It Is What It Is

Sofia drove from Harrisburg to Philly,

She was dead tired by the time she got back and in tears...

 "Awwww Boo, it's okay...It's Okay.."said her best friend, Attorney Beatrice "Bee Bee" Evans..
"I saw the news...You guys only lost by one vote..one vote...That's damn good!" she said, hugging her best friend and rocking her..

"Keith took it really hard....He's still in Harrisburg...He requested an audience with the Governor.."said Sofia...

"Oh Wow...The Governor isn't in Harrisburg...I saw it on the morning news today!  He's in Washington D.C. at the National Governor's council meeting..Governors from all 50 States are meeting with the President today!" said Kahlil..

"Then we've failed...I've got to get showered and changed ....I've got to take a train to Stanga...The Execution is today....."said Sofia..

"Get cleaned up....but you're driving nowhere...You drove all night...We are going to use our clout...And get a McCluskey/Cozen/Connor and Pratt Vehicle to take us to the prison.."said Bee Bee.

"We don't have that kind of clout Bee" said Kahlil..

"You don't...But I do..."came the voice of Ms. Yvette, who had walked up to our Apartment...She took Sofia in her arms and hugged her..

"I'm sorry Ms. Yvette...We let you down.."said Sofia, still crying..

''Are you kidding? You argued before the State Supreme Court Brilliantly and you forced a tie..A Tie...The Chief Justice had to break the tie....You don't KNOW how proud I am of both of you..You didn't hardly let me down...I'm calling the Mini Bus...We are All riding up to the Prison to be with you..Stop crying, you have nothing to cry about...Your Mother and Father called me this morning...They were just gushing...They were so proud of you Little Mamasita."said Ms. Yvette..calling Sofia by her childhood nickname..

"Me too!" said Ms.Jade..

The Bus arrived a few minutes later... Bee Bee, Sofia,Kahlil,Ms. Yvette and Ms. Jade boarded and began the trek to Stanga State Prison...

 "I haven't seen Vincent since we were seniors in High School....My Father always said he'd end up just where he is today..."said Bee Bee..

 "So did my parents...I just didn't think he'd wind up on Death Row."said Sofia,..

 Khalil put his arm around Sofia and hugged her..He kissed her on the cheek several times..

Soon they were kissing passionately...

 Yvette looked at Bee Bee..

"Did you hear from Keith?" she asked..

"Yes...He called me last night after he got settled in his Hotel room...He was very upset at losing...My poor baby...I felt so bad for him..I wished I could have been there with him, Held him in my arms...

We talked for two hours until he fell asleep....

I called him this morning to wake him up.. He sounded so dejected.."said Bee Bee..

"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww....Well let's see what happens.."said Yvette, hugging Bee Bee..

"Wow...What a month this has been...Let's hope we can save this guy's life.."said Jade...Rubbing Sofia and Bee Bee's hands...

II-

I requested an audience with the Governor....My first disapointment was to learn that the Governor wasn't in Pennsylvania..He was in Washington D.C. at the National Governor's council meeting..Governors from all 50 States are meeting with the President today!

 I was told that in this case ,I could talk to the Lt. Governor..

He was an older unsympathetic Gentleman....He welcomed me into his chambers...There were two other men seated with him...

I smiled politely and I sat down...

"Mr. Jones...Welcome ..You are here to stay an execution..." said the Lt. Governor..

"I am....My client is not a Cop Killer...I will state that plain and simple...Yet the State of Pennsylvania wants to execute him because of circumstance...A law called The law of parties...which allows for a person to be criminally held responsible for another’s actions if that person acts with “the intent to promote or assist the commission of the offense and solicits, encourages, directs aids, or attempts to aid the other person to commit the offense… If, in the attempt to carry out a conspiracy to commit one felony, another felony is committed by one of the conspirators, all conspirator are guilty of the felony actually committed.Sir, this law is unfair.."I said..

"It was unfair for a 23 year old policeman with just two weeks on the job, a pregnant wife, a new home to be shot to death during the robbery of  a sporting goods store.."said the Lt. Governor..

"You are absolutely right sir and the police caught the shooter of the young policeman...He was put to death two years ago...You'll get no protest from me on that one sir...They got the right guy...Which brings me to my point...My client and the other gentleman, also now deceased....had no idea that their partner was going to shoot somebody...That was not part of the plan...My client didn't pull the trigger on that cop...He shouldn't die today because that poor young policeman lost his life...That would be a double tragedy sir."I said..

The Lt. Governor didn't crack a smile..He motioned to one of the two men in the rom to pour us both some coffee...

"Cream? Sugar?" he asked..

"Both sir...Thank you kindly.."I said and smiled..

"Some would call it justice..."he continued as he sipped his coffee.. "Mr. Jones..You're a bright young Attorney and you have a brilliant future ahead of you..I like you...I like you a lot and I read the appeal you and your colleague argued before the State Supreme Court yesterday...Three Justices agreed with you...Four did not...I DO NOT!! But it was still a brilliant piece of legal writing.. But I agree , we should rethink this law of parties...It does appear to be troublesome.."said the Lt. Governor..

"But not in this case right?" I said..

"Correct...This man is a habitual criminal..."said the Lt. Governor..

III-

At Stanga State Prison, They all sat in the waiting room with Vincent Olipio.....He, Bee Bee and Sofia had a remarkably nice reunion, considering the circumstances...They laughed and talked about old times in their Fishtown neighborhood..Who got married, Who had a baby...Who was already dead...

He was anxious to hear about Bee Bee and Sofia and how two neighborhood girls became Attorneys...

He thought they might wind up being clerks in a department store or something..He was surprised and proud of them both..

"God Bee..You look even sexier than you did then...You too Sofia.." he said smiling..

"And look at you, you got all buff...WOW....Who knows...under different circumstances..I might have changed my mind about you.."laughed Bee Bee..

"You would've ?" he said , his eyes perking up...

"Uh No!" said Bee Bee,laughing..

"Awww Bee that's cold.." he said,laughing...

He peered at Kahlil, Sofia, Yvette and Jade.

"Wow...I'm spending the last hours of my life with strangers...My wife didn't bother to make the trip...Nor any family..."he said..

 "WIFE???YOU GOT MARRIED??" asked Sofia..

"YOU'RE MARRIED??" asked Bee Bee..

"Yeah, Why is that so strange?" asked Vincent..

"I just didn't imagine you married."said Bee Bee..

"I couldn't wait for you all this time.."he said and smiled..

"True Dat!" laughed Bee Bee..

"Yeah I got married...We were separated around the time I went down for the murder of Tay-Tay... She visited me for a few years ,then she just stopped coming...I heard she had a baby with some guy..a while back." he said and frowned..

"Does your wife know this is happening?" asked Yvette..

"I don't know...I doubt she cares..Haven't seen or talked to her in five years."said Vincent..

"Do you have any siblings? Parents??"asked Jade.

"My brother is dead...Shot to death...Few years back...Both of my parents, dead...No one else in my family wanted anything to do with me...and it shows..don't it?" he said.

 "Damn man."was all Kahlil could say..

"Hey it is what it is."said Vincent.

Just then, A Preacher walked in....

"Mr. Olipio...it's time!!!...Do you want your friends present?" he asked.

He looked at Sofia and Bee Bee..

"Yeah ,I sure hope your boy calls pretty soon.." he said..

They bowed their head and the Preacher prayed for Vincent's soul...He was given a last communion..

He ordered a Cheeseburger, Fries and a Coke for his presumed last meal...

Bee Bee, Sofia, Kahlil, Jade and Ms. Yvette ordered the same and ate with him...

I walked out of the Governor's Mansion pretty dejected...

An aide had passed me the Governor's cell phone number...It was a long shot...but I had to do every single thing I could..

I called the Governor of Pennsylvania....I knew I might get cussed out..but I had no other choice...

"Hello...Who is this?" came the voice..

"You don't know me sir...I'm an Attorney....I came to your mansion in Harrisburg to seek an audience with you today..My Name is Keith Jones.."I explained..

"I'm in Washington D.C.  Can't you talk to my Lt. Governor..?" he asked..

"I did sir and I got nowhere..."I said..

"You want me to Stay an Execution...right?"

"Yes Sir...Vincent Olipino..." I said..

"The Cop Killer..??" he asked..

"Yes..No Sir...He didn't pull the trigger on that cop....He was part of the stick up crew, but he and the other fellow had no idea their partner was going to shoot that cop..He didn't kill that cop!"I said..

"I like you, You've got guts...I saw you and your partner on the news at the State Supreme Court...When I return to Harrisburg I will review that law...but I can't stay that execution...That's a political hot potato...I'm sorry son..." he said.

(Click!)

I slumped down and cried like a baby!

If ever there was a time I wished it would rain...Now was the time..





I called Sofia..

"It's okay....I know you did your best..." she said and began sobbing...

"That was Keith huh?" asked Bee Bee..

"I take it, things didn't go well.."said Kahlil..

Jade put her arms around Sofia..

 She hugged Jade tightly...She was really taking this hard!

Surprisingly...So was Bee Bee...Regardless of their relationship...he was someone she knew..Someone from the neighborhood...The thought of him dying wracked her with guilt...She began to weep also...

Yvette hung her head....She felt bad for her "girls" as she thought of Sofia and Bee Bee...

Kahlil looked at his two friends...He felt helpless...There was nothing he could do or say to ease their pain at this point..

When he heard the news, Vincent Olipio managed a smile..

"It's all good...You guys did a hell of a job....We gave em a run for their money.."he said..

He sighed...He looked weary...

"I'm tired of fighting anyway...I've made my peace with it...I'm ready to go..." he said.

 In the Visitor's Room, The Widow of the Policeman that was killed sat with her brother and the partner of the slain Officer...The family of the drug dealer Vincent had killed years before also were seated,along with a Preacher..

Vincent asked if Bee Bee could hold his hand...The prison officials denied it...She couldn't be in the death chamber and she didn't want to be...She was glad she couldn't be...doing that would be a little too much..

They strapped Vincent to the table..  He was asked if he had any final words...He smiled, but said nothing..

The first drugs were administered...He stared straight at Bee Bee, Sofia ,Khalil,Yvette and Jade..

Slowly his eyes began to close...He drifted off into a deep sleep....He began to snore...The second drugs were administered...They relaxed his muscles....and the third set of drugs were administered..They stopped his heart....

In all it took 18 minutes...A Doctor took his pulse...

"He's gone!"he said.

The State had gotten it's revenge....That's all it was..Revenge...It wasn't Justice..

 I was rocketing to the prison on the train......I missed the execution......

 I got there in time to see the body being carted out....

 "Hey Guys...I swear,I did everything I could.."I said.. I didn't need to explain...

Ms.Yvette hugged me..Her body was so warm and round...Felt so good...

"I know you did..I'm so proud of you baby.."she said..She was crying....

Bee Bee kissed me passionately.. We devoured each other's lips...I didn't want to let her go..

"I love you sooo much and I'm so proud of you.." she said in between kisses...

"I'm so glad to see you.." she said...She hugged me like she didn't want to let me go either.....

Sofia, Kahlil, Jade all gathered around me....They knew and they supported me...

"Let's go home....We are done here...You all have next week off...I don't want to see any of you around the office....That includes you too Jade.."said Yvette..

Just as we were about to board the bus...A man with glasses approached us...

''Wait!  Wait!.." he said as he ran toward us.. "You are the Attorneys who defended Vincent Olipio and tried to get that law of parties overturned...I thought you both were brilliant...I was there at the State Supreme Court Hearing Yesterday....And I've been following the work you guys did with Olivia Bennett-Alexander and Beverly West....In Houston and the recent Class Action Suit..

 My name is Attorney Ben Pena...I'm with the ACLU...I know you guys have done a lot of work for the Innocence Project....We are going to be calling on all of you soon...I think you're brilliant...And we are going to push to get that law overturned...I'm talking Class Action Suit like the one you guys recently did with Voter Suppression in Philly...  You lost a battle here to save his life...But I'm talking big picture here..You'll all be hearing from me soon." he said..

''Wow! The fight isn't over yet.."said Bee Bee..

"This is the kind of law I always wanted to practice..."said Sofia..

"Well you got it...Come on let's get out of here.."said Yvette..

"No argument from me there.."I said.

"Me neither.."said Khalil..

We boarded the Mini Bus and headed home to Philly and a much needed rest..

IV-

Bee Bee sat on my lap on the mini bus...We were kissing passionately...

I had her blouse partially open,I unhooked her bra  and was licking the edges of her breasts ,in between kisses..

She didn't even try to stop me...She was so glad to be with me...She just continued kissing me, slowly, softly....

Khalil and Sofia were likewise..Kissing deeply..

Sofia ,still in tears...

Khalil devouring her lips...and running his hands up her skirt...

Jade and Yvette sat up front..

"A lot of heavy breathing back there.."Jade laughed..

"I know...They deserve it...They've all worked very hard...I love them..."said Yvette...

At home, Miles Ellis looked around...He didn't see Gary's car.....

He rang Yvette's doorbell..

After awhile, it was obvious she wasn't home.

He was perturbed...Perturbed he'd lost a big controversial case....Perturbed that he didn't have Ms. Yvette...He had seen Gary must of the day at work and Yvette wasn't with him..Where could she be?
She wasn't at her office...

He drove by our apartment complex...in time to see

Bee Bee and I and

Sofia and Khalil get off the bus and head into our apartment complex...

Jade walked across the street and into her apartment...

The bus pulled off...No sign of Yvette...

Bee Bee and I walked up to my room...

I locked the door..

I should have put a "Do Not disturb" sign on the door because we made love for the next EIGHT TO NINE HOURS...in the living room on the couch and eventually in the bedroom.

The same was true for Kahlil and Sofia..

They were two doors down in his apartment...

Making sweet love... They wouldn't be seen for another EIGHT TO NINE HOURS EITHER!

 Miles Ellis heard the bed springs squeaking and the headboards rattling in the hallway...He smiled and walked back out to his car..

He drove back to Yvette's house.

Her car and Gary's car was out front...

Her light was on...Through the sheer curtain he could see Gary staring at Yvette....

See them kissing passionately...

She turned the light out.....

He couldn't see

Gary unbuttoning her blouse...unhooking her bra and unzippering her skirt...

His trousers and shirt were already off and on the floor and his hands were running down her panties..

He couldn't see or hear them in her bedroom...

making sweet love...but he had an imagination...He could figure it out...

He kicked the door of his car..

"I'LL BE DAMNED!!! I WILL BE DAMNED!" he screamed..

It hadn't been a good week for him at all!

EPILOUGE-

ONE WEEK LATER!

Yvette Jones was sitting by herself at a rooftop bar enjoying a drink.

It had been a long time since she'd drank alone....

Miles Ellis sat down next to her...

"Fancy meeting you here." he said..."Bartender...Another one of whatever the lady is having..."he said..

Another Citris Martini arrived.

"I'm beginning to think you're stalking me.."joked Yvette...

"Don't Flatter yourself.."said Miles..

"Oh! Okay!" said Yvette as she sipped the second drink...

"I uh saw on the news where The Governor is looking into that Law of Parties law ..The State Supreme court has a commission that is going to look into it..Your kids might have just won the battle after all.."said Miles Ellis..realizing he had been a little harsh with Yvette and trying to steer the conversation to neutral grounds..

"It didn't save their client....but if it'll save others...It was all worth it.."said Yvette..

''A former colleague of mine, Attorney Benjamin Pena told me he saw you guys up at Stanga..Said he might be interested in you and your team and Olivia,Beverly and their team working with him on a class action suit against that law...regardless of what the Governor's study may find...You've become quite the activist Attorney lately.." Miles chuckled..

"It is what it is...This is the kind of law I always wanted to practice...Not representing fat cats that have money and all the opportunity already..."said Yvette...

"Oh Like Fat Cat Neil Leghan, who you just repped recently..." laughed Miles Ellis..

"That was a favor to Micheal Pratt....Not my choice.."said Yvette..

"You and he have gotten real chummy lately...What's up with that?" asked Miles...

"Nothing...Professional courtesy...." said Yvette..

"Puh -Lease....You're politicking...You think he'll be in your corner when you come up for review..You're thinking he'll help you make partner...Well it's not gonna happen..That's an exclusive white boys club..."said Miles..

"You're probably right...but it never hurts to have a friend.."said Yvette, who finished her drink and said no more..

"Where is your uh boyfriend? You guys still together?" asked Miles...

"Most definitely...We are tighter now than ever..."said Yvette..

"And you're here drinking alone." said Miles snidely..He didn't believe her!

"You'd like to think that Miles wouldn't you?" said Yvette..

Gary walked up just then....He pulled Yvette to him and kissed her softly...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm, how is my sugar?" he asked..trying to devour Yvette's lips....

 Yvette giggled. She loved that Gary was ramming it down Miles Ellis's throat that they were together...openly...

He figured that it was Miles Ellis who had told Rockland about the two of them...Yvette already knew, but never said anything to Gary...

"Your sugar is just fine.......You know ADA Miles Ellis don't you?" asked Yvette..momentarily coming up for air...

"I do.."said Gary.....giving him a mild side eye...

"You got the tickets?" asked Yvette...

"Yup....Boss man knows a guy...Guy owes him a favor...He got the tickets for us at half price.."said Gary..

"That was nice of him...I think I know who the guy is...When Rockland and I were dating,he used to get him half price tickets for things...."said Yvette..

"Well at any rate ,we'd better be going if we want to beat that traffic." said Gary...

"Yeah....Thanks for the drink Miles...Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.."said Yvette as she and Gary left the bar,arm and arm...

Miles watched them walk away...

He slammed his hand down on the bar..

"I'LL BE DAMNED!!!" he cursed...