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CHAPTER7
TYLER
Maybe I shouldn’t have gone down on Maria just two days before I was set to come into her classroom. Now, I'll be seeing her for the first time since then, in a room filled with twenty preschoolers.
I'd rather be at work right now. While I can afford to miss some time in the office to do this, I still have to get my work done, which means late nights in the office will be more frequent than since I made partner. Our Saturday night together has intensified my desire for Maria, but she's still my boss's daughter, and the fact that I'm blatantly lying to him makes me uncomfortable. At the very least, time away from the office reduces the probability of running into him.
Getting to the school, I wait to be buzzed into the front entrance before making my way to the office. A visitor badge is already prepared for me, and a woman at the front office directs me to Maria’s classroom.
I peer into the classroom through the small glass window. The second I knock on the door, twenty small heads turn toward it. Maria gives me a smile, which I’m sure is just for the kids’ benefit because I can see the anxiety creeping into her eyes.
As I walk in, Maria greets me with a brief introduction. “Everyone, this is Mr. North. He’s here to help us with our career unit. Let’s all say hi to Mr. North,” she says in a cheery voice only preschool teachers possess.
I’m met with a chorus of, “Hello, Mr. North,” which I find way more adorable than I thought I would.
“Hello, everyone,” I respond, trying my best to bring out my inner preschool teacher.
“Mr. North is a lawyer, and today, he’s going to tell us about what it is he does,” Maria explains, stepping to the side.
While I’ve talked in front of larger groups than this, filled with significantly more critical people, something about speaking to these children feels like a completely different ball game. I had a general idea of what I was going to talk about, but I didn’t practice it in the way one would articulate ideas to children.
“Um . . . hello again. I’m Mr. North, and I’m a lawyer,” I begin, realizing that they obviously already got that.
“Does anyone know what a lawyer is?” I ask, hoping to quickly get these kids engaged with the conversation.
A bunch of small hands shoot up into the air, and after letting my eyes wander around the room, I point to a freckled, redheaded girl with cute purple glasses framing her eyes.
Here, Maria interjects, “Why don’t you all introduce yourselves when you answer or ask Mr. North questions.”
The child dutifully nods in the direction of her teacher before saying, “I’m Esther, and a lawyer is someone who puts bad guys in jail.”
It’s exactly the type of answer I was expecting from a five-year-old.
“Yes, sometimes that is what lawyers do. But what if I told you there were all types of lawyers?” I ask, amused at the way some of the little faces scrunch up in confusion.
“Like what?” a small voice pipes up from the back of the room.
“There are all different types of lawyers. Criminal lawyers are like superheroes and make sure that everyone is treated fairly while in court. Family lawyers help families do all types of things, like figure out how to care for children if they get a divorce or help families to adopt children. And corporate lawyers, like me, work with big companies to make sure they’re following the rules. We help with things like contracts and agreements to make sure things are fair for everyone. These are only a few, but there are all types of lawyers that do all types of things,” I explain, hoping I did it well enough for these children to understand.
A hand shoots up, a small, black child missing his two front teeth. I hope the tooth fairy made sure to get him something extra nice.
“Yes,” I call, pointing over to the boy.
“Why?” he asks bluntly before quickly adding, “And I’m Darren.”
“Well, that’s a great question, Darren,” I say slowly as I try to think about how to answer him.
“The law is complex, and there’s a lot of things about it that no one person can fully know,” I begin, looking at their faces to make sure they’re following along. “So, having all types of lawyers means that some people are really good at some things while others are really good at other things, and no one is forced to know every single thing about the law,” I finish, hoping I explained as best as I can an answer I have never thought too much about.
Another hand, this one belonging to a pale-skinned girl with wispy blonde hair that almost looks white, shoots up.
“I’m Charlotte, and can I be a lawyer?” she asks, her soft voice reminding me a lot of my own sister when she was this age.
“Of course. Every single one of you can be a lawyer. But first, you have to study in school and go to college, then law school, then pass a test called the bar, and then, after all of that, you can be a lawyer. But looking at you guys, I’m sure you all could do that in a breeze,” I tell them, the comment not seeming to wipe the shock off their faces at the thought of all it takes to be a lawyer.
The rest of the forty-minute window unfolds in a similar fashion. Maria has organized the children into groups and assigned them various activities to keep them engaged. Meanwhile, I move from station to station and answer their questions. They ask simple, yet thought-provoking questions about what lawyers do, what I do specifically, and some questions that are less about being a lawyer and more about me personally, but it’s a very fun and lively conversation.
By the time all the students are waving goodbye to me as they’re led out by the teacher in charge of their specials, I’m actually excited about the idea of coming back.
