Olivia, her father and I sat at the table. Her father sat across from me, and Olivia sat at the end of the table, between us. She had placed square of lasagna on all of our plates. We ate in an awkward and uncomfortable silence. I took a sip of my ice tea and glanced at Olivia.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I was thinking that while you\u2019re here, we could try that new steak house across from my office. It could be a pre-celebratory dinner once I get the charges dropped.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia gasped. \u201cDaddy, no! Those steakhouses are disgusting. They\u2019re responsible for the murder of millions of cows!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course they are, Olivia. The steak has to come from somewhere.\u201d He shrugged, smirking at me.<\/p>\n
I chuckled softly, and when Olivia shot me a dirty look, I hid my smile by taking a sip of my ice tea.<\/p>\n
Olivia sighed. \u201cI don\u2019t mind cooking.\u201d She insisted. \u201cI don\u2019t see why you insist on going to restaurants all the time. It\u2019s expensive, and it\u2019s probably not as healthy as eating at home with fresh organic vegetables.\u201d She insisted, taking a bite of her lasagna.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay. So what day are you making us steak?\u201d Her father asked.<\/p>\n
Olivia scowled. \u201cYou\u2019re right. You\u2019d better go to your stupid steak house. But I\u2019ll be staying here.\u201d She picked up her plate and brought it to the kitchen, placing it in the sink.<\/p>\n
I shrugged lightly and stood up, taking my own plate to the sink.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cooked, so I\u2019ll do the dishes.\u201d I offered.<\/p>\n
Olivia shook her head. \u201cIt\u2019s okay, I\u2019ll do the dishes and put away the left overs. You guys can get started on whatever you need to do.\u201d She insisted, taking the plate from my hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you sure?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d She smiled. \u201cGo ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia\u2019s father had already moved into the living room. He eased himself into an arm chair and opened his briefcase.<\/p>\n
He removed a yellow legal pad and a pen.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want coffee?\u201d Olivia asked. \u201cWe don\u2019t have any, but I can run out. There\u2019s a starbucks not far from here.\u201d<\/p>\n
I would have killed for coffee, but I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, thanks.\u201d Olivia\u2019s father said distractedly.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you want tea?\u201d She offered me.<\/p>\n
I wrinkled my nose and shook my head. Olivia smiled and gently nudged me in the direction of the living room and her stern looking father. He\u2019d put his glasses on and was rummaging through his papers.<\/p>\n
I sat down on the sofa, placing my elbows on my knees, poised to pay attention and listen.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, I just need to go over what happened the night you were arrested. Did you have prior contact with the arresting officer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes. He arrested me in July after my accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you were charged?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cI was charged with driving under the influence, endangering a minor and a minor possession charge. I had a joint in my pocket.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUh-huh. And did he discover the drugs or did you disclose that to him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUhh\u2026\u201d I had to think back and in order to do that, I had to force away a ton of cloudy drunken memories. \u201cHe discovered it. He searched me while I was in handcuffs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia\u2019s father nodded, making a note of this on his pages.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what were you officially charged with?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cUm\u2026 my lawyer at the time advised me to plead guilty to the driving under the influence, and the charges of possession and endangering a minor were dropped. I petitioned the judge and because I was a minor, I had to do rehab, probation and random drug testing. I had to give up my license too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia\u2019s father nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you were adhering to the terms of your probation?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cYeah. I did everything I was told to. I even brought my marks up at school and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut the same officer pulled us over before too.\u201d Olivia spoke up from the kitchen. It made perfect sense that she was listening.<\/p>\n
I nodded. \u201cYeah. He pulled us over before Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what was the reason for that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn\u2019t give us one. He asked me to step out of the vehicle. \u201c<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you driving?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course not. I was in the passenger\u2019s seat. Olivia was driving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia\u2019s father turned to Olivia. \u201cWe\u2019re you speeding?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d She insisted. I was maybe one or two clicks over, but I wasn\u2019t speeding.\u201d She insisted.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you have anything to drink?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course not.\u201d Olivia blinked. \u201cI don\u2019t drink.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWere you weaving? Did you make any mistakes?\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia shook her head. \u201cNot that I know of. And if I did, shouldn\u2019t the cop have told me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia\u2019s father nodded. \u201cHe should have. That leads me to believe that there wasn\u2019t a reason for him to pull you over.\u201d<\/p>\n
He turned back to me. \u201cWhat happened after you exited the car?\u201d He asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, I knew immediately that officer Lock was up to something. So I told Olivia to stay in the car and go out. He asked where I\u2019d been hiding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judge James nodded. \u201cOkay, so it seems like he\u2019s been looking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what I thought too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after that?\u201d Judge James replied.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe threatened me, saying he could throw me in jail for twenty-four hours without having to charge me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judge James looked up at Olivia. \u201cWould you be willing to testify to this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely.\u201d She answered. \u201cI even told the officer that I had been with him all day and he hadn\u2019t done anything wrong.\u201d She crossed the room and sat next to me on the sofa, tucking her bare feet beneath her. She placed a glass of water in front of me. \u201cThanks.\u201d I whispered to her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened after he threatened you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I drew in a deep breath. \u201cHe threatened to arrest Olivia too if she didn\u2019t get back into the car.<\/p>\n
Judge James raised his eyebrows. \u201cOlivia, why didn\u2019t you tell me this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI had no idea that all this would happen. I thought he was just being a jerk.\u201d She shrugged lightly. \u201cI probably should have mentioned it.\u201d She conceded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad you did. Its good that there\u2019s an extra witness.\u201d Her father mused, making more notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened afterward?\u201d Judge James asked.<\/p>\n
I glanced at Olivia as she shifted slightly toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe handcuffed me and shoved me against the hood of the car. He searched me\u2026\u201d I paused to remember exactly what had happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe accused you of stealing the car.\u201d Olivia added.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judge James chuckled. \u201cInteresting. Then what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed softly. \u201cWell, tough little Olivia here threatened him. She said she was going to charge him with police brutality and search without probable cause and all kinds of legal stuff\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNicely done.\u201d Judge James mused.<\/p>\n
Olivia beamed proudly. \u201cThank you. But all I had to do was mention your name and he stopped in his tracks like a scared little puppy. He removed the handcuffs from Isaac and let us go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judge James smirked slightly. \u201cInteresting.\u201d He made notes on his notepad.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do after officer Locke left the scene?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe talked for a few minutes.\u201d Olivia said. \u201cI talked Isaac into going to the emergency room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExcellent. That\u2019s a great secondary witness to this. Do you remember the name of the doctor who looked at you?\u201d Judge James asked.<\/p>\n
I shook my head. I honestly didn\u2019t remember if the doctor had told me his name or not. I was too eager to get out of there at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cDoctor Stanley.\u201d Olivia answered immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d Judge James nodded, scribbling the name in his notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow, this most recent time. Can you tell me what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
Olivia and I meticulously went over what had happened. I explained in every detail what went on while I was in the interview room.<\/p>\n
Olivia listened intently, hanging on my every word.<\/p>\n
Judge James nodded absently and took notes.<\/p>\n
He shuffled through his papers. \u201cNow, you were pulled over on… east 11th<\/sup> street.\u201d<\/p>\n I nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI have the bank records from Officer Locke here\u2026 He used a bank machine at the Rosewood Shopping center on South one-oh-one street east\u2026 about half an hour before he pulled you over.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t really prove anything though. It just proves that he was in the area we were in. Which obviously he was since he pulled us over.\u201d Olivia frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cExactly.\u201d Her father nodded.<\/p>\n I frowned. \u201cHow much marijuana did he charge me with having?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cUhh\u2026\u201d Judge James checked his papers then answered. \u201cThree point one grams.\u201d<\/p>\n I thought for a moment, almost afraid to say anything in fear of incriminating myself. \u201cWell, it\u2019s been a while since I\u2019ve bought pot, but three grams in that area would cost about three hundred and fifty to four hundred dollars\u2026 How much money did he take out from the bank machine?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n Judge James shuffled the pages again. \u201cThree hundred and eighty dollars.\u201d He said triumphantly. \u201cThat might just break this case, Isaac. I\u2019m going to rush down to the office and have my legal aids start on this new information.\u201d He gathered his papers and shoved them into his brief case.<\/p>\n