An Appreciation For Meatloaf

'Keith I was so glad I remembered your number...I've been keeping up with you....You're a big time Attorney now..and just what I need.." said my cousin, Blake Jones...

''Considering you are charged with First Degree Murder Blake...I'd say you called me in the nick of time...Allow me to introduce my friends and associates...

"This is Attorney Kahlil Ahmed...We graduated from law school together and passed the bar together..

"This is my significant, significant other....Ms. Beatrice Evans...Attorney..She and I also graduated from law school and passed the bar together...

"Pleased to meet you.." said Bee Bee..who whispered to Sofia..

''Wow...all of the men in Keith's family are handsome..."

Sofia agreed and giggled..

"And last but never least...She's like a sister to me... Attorney Sofia Garcia..We also graduated from law school together and passed the bar together.." I said..

"Hola." said Sofia.

''Wowwwww an attractive looking team...I am so thankful you were able to get me bail...They usually don't Murder suspects out on bail..."said Blake..

"They do when they are City Councilmen like yourself and a Minister.....Blake man, what were you doing involved with that girl in the first place?" I asked..

"I got caught up....I couldn't help myself...She was attractive and pretty and working for us...Interning and we got close and one thing led to another and we wound up in bed...uh several times...but I didn't kill her..I swear I didn't..I had no reason to....." he said..

"I saw where she lived...Were you paying for that condo..?" asked Bee Bee..

''Are you kidding? I don't have that kind of loot."said Blake..

''Well she was an intern...She definitely didn't have that kind of loot.."said Kahlil..

"She had a semester to go at University of Pennsylvania...We went there...It's expensive...How was she paying it?" asked Sofia..

"I don't know...Maybe her folks had money...I didn't go up there to ask about her finances.."said my cousin Blake with a raffish smile..

I smiled too...The woman he was accused of killing was a very attractive...Blonde, White woman, about ten years younger than him...

Blake whispered to me...

"Damn Keith...you work with some foxes....Your girlfriend, Bee Bee...

WOW!!! And your supervisor, Ms. Yvette...

Gooodness gracious...Lawd she's fine.." he said..

"And that Spanish Chick...Ai Yi Yiiiii." he said..

"That's funny coming from you Blake....I always thought your thing was white women....He had been married to and currently divorced from a white woman...

"I like Alllll women cuz...If they wear panties and a bra....I like em…" he said and we shared a laugh...

II-

Neither Ms. Yvette nor Jade..

were with us today....

but they both had been at the bail hearing and they both were present for Voir Dire...

We were facing a ruthless ADA...Jocquin Spade...They called him Jock... His Father had been a much decorated Homicide detective years ago... He had put young "Jock through Law School... Jock had gone out on the West Coast and worked for two very distinguished law forms...One in San Francisco and one in Los Angelas…..He came back east and worked in New York City for awhile before moving to Philadelphia and becoming an ADA...

He was very good...

But Kahlil and I under Ms. Yvette's

tuteledge were just as good, especially at Voir Dire..

Try as he might...He was no match for the two of us...We picked and got 9 out of the 12 jurors we wanted for this trial...

The Judge, Judge Sam Mackelroy… for some reason looked worried...Very Worried.. I thought maybe it was my imagination...

ADA Jocquin Spade's opening argument was as good as any opening statement by a prosecutor I'd ever heard...

Bee Bee gave our opening argument...It was even better.. We were all impressed..She was more than prepared...

So was Sofia, and I and Kahlil...We had researched the witnesses thoroughly...Credit and Debit cards, Bank accounts, possible criminal records...and had very good questions to ask the Crime Scene Investigators and the Forensic people....

The case was a week old and we were putting a dent in the prosecution's case....

 It had Jocquin  Spadeglaring at the arresting officer, Lt. Tragg...

"You're supposed to be on top of this...How come I'm just now hearing some of this testimony?" he  barked.

"I'm all over it...Just relax...They don't have anything...It's all smoke screens..."said Lt. Tragg...

III-

Court was Adjourned for the day....

Ms. Yvette stood out in the hallway...

"You guys did a good job in there....Go over the witness statements again...And start working hard on his alibi...Where he went, right after he left and why he wasn't caught on the building camera."said Yvette..

 ''We are on it." I said.

''We are going to check on the crime scene this afternoon.."said Kahlil...

"I'll go with you." said Jade..

The Judge, Sam Mackelroy walked over to Yvette...He smiled and gave her a big hug....

"Yvettttttttte...Yvette Jones...how long has it been?" he said smiling..

"Hi Sam..it has been long hasn't it?" she laughed...

''Hell, it seems like it was just yesterday....You were a green, pretty young thing, fresh out of law school, clerking for me and studying for the bar...." he laughed..

"I remember...And you and one of your Associate Attorneys quizzing me and helping me study for the bar...Wow....That seems like yesterday...I remember when you lectured at PENN a few times." laughed Yvette..

"You were a good student...A quick study...You aced it on your first try....and look at you now..A Big time Attorney yourself..My, My, My.." he beamed with pride...

 "Ms. Yvette be steady slaying these men..."laughed Sofia..

 "Ewwwwwww, He's old enough to be her father. I don't think it's like that...He was probably her teacher or she clerked for him or something."said Bee Bee.

 ''Yeah...Something like that." I said.

"You're probably right."said Kahlil...

Ms. Yvette walked over to us...

"Turns out I know The Judge in your case...Judge Mackelroy….He was one of my law professors at Penn...and he helped me study for the bar when I graduated and I uh clerked for him for awhile after I became a licensed attorney...We go way back...I owe him a lot.."said Yvette...

"Well that might work in our favor...Does he know you're our supervisor?" I asked.

"He saw me talking to you guys every day of the trial...I'm sure he has figured out there is some connection...Anyway...He's taking me out for drinks this afternoon...We have much to catch up on.."said Yvette..

"Oh Really?" laughed Bee Bee, giving Ms. Yvette the side eye...

"He was my teacher and a mentor...The man has been married for like forever....He's married to money too...Old Money...His wife comes from a wealthy main line family..."said Yvette..

"I'm just kidding Ms. Yvette, but men of all ages do like you..."laughed Bee Bee..

"Really? I never knew that...I wish they'd told me during the two years I was spending my nights alone listening to Jill Scott music.."laughed Yvette...

"You had a period like that too huh?" said Sofia...

"You wouldn't have had to have had one if you had given me some play earlier." said Kahlil.."Like in undergrad.." he added...

"I can't read minds....You never said anything..."said Sofia..

"She's got a point.."I laughed..

"And YOU should talk...You gave up too soon...Had you of kept trying you could have had me from day two.."laughed Bee Bee..

"She's got a point.."laughed Kahlil....

Yvette died laughing...

"You guys slay me.. You have each other now...We all have each other now.. See you guys tomorrow."

We waved and laughed and all walked away...

Yvette pulled up to Olga's Diner....A classy Diner near the Airport that had been around,longer than she had been alive...

She remembered vaguely coming here with her mother and father as a little girl...The only other time she had been here was once in law school with Olivia and Beverly and Olivia's father..Alvin Bennett.
Beverly was 15 or 16 maybe...She and Olivia were about 24 or 25...In their second year of law school..It was during Spring Break..

So here she was as a full grown woman coming here on her own to have drinks with her old mentor from law school..

 Judge Mackelroy was already there...

''Yvette, Yvette, over here..." he motioned for her..

Yvette smiled and walked over and sat down...

"You hungry??...They make a mean Meatloaf?" he said..

"I remember...I've been here two times before.."said Yvette..

"Really?, When?" he asked.. This place was populated by Italians, Irishmen and a few Jews...Only a sprinkling of African-Americans frequented this place...

"My Mother and Father brought me here when I was a little girl.....The second time I came here was with my girlfriend, Olivia Bennett and her little niece, Beverly and her father...Livy and I were about 24 or 25...Beverly was 16 maybe.." said Yvette..

"I remember Olivia...Another good student...She and that niece of hers were inseperable even then huh?" laughed the Judge..

"You couldn't know Olivia and not know Beverly..."laughed Yvette.

"That was true.." he laughed..

They both were served the most scrumptious Meat Loaf ever..

"Oh My God....This is delish.." laughed Yvette...

"It is...I told you....I see you also have an appreciation for meatloaf....You know what I like about you Vettie?  You're down to Earth...despite the fact you work for a big corporate law firm...You still take the time to mentor young attorneys  and you still have an appreciation for meatloaf.." he laughed..

"This is the best..."gushed Yvette as she chowed down....

For dessert They had Pecan Pie...

''Oh My God...I'm going to be in the gym this weekend.."she laughed..

After dinner they had drinks...they talked about law, the state of the legal system today...landmark cases et al..

 "How is your wife doing?" asked Yvette...

''She's fine.. We are separated you know...." he said..

"No I didn't know...I'm sorry..."said Yvette..

"It's been a year....I'm well taken care of financially...I signed a pretty generous pre-nup many years ago." he laughed..

Yvette thought that that was an odd thing to say...but she didn't go any further with that line of conversation..

"You know this is a hell of a case...This Jones Murder case....This guy...and he looks reasonably handsome, young, decent..accused of strangling that poor girl..Unbelievable..!!!!!" said Judge Mackelroy..

''Everything isn't as it seems...My guys have put together a robust defense..but I'm not at liberty to discuss it."said Yvette and HE SHOULDN'T BE DISCUSSING IT EITHER CONSIDERING HE WAS TRYING THE CASE! she reasoned..

"Those four attorneys are very astute...I saw you talking to them...Are they uh clerking for you?" he asked..

"No...They work for me...I'm their supervisor...McCkuskey /Cozen/Connor & Pratt entered the 21st Century..They realized that me being the token person of color didn't look good so they told me to go out and pick some deserving candidates...I hand picked the four of them...

Keith Jones, Kahlil Ahmed, Beatrice Evans and Sofia Garcia...They graduated from PENN LAW, had very high LSAT scores and all four aced the bar...They're exceptional attorneys and I've been working with them.. They are Full Associates at McCluskey/Cozen/Connor & Pratt..."said Yvette proudly...

"WOWWW!  That's good...I had no idea they worked for your firm...I just thought you were mentoring them...They handle themselves very well...So I have a proposition for you..." said Judge Mackelroy...

"Oh Really?" said Yvette..

"I have a young Attorney...He's clerking for me...Just graduated from Georgetown Law school last spring and passed the bar last summer.. His Name is Don Scott...Hell of a nice guy, real self starter..You know...a case like this would be right up his alley, Just the thing to get his feet wet, get him a good start..."said the Judge..

"You want him to sit in with my guys?...Second Chair huh?   I don't think they'd mind.."said Yvette..

"NO!  I WANT YOU TO PULL THEM.! I WANT YOU TO LET SCOTTY TAKE OVER THE CASE FROM WHERE THEY LEFT OFF!  I think he'd knock it right out of the box!"  said Judge Mackelroy..

''Sam you can't be serious!...I can't do that...My guys are this guy ,Blake Jones's attorneys of choice..He's already paid part of his retainer to them to defend him...I can't pull them off of this case..Where do they do that at? Come on..and besides...This guy Don Scott is green...It wouldn't be fair to throw him in there with a wolf like ADA Spade..a seasoned prosecutor..He'd eat him alive.."said Yvette..

"That's how you learn...You get in there in the thick of it..."said Judge Mackelroy...

"And meanwhile, when he loses....Our client goes to prison for the rest of his life.....You can't play with someone's life like that...I'm surprised at you..."said Yvette, now suddenly looking at Judge Mackelroy in a completely different light...She couldn't believe what she was being asked.

"Yvette, I don't often call in my markers..but you owe me a favor...I'm calling in my marker.." said Judge Mackelroy, trying to smile, but being 100 percent serious.

"I don't believe you!!!....This borders on being unethical...We shouldn't even be talking about this case...Especially since you're the judge..."said Yvette, now a little furious and feeling used..

"So you're not going to do me this solid Yvette.?  " he asked again...

"No I'm not going to do that...In fact...I don't think I could pull them even if I wanted to.." she said.

"Yvette...Sure you could...They love you...They're devoted to you...They'll do whatever you say..You and me..We go way back!"he laughed..

"You knew they worked for me all along....before I told you...That's why you brought me out here..Isn't it?? You already knew I was their supervisor...That's pretty low Sam and I am very very disappointed in you...I thought better of you.."said Yvette, who looked at her bill and went in her purse..

"That's Okay Yvette...I've got it.." he said.. A little sad that his prize student was disappointed in him..

"Good Night Judge Mackelroy."said Yvette, who got up and walked out to her car..

He was at once ashamed of himself... He had taught Yvette ethics....Principles....She was sticking to them...He wasn't!

IV-

 Yvette sat on Gary's sofa...

She was very upset...She was near tears!

"I can't believe him...I can't believe he would ask me to do something like that..."said Yvette..

"I gotta admit...That is the strangest thing I have ever heard...A Judge asking an Attorney to drop a case , a case that he is trying!!  I've heard of ADA's and Defense attorneys asking a Judge to recuse himself from a case for various reasons...but I've NEVER heard of a Judge asking a defense attorney to recuse him or herself or to pull attorneys off of a case....IS THAT EVEN ETHICAL?" asked Gary..

"No it's not...He shouldn't have even been discussing that case period...He's trying it as a Judge!"said Yvette...

"Of course...you could ask them and they would buck a little...but they'd do it for you...They love Ms. Yvette and you know who else loves Ms. Yvette and would do anything she asked..? said Gary seductively, with a raffish smile..

"Is this a trick question?" asked Yvette, smiling..looking at the huge bulge in his pajama bottoms and smiling...

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm Tricks are for kids babyyyyyyyy."said Gary, kissing Yvette softly and running his hands under her nightshirt..slipping her panties down and mounting her softly and gently on top of his huge sofa..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Gary.....Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.. you are sooo hard...ouuuuuuu" she moaned..

as the soft sofa began to move with the weight of their bodies..

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Yvette....you make me that wayyy...ouuuuuuu" he moaned......

"Ouuuuu you like it daddy?" she asked...

"You know I do...You KNOW that I do..ummmmmmmmmmmph!" he moaned... 

'' Yesssss… it certainly feels like it....ohhhhhhhhhh my goodness....ouuu Gary..." she moaned..


The couch was squeaking out of control... "Ohhhhhhhhhhh my god...baby..you are so soft, so wet." Gary cried out!

"Garyyyyyyyyyyried Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" Yvette moaned.

"Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm  Vettie!"  Gary moaned.

"ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  Garyouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu..I love you soo much...

Ouuuuu you don't even know.."she cooed.. 

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl..." Gary moaned

Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu.."she moaned... 

"Yvette   sooo soft, sooo wet baby...I'm going crazyyyy.."I moaned..

 "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh  Gary ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" Yvette cooed..

"OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" he moaned loudly.

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY godddddddddddddd  Gary

OHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY godddddddddddddd!!"she cried out!!! 


EIGHT TO NINE HOURS smoothly passed by as they made love under the moonlight...

Tears and sweat ran down the sides of both of their faces...Yvette's legs began to shake furiously and she began to move her head from side to side and cry like a little girl...

"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD GARY!" she cried out..

"Ouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu Yvette...MS. YVETTE!  OUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" he moaned..

Yvette laughed...

Gary enjoyed making love to her so much....

She moaned and kissed him softly.....

Gary came so hard and furiously...he thought he was dying..

Meanwhile at our apartment..

"I'm glad that judge turned out to be an old friend of Ms. Yvette...Maybe he'll go a little easy on us..He was over ruling damn near everything we did..." I said.

''Well it won't be the first time we've had a judge who favored the prosecution...A good many of them do.." said Kahlil..

"Yeah but it was something extra about this judge.....I\d almost swear he had a personal interest in this case.."said Sofia..

"I know how you guys felt...I got bad vibes from him too...but he couldn't have anything personal in this case..I mean, like the victim is his niece or a cousin or something...Could he?" asked Bee Bee.

"Nah...No way " I said.

(TO BE CONTINUED)