Life in the Fast Lane

"I was part of a team of three lawyers representing the aide's estate, the preschool, and ten of the fifteen families. By the time the judgment came and Vins had been liquidated, the award was tens of millions, and we lawyers split the customary 35% fee four ways. For me, that supported a whole lot of low cost and pro bono custody and divorce work."

"Nio, that's a lot to think about. Hold my stuff, I'm going to run around in the surf until I get all prune-like. You may commence ogling." "Exactly what I had in mind!" thought Nio.

While Kayla was playing, his phone buzzed. According to the mechanic, her a/c was fixed. This seemed odd to Nio, normally his mechanic would simply say "ready for pickup" and the whole car would have been thoroughly reviewed and repaired as needed. He put the thought aside as she returned to him.

"Oh, that was fun. I feel totally ionized. Guess you were right, 'Dr. T.' Your J. D. means 'Doctor of Law,' yes? The only problem is now I'm all salty and sticky. I don't want to mess up your leather seats."

"Don't worry, there's showers over at the pier where we parked. Last one there has to type legal briefs!" Kayla beat him, of course, and hosed herself off. Back in the car, Nio updated her. "Your car's a/c is fixed, let's go get it for you."

Chapter 8: Fear the Rolling Dead

At the shop, the mechanic came out to greet them, "Let's go into my office." Nio was now expecting bad news from Lorena. He knew she would give them the unvarnished truth.

"Nio, you didn't tell me your new girlfriend was so hot-looking. Ever considered a career in the mechanical arts, darlin'? Well, I fixed the a/c, but it's kind of wasted effort. Your little four-banger has a crack in its engine block, allowing coolant into one of your pistons. In this situation, total failure is inevitable. I think you only have a few hundred miles left before you're stranded on the freeway."

Lorena continued, "The body and interior are fine, so I can ship it to Mexico to be rebuilt. So, I can offer you $800 to take it off your hands. What do you think?"

Kayla was teary. "I can't do my two jobs without my car. And I can't buy another car with only $800. I don't know what to do!"

Nio: "Hey, don't cry. Take the money. I know Lorena is being fair with you. I have an idea that will work for both of us. Trust me, please."

"I haven't even called Sheila yet!" Lorena reached for her office phone and dialed from memory. "Sheila, it's Lorena at the shop. Yeah, I'm good. Listen, Nio's got a new girlfriend, and I just had to tell her that her little car is kaput. Yeah. Could you please tell her that Nio and I are not only supremely good looking but also completely trustworthy? Yeah. Here's Kayla."

"Hello, Sheila. Yes. Yes, he's here. He did? What about your husband? Really! So you think I should trust him? And Lorena? You are? When? Well, congratulations! Thank you. Bye."

"Sheila's pregnant, due in January. Yeah, and you're going to be the godfather, Nio. Lorena, thank you for your offer, I'll take it."

About 45 minutes later, the old car was emptied and the paperwork completed with a check for $800. "Adiós, stupid car. Thank you for everything, Lorena. Take us back to your place, Nio. I need a hot bath and a little lunch, or dinner, or something."

Back at Nio's place, Kayla went straight to the bathroom and started filling the tub. She stripped off Janaína's clothing and swimsuit and sank into the hot steamy bathwater. "Ahh!"

In the kitchen, Nio was making pão-de-queijo (Brazilian cheese bread). When Kayla emerged (wearing the bathrobe) he had prepared the dining table with candles and place settings. Taking her seat, she watched bring out her plate with steamed vegetables and the cheese bread. She also had a goblet of ice water and a wine glass.

Nio brought out his plate and sat down next to her. He explained the pão-de-queijo and poured the wine. "You spoil me, Brazil boy. I don't deserve it."

"Eat first, then dessert, then we'll talk about what you deserve, sweetie."

"OK, Nio, but you need to let me cook for us. I promise you'll enjoy it."

"Ready for dessert? It's apple pie with ice cream." "Yum!"

Afterwards, Kayla leaned over and kissed Nio fervently, asking, "Now, are you going to watch me clean up?" Once again, she left her robe on the chair and attacked the kitchen while Nio cleared the table and extinguished the candles. Scraping out the baking pan and mixing bowl required serious effort, which provided plenty of jiggling for his entertainment.

Chapter 9: Ups and Downs

"OK, Brazil boy, I've had a wonderful Saturday. But I've been patient long enough. Tell me your great idea, now!"

"Kayla, when you deliver to law offices, who accepts your shipments?"

"Almost always there's a secretary or assistant to sign the receipt or proof of service, why?"

"Did my assistant accept your box on Friday?"

"Only you were there, I think. I was not myself then, Nio."

"That's my problem. I want to hire you, Kayla. Starting Monday."

Her eyes comically wide, she stammered, "Just like that? You can't be serious!"

"I am serious. You can do the job, I'll train you as needed. I can pay you 65 thousand, health insurance, and get you a leased car, since you need one."

Kayla was now angry and moved away from him. "This is creepy! You barely know me. This is some trick to keep getting into my pants by chaining me to your desk. What kind of lawyer sleeps with his staff?"

"Kayla! This is strictly business, you would have no personal obligation to me inside or outside the office. I'm dying under a mountain of paperwork, and my last assistant moved away two months ago. Please, I'm an honorable person. I really need the help, and I want to keep seeing you. I'm desperate!"

"You can't tell me there are no applicants out there for a legal assistant job. Instead, you dangle this in front of me, knowing that I am poor, unqualified, and car-less in Los Angeles. Don't you see the imbalance of power? I want a relationship of equals, Nio. At least I found out early, before you could charm me farther into... whatever this was."

"Was!? Oh, no, no, no! I'm sorry, I take it back, please forgive me, Kayla! The last thing I want is to drive you away."

Kayla was cold, implacable. "Where are my clothes from Friday? Call me a taxi. And you'll have to pay the fare because I don't have enough money. And, against my better judgment, I'll take the job. Any funny stuff from you and I'm gone. Instantly."

For the rest of the weekend Nio castigated himself. "Too fast, too fast!" he thought. Everything had been going so well. This amazing woman had fallen into his lap, literally, and then they had such a wonderful evening and day at the beach. Then he blew it all up with his overbearing job offer. It was an impulse he should have resisted.

Chapter 10: Shields Up!

Monday morning, 8:00. Kayla was waiting at Nio's office door in her regular business courier outfit: black suit, white shirt, low heels, suitable for any law office. Nio greeted her, "Good morning, thank you for coming in. Ready to start?"

"Yes, Mr. Teixeira." Her voice was flat, without inflection. He unlocked the door and followed her inside. "We should start with your employment paperwork, Kayla, tax forms, insurance, and so forth. All right?"

"Yes, but call me Ms. Wilson, Mr. Teixeira." Softly spoken, but Nio flinched as if she had slapped him. "I apologize, Ms. Wilson, you are quite correct." They moved on to complete the paperwork.

"Ms. Wilson, I do need to obtain a car lease for you. Too often I need to be in different jurisdictions and locations, and I need another pair of hands (and wheels) available." Kayla rolled her eyes. "That's what couriers are for," she thought.

"Do you have any preferences?"

"No, Mr. Teixeira, except an automatic shift and, of course, air conditioning." This last with a small smile.

It was as if the clouds parted, and a huge stone lifted from his heart. Nio smiled back. "Maybe a convertible?" he laughed.

"Let's get started."

The rest of the week Nio was rushing around like a crazy person. On top of his ordinary workload, he had a trial scheduled which was turning into a complete time-suck. Kayla -- Ms. Wilson (!) -- was picking up everything fast, but she was starting from zero, and his time to train her was limited. At times, she could tell his patience was thinning ("There's so much I need to learn!"), but he always maintained his composure while politely teaching her the job.

They both made coffee as needed, and at lunch time he ate in his office while she lunched at her desk in the front of the suite.

Wednesday morning, Nio approached Kayla at her desk. "Ms. Wilson, may I invite you to lunch? We have some business to attend to." She tensed up, visibly. "I need to be there? I'm fine eating here."

"It would help if you could come."

"All right."

At 11:30 they closed the office and Kayla stepped back into Nio's Audi. "Where are we going?" Nio answered, "Sorry, it's so crazy this week, we really have to dine and dash. And we have a fast errand on the way back."

After a quick and tasty lunch, Nio drove them over to a car dealership. "I thought you were kidding about the car, Nio!" A tall salesman came striding up to them.

"Nio, good to see you again! And who is this?" "Tom, this is my new assistant, Ms. Wilson. Tom Paul is the leasing manager here. Is our A3 ready?"

"Of course, it's waiting right there next to the black SUV. We will finish the paperwork inside and I'll give you the keys."

Kayla: "It looks like your car, maybe a little smaller?" Nio replied, "That's right, I get a good deal from these guys since I represented them two years ago."

"I thought you represented victims?" Nio: "This Audi dealer was the victim. A formerly reputable wholesaler sold them a bunch of counterfeit brake parts as name brand at regular price. If it wasn't for an exceptional tech who caught it, over there in that repair shop, they would have put dozens of people at terrible risk. Sometimes even car dealers can be victims."

Paperwork completed, Tom handed over the keys. "Here you are, Ms. Wilson. We'll see you for service at 6,000 miles. Thanks, Nio."

Back in the lot, Kayla parked herself behind the wheel. "Back to work?" she asked. "Yes, Ms. Wilson. Drive safe. But I'm running to court. Probably back to the office around three."

Driving, Kayla couldn't help herself: she turned up the stereo, set the a/c to polar express, and rocked out all the way back to the office. Parking, she thought, "He didn't have to do this for me. And there must be somebody somewhere who dislikes this guy. I might have to take down my walls a little."

And then...

Chapter 11: Client Relations

At the office door, Kayla was surprised to see a woman and a girl waiting. "Are you waiting for Mr. Teixeira?" "Yeah." "Please come in."

The visitors settled on the sofa, and Kayla sat behind her desk. "OK, I know you don't have an appointment. I'm Kayla Wilson. Can I have your names, please?"

JoElle Dawson and her daughter Carlie were ages 29 and 10, brown hair, blue eyes, slender build. Carlie curled up beside her mother and hid her face in the folds of her mother's sweater. Kayla noticed she was discreetly sucking her thumb.

"So, my boss is out to the courthouse at the moment. How can we help you? No, wait. I'm new here, I think it's better if we wait for him. You don't mind waiting?"

"I can wait, thanks." She leaned back in the sofa and closed her eyes. Kayla turned towards her pile of work. But her eyes were drawn back to the visitors. Their clothing was very worn. The mother, particularly, was very pale (even for a white person, she thought). Kayla couldn't ignore the feeling these two were in serious trouble.

"Hey, he won't be back for at least an hour. Do me a favor and go down to the diner next door and get some lunch for Carlie and yourself. My treat."

"You don't need to do that!"

"Please, for her. She's obviously hungry. Kayla handed her some cash."

Carlie looked up into her mother's eyes. "Well, uh, thank you. She thanks you too, but she's not talking these days."

Kayla turned back to her desk. And, it really was easier for her to work with the office empty.

Nio burst in about an hour later. He removed his coat and hung it on the rack, which put his back to the sofa behind the door. "Any messages, Ms. Wilson?" "We have guests: this is JoElle Dawson and her daughter Carlie."

Nio turned himself. "Oops. Welcome, ladies. Come into my office, please. You too, Ms. Wilson."

After everyone was seated, Nio gestured across his desk. "How can I help you?"

"Mrs. Escobar at the shelter gave me your name. I hope you can help us. I'm 29 and Carlie is 10, you can do the math. The guy was 21, more to the point, his father is a high official in a powerful international religious institution. I'm actually afraid to tell you who, or what.

"So, once I began to show, my parents (who were members) cast me out, and have refused contact ever since. His family locked me up through the delivery. They filed Carlie's birth certificate, with the father's name blank. Then I was cast out to raise the baby on my own.

"In spite of these obstacles, we managed. I even started to get together a little financial security; but every time I started to get any success, I would get fired. No reason, no warning, just poof. Back on unemployment, or even worse, because they would lie and say that I chose to quit on them.

"I can't prove it, but I think operatives from the institution have been making sure I never have enough money to go after that family. And there's more."

JoElle cut her eyes in the direction of little Carlie, without her noticing the gesture.

Nio cleared his throat. "Ahh, Ms. Wilson, you have any cash? Please take Carlie down to the convenience store and get us some more coffee. And whatever drink Carlie likes. We just have some boring paperwork to finish up here."

"Carlie, honey, I'll be right here, just go with -?" "Kayla."

"And bring me back a Dr. Pepper, OK?" Carlie took Kayla's hand, and they left the office.

"Please go on, Ms. Dawson."

"So, a year ago, two of those operatives broke in to our apartment. They held a knife at Carlie's throat and told me, 'The Leadership wants you gone. They told me: Get rid of that slut and her bastard daughter. But I ain't gonna kill you, but I sure as shit will make you leave.'

"He raped me, the other one raped me, they broke my hand, and then they left me bleeding on the floor while Carlie cried and cried with me.

"She hasn't spoken a word since that night. And I couldn't work with the broken hand so we lost the apartment."

A fraught moment passed. "Ms. Dawson, do you have a dollar, may I have it please?"

She handed him a grimy bill from her bag.

He was grim, and angry: "My name is Arsênio Teixeira, son of Bruna and João. I am licensed to practice law by the State of California. From this day forward I am your (and Carlie's) attorney.

And we will make every one of those filthy bastards pay for what they've done to you!"

He reached for a handshake, but she rushed in and hugged him instead, whispering, "Thank you."

"Now, don't worry about anything. I believe I know which organization is involved, but please write it down for me and also the relevant names and family members. Good. I'm not surprised, let's call it 'CST' for short.

"I'm going to have a friend set you up as an employee, so you and Carlie can get an income and health insurance. Then you're both getting a full medical work-up and counseling. In the meantime, here's $500 for the next few days for meals and lodging. What?"

"How can I possibly pay you back for all this, Mr. Tex...?"

"Call me Nio. If we win this case, it will be worth millions. Not thousands. And I will take 35%, only after we win and collect. Think of this as my investment in you, for all our benefit. Carlie can go to university, if she wants. The real trick in these cases is collecting the judgment, but that organization has plenty of money."

They heard Carlie and Kayla bustling back into the office. Carlie tugged at her mother's sweater, then handed her a Dr. Pepper and a pack of red licorice. "Thank you, baby. (To Kayla) She knows those my favorite. (To Carlie) And what did you get?" In her little bag was a carton of milk and a little bag of cookies. "Perfect."

Nio spoke up. "Ms. Wilson, would you please take our new clients over to the Best Western motel down the street? I'm afraid your new car is being pressed into service already. I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, Ms. Dawson, I'll call Mrs. Escobar and let her know you have alternate arrangements."

"If I'm calling you Nio, you're calling me Jo. OK?" "Yes, ma'am."

Chapter 12: Biting their Ankles

First thing the next morning Nio called Kayla into his office. "Please start a new case file, Ms. Wilson." He handed her JoElle's grimy dollar. "This is our retainer, please make a receipt. Label the file 'JoElle/Carlie Dawson v. CST' and we'll get started."

"You're taking their case? For a dollar?"

"Yes, Ms. Wilson. It's worse than you think. Their operatives raped her, in front of Carlie, and broke her hand so she couldn't work."

Kayla swept around the desk and kissed Nio. "That's the last time you call me 'Ms. Wilson,' Nio. Let's get the bastards."

Nio's first step was to clear his backlog. He transferred cases to colleagues he trusted and obtained those clients' consent for the substitute representation.

Then he began preparing the lawsuit, using the details Jo provided. With some poking around on their website, he found that CST was holding an event soon where their leadership would be featured. The dicey part was finding and serving the now 30-year-old father ("Richard") of Carlie.

But Nio had a plan for that service. In the meantime, he drew up the complaint, focusing on the acts of both Richard and CST in the past 11 years. The complaint went through several drafts before Nio was satisfied with it.

After the event, a reception and catered dinner was planned. Richard's parents may or may not attend, but he would surely be there as he was being groomed for replacing his father in the leadership. Nio approached one of the wait staff and offered him $200 to serve the paperwork on Richard personally, using a photo from their website.

On the scheduled date, the event proceeded as planned, and Nio's packet was successfully served on Richard. The following morning the same papers were served on CST's designated agent, and the suit was formally underway.

The first step was arranging family therapy. Kayla and Nio also worked on getting Jo a job, and re-enrolling Carlie in school. Fortunately Carlie was bright and capable for the grade level that matched her age. Her teacher was counseled that Carlie was mute and could complete written assignments only. Nio contacted a landlord (and former client) and arranged a small apartment for them, with him as a guarantor in case Jo had trouble paying the rent.

Things were looking up!

For security, Nio equipped the apartment with cameras. The door was replaced with a reinforced model to prevent anyone from breaking in. Both Jo and Carlie got mobile phones and instructions on how to call 9-1-1 (or text 9-1-1 in Carlie's case). Nio was almost certain there would be more attempts to intimidate them, if CST could find the Dawsons.

Jo had a job waiting tables at upscale restaurant from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Carlie's school was close so she walked in the mornings and was picked up after school by Jo for the walk home.

Meanwhile, CST had tried every trick to get Nio's complaint dismissed. When that failed, they somehow expedited the legal process so they could begin "discovery" immediately. In a typical tactic, they bombarded Nio with demands attempting to intimidate and dissuade him from pursuing the case. Nio responded with demands of his own, such as requiring a paternity test on Richard. CST denied this, but eventually the court forced him to take the test and his parentage of Carlie was confirmed.