A Rich Man's Baby by Daaimah S. Poole Page B

look like a drug dealer. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail with braces on her teeth. Every time the prosecutor asked about her involvement, she began crying and saying she didn’t know. They showed her pictures of people pulling up to her house and someone coming to the window passing drugs out. The prosecutor asked who it was, and she said she didn’t know.
    In the row in front of me, an older woman was sniffling. Her sniffles became louder. Then she stood up and said, “Tell them it was Devon. Don’t take a case for him. He is not here to support you.”
    The judge asked for the woman to be taken out of the courtroom.
    â€œShe don’t sell no drugs. She don’t know anything. She only twenty,” the woman screamed as she was pulled unwillingly out of the courtroom.
    Once she was out, the woman on the stand began to cry louder as the D.A. made his closing testimony.
    While the jurors went to deliberate her fate, we took a quick lunch break. We ate at the Reading Terminal. It was a big warehouse setting that housed a bunch of little restaurants, from Mediterranean food to soul food. I wasn’t hungry, so I just grabbed a soda at the table. I realized the three of us had nothing in common except for our occupation. James was a cute know-it-all from Florida. He only took the job for inner-city experience, and Martina didn’t seem like an attorney at all. She would be better suited as a librarian because she spoke like one and was dressed like one.
    â€œSo, how do you like it so far?” James asked me.
    â€œI don’t have much to go on. But very interesting, I’m learning. I can’t believe we don’t have our own offices,” I said.
    â€œNot like law school, it’s the real world,” Alyssa said, joining us at the table.
    â€œSo, do you think she is going to be found guilty?” James asked Alyssa.
    â€œI don’t know. When I was picking that jury, I tried to get a few more black women on the trial. I wanted this girl about Jamia’s age, but the prosecutor dismissed her. But if she does get convicted, it’s her own fault. She had ample opportunity to tell on her boyfriend. I did the best job I could.”
    It only took the jury an hour to find Jamia Gilbert guilty. She would be sentenced in one month. Hopefully, she wouldn’t get the entire five years. She began sobbing uncontrollably as they put the handcuffs on her wrists and led her to jail.
    I went home still thinking about Jamia Gilbert. I couldn’t believe they found her guilty. I came into the house and Terrance was cooking dinner.
    â€œHow was your first day?”
    â€œIt was okay. Not what I expected, but okay,” I said as I took a seat on the sofa.
    â€œYou ready to eat?”
    â€œI’m not hungry. I feel like I just want to take a shower and get ready for tomorrow.”
    â€œWhat happened?” he asked as he sat next to me on the sofa.
    â€œThis girl refused to snitch on her boyfriend and is about to do five years for him, and they weren’t even her drugs. It was a shame. Her grandmother was crying.”
    â€œHow do you know they weren’t her drugs?” he asked.
    â€œBecause I can read people, Terrance. She didn’t look like a drug dealer either. She was just young and dumb trying to protect her boyfriend.”
    â€œI thought you weren’t supposed to get emotionally involved.”
    â€œI’m not. It was like she didn’t even care. That’s horrible.”
    â€œYou can’t carry all the weight on your shoulders. You know that, right?”
    â€œYeah, but I do want to make a change,” I said.
    â€œYou can only help one person at a time.”
    â€œI know and I’m going to try.”

Chapter 16
Adrienne
    M y disability was approved. I was home on a short-term medical leave for six months. That was more than enough time to get rest and find a new damn job. There was no way I was going