23 The Eyes of Someone Who Believes in Justice

Adam may have been afraid of going back to being a lawyer, but he was the best, noblest man the young priest knew. So Piotr had to try to convince him to help Magda and her boyfriend, even if it would cause Adam pain.

Piotr did not knock on the door of his cousin's room. He knew that it was not locked and that Adam was expecting his visit - after all, he had heard their conversation. In fact, it gave way immediately when he pressed the handle. He immediately saw the lawyer standing at the window and staring off into the distance somewhere.

"Adam..."

"Don't say anything. Please don't say anything now."

So Piotr remained silent. He just stood and waited.

Adam did nothing; he just stood staring at some point outside the window, as still as a rock, completely motionless. The late afternoon rays fell on him at an angle illuminating his figure in his white shirt, as if they surrounded him with a nimbus of holiness. Piotr immediately recalled Bishop Wacław’s words and didn't like them. Not in this context. He had an uneasy feeling that Adam would achieve his holiness through martyrdom.

He did not like it. He felt anxiety and a need to do something. He didn't want to stand idly by and wait - he didn't even know what for. But he waited. And he remained silent. He trusted. And yet he was afraid.

Magda needed help. Her boyfriend needed it maybe more. But did Piotr, knowing the state Adam was in now, have the right to ask for it? Would he not harm his cousin by doing so?

He has the right to ask, not as a priest, but precisely as a cousin and friend of the young lawyer. Adam should not run away indefinitely. He should, for his own sake, face his work, and he should do it as soon as possible, here, now, in this place and under these circumstances, which alone put him in the way of this trial.

Piotr, as a priest, was able to say that it is God Himself who gives Adam this chance to face his fears.

Adam, calm as a rock, was probably fighting a battle in his mind and heart. Wrapped in a halo of light, he actually had something about him that made him look like a saint.

Piotr had no idea how much time had passed. Time passes differently when you are waiting for someone else's decision. His perception changes radically.

"What do you want from me?” Adam asked suddenly and Piotr twitched. His cousin's voice was aggressive like a dog barking but also full of pain, as if the dog was barking in defense. “'You want me to take his case? The attempted murder case?”

Piotr had the feeling that his cousin's decision depended on his answer. He didn't want to pressure him, not now that Adam was struggling with his own problems. But maybe he should?

No, if he forced Adam now and he couldn't handle the tension and collapsed into the nothingness from which he was slowly beginning to emerge, Piotr would never forgive himself. The young priest took a deep breath.

"All you have to do is figure things out. You can talk to the kids, advise them on how to behave and what to say. Maybe you'll temper the police officers, who have no experience with such serious charges and may not be on their best behavior. For Magda and Artur, that will be enough."

Piotr wasn't sure about the last words, in fact he had a feeling that for the kids and Artur's family, not knowing the law or legal procedures, it would be far too little, but he couldn't ask for more. How could he?

"I'll talk to the little one first. In private, because her mother looks hysterical. Besides, the girl is over eighteen now, isn't she?"

"Yes."

"Get us some room. I'll be down in a few minutes."

***

Attorney Adam Lechoń came down the stairs dressed in a beautiful dark suit, a white shirt, and a tasteful tie with diagonal turquoise and brown stripes. His hair was combed high, his posture proud and rigid, and he looked like a million dollars, or like an attorney from a prestigious law firm.

It was strange to put on that business outfit again. An outfit that for Adam, as for every lawyer, was like armor. An outfit that had become so much a part of Lechoń that he carefully put it in his suitcase, even though he was running away from being a lawyer. It was as if he could not get rid of this other skin.

Beata Kniotek, who so far had seen him in less formal clothes, made an impression as if she had seen Prince Charming, or at least the President. The lawyer bowed to her and went to the room where Magda was waiting for him.

The girl stood up at the sight of him and looked at him with her face with smudged makeup. She immediately wiped her broken eyes and began to improve her appearance.

“Sit down” he instructed and took a seat on the opposite side of the table. “Now tell me in turn what happened on the day of the incident.”

Magda looked at him for a moment collecting her thoughts and then she started to tell him, surprisingly factual for a teenager. She explained when and at what time they went to the disco. She described in detail her conversation with the boy who had accosted her, quoting the epithets he had used against her. She explained how her partner, Artur, had politely asked him to leave his girlfriend alone and that he had then become more aggressive. Artur hit him as the boy grabbed Magda's arm and jerked her around.

“Did the boy hit his head on something when he fell down?”

“Yes” she admitted. “On the floor. But he got up with his own strength and went out with his friends.”

“Did he stagger as he walked out?”

She wondered.

“Yes. A little.”

“Was he bleeding?”

“He had a cut lip.”

“Was he holding the back of his head?”

“No, but he looked a little frazzled.”

“You said he got up on his own.”

“Well... I mean... his friends helped him up.”

“Do you know this boy?”

“I've seen him a few times, but I've never spoken to him.”

“Did Artur know him?”

“No. I guess not.”

“You're not sure?”

“They weren't classmates, that I know. I haven't seen them together, but they supposedly go to the same school, so maybe they know each other.”

“Don't speculate. To your knowledge, they don't know each other.”

“Yes.”

“Artur wasn't arrested right away. When did that happen?”

“Today.”

Adam Lechoń nodded his head.

“The next question will be difficult, so think before you answer. Is your relationship with Artur strong enough for you to lie for him?”

She wanted to answer right away and had already opened her mouth, but she took what the lawyer said to heart and considered something for a moment.

“I don't have to lie," she announced. “Everything I said is true.”

Adam was satisfied with her answers, which were more mature than the girl's age and her rather frivolous superficiality would indicate. That's why you can't judge books and people by their covers.

“That's how you answer police officers, and everything will be fine. If these two didn't know each other or knew each other only very occasionally, it will be difficult for the prosecution to sustain the attempted murder charge. They'll have to reduce it to assault and even here it's clearly a form of necessary defense.”

“Necessary defense? It's not like anyone hit Artur.”

“You were the one who was attacked, first verbally, then physically. He acted in your defense.”

She nodded energetically and smiled broadly. Her face, though still bloated from crying, was beaming. Under her trusting and adoring gaze, Adam felt embarrassed,

“You know what? You're exactly like the lawyers on the shows I watch. So handsome and so cool.”

He had no idea what lawyer shows were on TV right now, but the comparison to a TV character who is "handsome and cool" was pleasant, albeit embarrassing, especially coming from the mouth of some high school kid.

“I'd like you to stay home for now. It's late and the police shouldn't be questioning you today. I'll go to the detention center and talk to the officers and Artur. Don't worry and go to bed quietly tonight.”

“Okay. Thank you!”

She changed completely from a crying, hysterical child, to a young girl full of hope and faith, whose eyes shone like two glass balls.

They were the eyes of someone who believes in justice and the infallibility of the law. Eyes of young naivety equal parts beautiful and sad, for one day they would collide with reality.

But not today, decided Adam, who only a few days ago had seen that look in the mirror.