Cold Law and Warm Bananas

My father was stiffed by his contractor, so he had to come to the city to find a lawyer to sue him.

He didn't know how to use the elevator. He actually climbed 20 flights of stairs, clutching a crumpled contract in his hand, before walking into the law firm.

Wilson, can you please take a look at this... He owes me 0-020,000. What should I do?

As the founder of the firm, Wilson used to represent pro-bono cases for animal rescues.

But right now, he was busy editing a graduation thesis for Grace, the firm's new intern.

"A 0-020,000 dispute isn't even enough to cover my retainer fee. I'm sorry, Donald, but I can't take this case."

His cold words made my fathers back, already bent from years of hard labor, sink even lower.

"Oh... then... I won't trouble you anymore..."

He slowly packed his papers back into his canvas bag.

When he turned around, even his footsteps were heavy with apology.

My nose stung. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I stood up to confront Wilson.

But my father grabbed my hand.

"Selena, I'm fine. Wilson has his professional rules. Don't blame him."

The tears I had held back for so long finally spilled over.

I stood there, watching my fathers hunched back disappear through the door.

From the moment that door closed, I suddenly didnt want to be Wilson's family anymore.

Watching my father walk away so dejectedly felt like a fire had been lit in my chest, burning away all my sanity.

I rushed back into Wilson's office, grabbed the thesis papers on his desk, and ripped them to shreds.

"Are you crazy?!" Wilson stood up abruptly.

"Why won't you take my dad's case? Do you have any idea how long he waited out there?"

"I'm busy, Selena. I don't have time for your drama."

"Busy? Busy editing Graces thesis? But you dont have five minutes to look at my dads contract?"

I let out a cold laugh, the irony suffocating me.

"I run a law firm, not a charity," Wilson said, his voice dropping to a freezing temperature. "Do you know what my hourly billable rate is? Taking your dad's case is a waste of my billable hours."

"But he is your father-in-law!" I screamed.

"So what?" Wilsons voice darkened. "Everyone is equal before the law. Am I supposed to break industry standards just because he's a relative? If I take this case today, what will my partners think of me? How will I maintain my reputation in this city?"

"Wilson, do you even remember why you went to law school in the first place?"

Wilson froze.

I took a step back, looking at him as if he were a complete stranger.

I didn't know when it happened, but the man who used to stay up all night researching labor laws for underpaid immigrants, the man I fell in love with, was completely gone.

"People have to be realistic, Selena. We can't live in the past forever."

Ignoring his coldness, I asked stubbornly, "So realistic that you'd abandon your own father-in-law?"

"Would you be reasonable for once?" He pulled at his tie, frustrated. "I have too many high-profile corporate cases on my desk right now. I don't have time for your dad's petty drama."

No time?

I stared at the thesis on his desk, covered in his detailed, handwritten notes.

Suddenly, I lost all desire to argue. "Let's get a divorce, Wilson."

Wilson froze. The tie in his hand dropped to the floor.

"Selena... what did you say?"

"I said, let's get a divorce."

When the words came out, my heart didn't hurt as much as I thought it would.

Instead, I felt a massive weight lift off my shoulders. I turned and walked out of the office.

Downstairs, my father hadn't gone far.

He wasn't giving up. He was walking along the office plaza, asking door-to-door:

"Excuse me, do you take breach of contract cases?"

But the moment the receptionists heard the defendant was Wooda notoriously shady, wealthy general contractorthey shook their heads and ushered him out.

The 100-degree Florida heat made my father look so small and helpless.

I wiped my tears and ran to catch up with him.

"Dad, don't worry. I'll find a way."

My father was surprised to see me. He quickly shielded his eyes from the sun.

"It's so hot out here, sweetie, why did you run out? I was just trying my luck. It's fine."

Trying his luck.

He took a six-hour Greyhound bus and climbed twenty flights of stairs just to "try his luck"?

I opened my mouth, about to tell him about the divorce.

Then, his phone rang.

"Hello? Is this Mr. Donald? I'm Peter. Mr. Wilson asked me to handle your case."

When the call ended, my father's weathered face erupted into a bright smile.

"Did you hear that, Selena? Wilson sent someone to help me! I knew it. He has a good heart, he's just too busy!"

Right after he spoke, my phone buzzed with a Snapchat message from Wilson.

I sent Peter to handle your dad's case. Stop talking about divorce so easily.

I stared at the screen, stunned. When I looked up, my father was smiling warmly, pulling two large bunches of bananas from his canvas bag.

"Your mom cut these from our backyard farm this morning. She picked the thickest ones. Thin skin, very sweet. Take them home to Wilson. Please, don't fight with him..."

My eyes welled up again as I held the bananas tight.

"Dad, don't worry. Once this lawsuit is over..."

Once I divorce Wilson.

"...I will never let anyone look down on you guys again."

Three days later, I took a day off from the school to accompany my dad to court.

"Once I get my hard-earned money back, I can buy your mom some new clothes,"

he chatted happily on the way. "And we can help your cousin Charis buy a laptop for college."

Thinking about getting his money back made my dad's mood visibly brighter.

But when we arrived at the courthouse, Peter, the lawyer who had called my dad, was nowhere to be found. His phone went straight to voicemail.

"Did Peter get the time wrong?"

My dad sat in the plaintiffs box, nervously rubbing his calloused hands.

"Selena, Wilson set this up. Should you call him and ask?"

Before I could dial Wilson's number, the courtroom door pushed open.

It wasn't Peter who walked in. It was Woods new lawyer.

It was Gracethe intern whose thesis Wilson had been obsessively editing.

At the same time, my phone buzzed. It was a call from Peter.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Wilson. Mr. Wilson suddenly reassigned me to an out-of-state corporate case. I can't represent your father anymore."

The call cut off. Then, Grace's voice rang through the courtroom.

"Your Honor, I am representing the defendant, Mr. Wood, from Wilson Law Group. We are ready to proceed."

Wilson Law Group, representing the defendant. My fathers face went completely pale.

"Selena... Wilson Law Group... isn't that Wilson's firm? What... what does this mean?"

My heart felt like it had been struck by a hammer.

I didn't expect Wilson to break his promise, let alone have Grace turn my father from the plaintiff into the defendant.

"Your Honor, on behalf of the defendant, we are filing a counterclaim against Donald," Grace announced coldly.

"First, during Donald's employment, he led his crew in violating safety codes, resulting in substandard construction and causing direct financial losses to my client."

She continued ruthlessly:

"Second, Donald used cheap, defective materials to cut corners, violating the contract."

"Third..."

"Fourth..."

"Therefore, the defendant requests that the court order Donald to pay $500,000 in damages to my client."

The hearing lasted for two hours.

Without a lawyer, and with no witnesses daring to speak up for my dad against a powerful contractor, my father stood there alone. Even my attempts to speak were shut down by the judge.

My dad stammered, his anxiety making his English worse, unable to explain the complex technical terms.

The judges expression shifted from sympathy to impatience.

We lost. The 0-020,000 we were owed turned into a judgment ordering my father to pay Wood $500,000 in damages.

When we walked out of the courthouse, my fathers hands were shaking violently as he held the judgment paper.

"It's okay, Dad... I'll find a way." I held his hand, tears burning my eyes.

Just then, a black Mercedes pulled up in front of the steps.

Wilson stepped out of the car.

My fathers dull eyes lit up, and he rushed forward, clutching the paper.

"Wilson! You're here. Are you here to help me..."

But Wilson walked right past him, and right past me.

He opened an umbrella and held it over Graces head.

"Great job today. Are you tired? I booked a table at that French restaurant you like to celebrate your victory."

Grace smiled and took his arm. "It's all thanks to the prep work you did for me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been so confident about the counterclaim."

"You're already excellent. I just gave you a little push."

They laughed and walked down the steps, completely ignoring us.

My nails dug into my palms. I yelled, "Wilson! Are you deaf? Can't you hear my dad calling you?"

The air froze.

Wood, who was walking out of the court, looked between Wilson and my father.

"Mr. Wilson, is this old man your father-in-law?"

Wilson didn't even look up. "I don't know him."

Wood's face relaxed instantly, and he turned to glare at my father.

"You old fraud, did you hear that? The big-shot lawyer doesn't even know you. How dare you claim to be his family? Look at yourself in the mirror."

My father's face flushed bright red, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

"Wilson, you bastard!" I screamed.

But the man only paused for a second before Grace said, "I'm hungry, Wilson." He got into the Mercedes without hesitation and drove away.

My father stood on the steps, his body swaying.

"Dad?" I ran to support him. "Dad, are you okay?"

He looked at me, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.

"Selena... did I embarrass you?"

My tears finally poured down. "No, Dad, never..."

"Then why... why did Wilson pretend he didn't know me?"

I couldn't answer him. I took him back to his small house in the countryside. For the first time in my life, I hated myself for being so powerless, and I hated myself for marrying the wrong man.

"Wilson, what the hell was that today?"

When I got home, I thought Wilson would feel some guilt. I thought he would apologize.

But instead, he threw a ridiculous question back at me:

"What was your problem today? Why did you let some dirty blue-collar worker scream my name in public? Do you know how embarrassing that was for me?"

"So you lied to me, set up my dad, and let him lose a lawsuit that now costs him half a million dollars?!" I laughed, my eyes burning.

Wilson's expression flickered, but he quickly recovered his composure.

"I did assign Peter," he said. "But I didn't expect Grace to take Wood's case. Some partners in the firm already have issues with her. If she lost this high-profile case, her chance of getting hired full-time would be ruined."

Even though I knew how much Grace meant to him, hearing it out loud still broke my heart.

"So you let her fabricate evidence and frame my dad?"

"My job is to win cases," Wilson said, standing up and looking down at me. "Wood is a major client for our firm. He pays millions in retainer fees every year. What can your dad give me?"

He kicked the trash can in frustration.

Inside were the fresh bananas my father had brought. They were bruised now, sitting among the trash.

"Is he going to pay me with this garbage?"

Garbage? He called the bananas my father lovingly grew "garbage"?

I realized then how fast a human heart could change.

When we first came to Florida to build our life, my parents worked tirelessly, cutting crops and carrying bricks, sending us every penny of their savings so we could buy our first townhouse.

But the man in front of me was no longer my husband. He was a monster.

"Don't look at me like that," he said, pulling off his tie. "Fine, I'll talk to the bank and help your dad set up a payment plan for the $500,000. It's not that much. I can help him pay it in installments..."

Slap!

I couldn't hold back anymore. I slapped him hard across the face.

The living room went dead silent for three seconds.

Wilson held his cheek, staring at me in disbelief. "You slapped me?"

My body shook with rage. "Get out."

"Fine, Selena. Stay here and think about what you've done."

With a swollen cheek, Wilson slammed the door and left.

I collapsed onto the floor and cried all night.

The next morning, my mom called, her voice hysterical.

"Selena! Oh my god, Woods debt collectors came to the house and threatened your father. He had a heart attack! He's in the ICU!"

My mind went completely blank. Shaking, I dialed Wilson's number.

"Wilson, my dad had a heart attack. He's in critical condition. Can you please ask your cardiologist friend, Dr. James, to come to the county hospital for an emergency surgery?"

"Hold on a second," his voice was calm, almost detached.

"Did you hear me, Wilson?! This is the last time I will ever ask you for anything. Please save my dad!"

"I heard you, but Dr. James is busy right now."

"Busy? With what?! What could be more important than my father's life? Do you have a soul, Wilson?!"

There was a brief silence on the other end, and then I heard Grace's voice in the background:

"Wilson, come help me chop the veggies!"

"I'll ask Dr. James for you tomorrow. I have things to do here. Bye." Wilson hung up.

Sitting in the Uber on my way to the hospital, I stared at the "Call Ended" screen, my blood running cold.

Wilson, you are truly heartless.

Half an hour later, a notification popped up on my Snapchat. Grace had posted an update:

[Accidentally cut my finger while cooking, and Wilson immediately called his cardiologist friend to bring over first-aid supplies. ]

[He even gave my parents a free medical check-up! Wilson is literally the best mentor in the world! ]

So, the "busy" thing he had to do was cooking with Grace and her family.

I held the phone and laughed until tears streamed down my face.

Finally, I opened my contacts and dialed a number I hadn't called in years.

"Mrs. Hathaway... can I please ask you for a favor?"

That night, two teams of surgeons rotated in the operating room. My mother cried until she fainted multiple times.

It wasn't until dawn that my father was finally out of danger.

And Wilson never once showed up at the hospital.

"Where is Wilson? Didn't he come with you?" my father asked weakly when he finally woke up on the third day.

Seeing my exhausted face, his eyes filled with worry.

"It's okay, Dad," I forced a smile. "I won't let this happen again. I won't let anyone hurt us anymore."

My parents stayed silent for a long time. Finally, my dad patted my shoulder.

"Do what you have to do, sweetheart. We support you."

Once I stepped out of the ward, I called Wilson again.

"What is it?"

"My parents want to see you. We need to talk."

His voice sounded raspy on the phone, as if he hadn't slept:

"Not tomorrow. Grace has her thesis defense tomorrow. I need to help her prep and run mock presentations. I don't have time for your family's drama."

I clenched my phone, my voice trembling. "What did you say?"

"We'll talk after tomorrow. I have to edit her slides now. Bye."

Since Grace appeared, I couldn't count how many times this had happened. His excuses and broken promises had completely eroded our ten-year relationship.

This was the final straw.

I blinked back my tears and said to the phone, "Fine. You said it. We will talk tomorrow."

The next morning, I took the earliest flight back to the city.

Carrying a flash drive with slides I had worked on all night, I went straight to the law school auditorium.

On stage, Grace was presenting her thesis confidently, using the slides Wilson had polished for her.

In the audience, Wilson's eyes never left her.

I let out a cold, mocking laugh, pushed the heavy double doors open, and walked inside.

"I heard Grace is the star graduate of the law school this year," I announced loudly.

"So, can someone help me with a legal question? My husband is having an affair, and I want him to leave with absolutely nothing. How should I build this case?"