My father’s smile froze. It didn’t fade; it just stuck there, a grotesque mask of confusion.
Mr. Sterling dropped his pen. It clattered loudly on the floor.
“I have never been ‘unemployed’ a day in my life,” I continued, addressing the Judge but looking at my parents. “The ‘months I disappeared’ were deployments to Iraq and Germany. The reason I didn’t have a ‘flashy career’ my parents knew about is because my work is often classified, and quite frankly, they never asked.”
Judge Halloway sat back in her chair. The look of pity was gone. It was replaced by a look of sheer incredulity directed at the plaintiff’s table.
“Mr. Sterling,” Judge Halloway said, her voice icy. “You just spent three hours telling me this woman is an incompetent drifter. You told me she has no understanding of legal documents. You told me she is a ‘black sheep’ with no stability.”
