tedious my week has been and how I barely had time for myself.

"It's finally over," I whispered to myself and stretched to reach the hanger.

I grabbed the hook and sniffed the jacket I touched. It was Alex's and one of my favorite jackets of him.

I could barely smell him anymore, and I uh I understand that. It's been a while and although I have been thinking of getting his cologne, I still have my concerns.

I don't want to do things selfishly and make my boys suffer the pain of missing their father all over again.

It's not like they're over his death, but they are doing better than I ever imagined. Speaking of them, they fell asleep about thirty minutes ago.

I tried my best to get them to sleep so they could get to school early, but Devin kept bringing up how important it was to play games as a way of relaxation.

I blame David for teaching that boy how to hold a gamepad and now, it's me who has to yell twice in a row to get him to drop the gamepad.

I turned my attention back to the wardrobe where I fitted all the clothes. I sighed in relief and placed my hands on my waist.

I was trying to think of the next thing to do.

"Uh, dishes?"

I shook my head almost immediately. I'd do anything but the dishes at this point.

I wonder why I'm even still on this work-as-a-celebration-thing. I just want to be able to say I did something when David asks.

I'm pretty sure they'd growl if I say I returned home and slept all day. It doesn't sound like what a lawyer who just won a case should do.

"There!" I blurted and dropped the last set of shoes on the rack.

With this, everything was done including the whole work thing.

I walked to the sitting room and rolled my eyes when I saw the TV was still on.

I picked up the remote and turned it off before walking away. Just a few steps away, the doorbell rang.

I paused, wondering who it could be. "It better not be her," I scowled.

The new neighbor from Florida was fond of knocking on my door at intervals to ask the weirdest questions. Things like Uh, Hi Ms. Hart! Do you think I can go skating tomorrow morning? Is it safe to do so?

Rachel! I was wondering if you had a moment to spare. Maybe to tell me a few things about Spokane?

I was hoping you could tell me the recipe for this meal I was about to prepare and

Goodness me!

Sometimes I wish I could respond coldly so she'd stop bothering me with her questions but whenever I wanted to do that, she had this way of making me answer all her questions.

"One minute!" I yelled from inside the house and walked to the door.

Ordinarily, I'd check through the hole to confirm who it was, but my instincts already guessed who it was.

"Ms. Joe?" I called as I opened the door, but I frowned in disappointment.

She was not there, and it took me a second to register it.

"Ms. Joe?" David asked with a line on his forehead.

"Yeah uh my new neighbor."

"The one who talks a lot, huh?" Nicholas asked.

"Argh, come in guys," I said and opened the door wider.

They walked in and I closed the door behind me.

"You didn't mention you'd be coming back," I said, referring to the both of them.

"Uh"

"I'm so exhausted but we can still make that toast," I managed to say. "I'll get the glasses."

David sighed and I turned to look at him. He didn't look like he was anticipating the drinks I was about to get or the toast.

I turned to look at Nicholas and he had a similar expression on his face. It was like they carrying a worrisome burden.

"What's happening here?" I asked.

They stayed quiet but I knew something was off.

It was easy to read from their body expression and shit! How could I have missed that they came to my place by 10 pm?

I looked at my wristwatch a little longer, like I could buy them some time to say something.

"Say something."

Nicholas turned to David, and he gave a nod in response.

It was like they were trying to communicate among themselves on who should speak.

"Listen," I started. "You have to say something, and you also have to be quiet about it. The boys are sleeping, and I don't want to wake them up."

Nicholas took a deep breath and turned to the dining room. He grabbed the glass there and turned some water into it.

I looked at the glass get filled then he stopped. He dropped the jug and then lifted the cup to his lips.