“Thank you, Judge.” Mulroney stepped forward, looking determined. As Mulroney presented his case, Nina and Mark, ever vigilant, raised appropriate objections, strategically disrupting Mulroney’s flow. Finally, Mulroney rested his case. He had a satisfied look on his face as he fake smiled in Nina’s direction.
“Respondents, call your first witness,” the judge said.
“The defense calls Kiana Jackson to the stand,” Mark announced.
Kia had taken to heart the lectures about courtroom decorum: nothing distracting.
She wore professional attire: a fitted blazer in a rich shade of emerald green paired with a flowered pencil skirt. Beneath the blazer, a crisp white blouse provided a clean and classic contrast. She’d even bought a pair of sleek, black stiletto heels that addeda touch of elegance and height to her usual glittery appearance. Simple yet elegant gold jewelry adorned her ears and wrists, adding a subtle sparkle without being too flashy. And, of course, she wore her wedding ring.
Mark started with a basic question.
“How long have you known Alice Sullivan?”
Kia took a breath before answering.
“Since I was twenty.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Almost ten years.”
In the conference room, Kia had felt so nervous the room had gone fuzzy. Now that she was on the stand, looking out at the courtroom, she felt completely calm. She was here to tell the judge how she felt, how she’d always felt. Despite Nina’s warnings, her emotions bubbled to the surface, her words laced with protectiveness for her culinary arts school rival and ride-or-die.
“How long have you been in love with Ms. Sullivan?”
“I fell in love the day she walked into the practice kitchen at school.”
She looked at Sullivan. Sullivan crossed her hands over her chest, as if sending Kia a hug. That part could have been for show, but the look in her eyes had to be sincere. Kia saw the same joy and desire she felt.I love you.
“Where did you meet?”
“We met at the Jean Paul Molineux School of Culinary Arts in New York City.”
“What were your first impressions of Ms. Sullivan?”
“The first day when she walked into class, I wanted to be her friend.” Kia spoke slowly. “She walked in serving all this nineteen twenties lesbian swagger, then all the guys fell for her because she was so effing cool. Every time she’d go out with one of them,I’d be jealous, and I’d go back to the practice kitchen and try to make a better beef Wellington than Sullivan. Whatever she was good at, I tried to be better. People at school didn’t get that that didn’t mean I didn’t like her. It meant Iadoredher. She inspired me to be my best, just like she helped me see how important it is to preserve this land. I think love means trying to be your best for the person you adore. Love inspires us to be our best. At first love makes you look at each other. Then it makes you look out together.”
“Objection: these musings are irrelevant,” Mulroney said.
“Sustained. Please stick to the question, Ms. Jackson.”
“Your Honor, Ms. Jackson’s comments are relevant. They speak to the heart of Mega Eats’ accusation that she isn’t in love with Ms. Sullivan,” Mark Bretton said.
“Objection is sustained,” the judge said with an unnecessary rap of his gavel.
Harper was definitely in Mega Eats’ pocket. Somehow that didn’t frighten Kia anymore. If Sullivan heard what Kia said next and celebrated it, that was all that mattered. In fact, the love Kia felt was so deep, so much a part of her, there was a way in which it didn’t matter whether Sullivan shared her feelings. Of course, later, if Sullivan didn’t share them, she’d be devastated, but for now, there was nothing truer than what she was about to say. Unfiltered, unvarnished fact. And she felt the wild, glittering exuberance of asserting her truth.I am me. I am real.
“During the time you and Ms. Sullivan were out of touch, how did you feel about her?”
“I thought about Sullivan all the time. I had this dream that we’d meet again. She’d see me and she’d say,I always loved you, Kia. I didn’t date people because it’d fu—mess with the fantasy. If I was with someone, I wouldn’t be available if I met Sullivan on a busystreet in New York… or at a meeting at a grange hall in Oregon.”
Mulroney stood up. “This is all very romantic, Your Honor, but—”
“Yes, it is very romantic,” Kia cut in. “And Sullivan is even better than I realized. Back then I thought she was cool. Now I know she’s so much more than a hot, rizz chef with amazing knife skills. She’s everything. And if you’re going to sue me, don’t pile on withyou’re not in love with her. I will not be unrequitedly in love for my whole life and then get sued for not being in love. Do you know how many girls I could have hooked up with if I wasn’t dreaming about Sullivan all this time?”
“Objection!”
“Sustained.”
