Today, my phone rang at 3:38. "Zuska, we have to file these papers by 5, and I need a few quick research things done, do you have 20 minutes or so?" Sure, I say, I do. But at 3:58 (20 minutes later), we were working on revisions, and I was proofing the briefs. Then my phone rang again, a different person, "Zuska, we are in a real tough spot here, and need some emergency research, can you come down and talk to me?" I explain ... brief due at 5, helping out with some last minute reviews, can I be there in 10 minutes? Yes, I can.

Well, the second assignment was NOT proof-reading. Some folks were in trial all day, had a wacky issue thrown at them, and needed some kind of answer ASAP. Which they got ... at 7:30 p.m. I mean, it was a REALLY wacky issue. It was so wacky, it had never been touched on in my state. So I had to cobble some different things together from multiple sources, and come up with a persuasive "argument." Rather than authority.

What was I *supposed* to be doing at 7:30? Oh, cleaning the kitchen up after dinner. Which I was to buy on the way home. You know, dinner? For my family?

Fortunately, my Beloved is a wonderful wonderful person who didn't seem to even BLINK when he got the call that I had an emergency at work and couldn't leave. The girls were already slated to meet him at a convenient spot (e. is old enough now to leave after-school care on her own, go pick up her sister, and take her home or other places. It's always been other (closer) places thus far. I'm not quite ready to have latch-key kids.)

All reports are that they had a great time, and were happy and not upset about my absence. Which is a good thing.

I told them when I got home, "if I were a real lawyer already, in the midst of a trial, I would be getting home, oh, 6 hours from now."

I really did get have an e-mail in my inbox this a.m. that was date-stamped 3:41 a.m. And that wasn't for the trial going on THIS week, it was for the one in two weeks.

What have I gotten myself into?

Labels: co-op

posted by Zuska @ 10:03 PM

0 Comments: