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To the purest and wonderful times

The precious memories in our life

I write for those things that I want to remember 

Moments that I couldn’t yet capture

1.

“Objection, lack of personal knowledge,” they said together.

It was my first time being an attorney in a competition.

And it was difficult.

All the holes came out as I tried to direct my witness Pat O’ Connell. I started writing her direct a few days ago. I tried the best that I could, but it still turned out to have many many many problems.

I stared at the document. There were only 20 direct questions, but there were 60 new comments on that file. It was the first time that I felt a bit overwhelmed in mock trial, as if my ability was there, and I just couldn’t be a good attorney.

Luckily I have my teammates, they are always helping me, and I’m thankful for having them all.

2. 

There were some happy times too.

“Hey, do you have some time now?” I asked him as he walked through the cafeteria.

“Oh oh yes,”

“Do you have any ideas about the theme? I’m thinking of some broader ones.”

“Hmm… Like, it’s missing…”

“Something is missing in this puzzle,” I interrupted. It was a pretty well known theme for a mock trial competition.

We bursted out laughing, it was my first time laughing with him.

“Nah it’s too cliche, let go with assuming.”

They assumed everything and proved none.

—

“Me and Ben just found an excellent joke,” he entered the room, “let’s show it out.”

“Good morning, please tell us your name to the members of the jury.”

“Good morning, please tell us your name to the members of the jury,” he replied, “Sorry, I was being a Popinjay.”

“A Popinjay means a parrot… “

—

“It’s not chamois,” he answered, “the right pronunciation is “sha-meeeee”

—

“Ms. Sally, so you…”

“Let me try again…”

“Ms. Sally, you…” 

“What’s wrong with me today?!”

—

“Good morning St. Clair,” she said.

“Good evening,” he smiled.

“Good day good day”

—

“Mia you look like a cat, “ she said, “and Jenny looks like a rabbit.”

“What about Vivian?”

“She looks like a little hamster”

“What about me?”

“You… you look like a big hamster.”

3.

I get anxious, but there was encouragement.

It was scrimmage.

“Any more stuff that you’re not sure of?” he asked me, who sat beside him on the same table.

“Everything…” I smiled nervously and sighed.

“It’s fine. It’s the scrimmage, just go for what you believe in. It’s the best time to make mistakes. I screw it up too, everyone screws up. It’s fine, really.” he said to me before the scrimmage started.

—

It was Thursday, as I asked him to do all the roles.

I asked him to be his Popinjay, to listen to my opening, I asked him to be the jury, to be opposing counsel, and to be Dr. Delani who I’m crossing.

“What if I forget everything that day?”

“No, you won’t.”

—

“I still don’t get what objection to raise for the memo,” I sighed.

We practiced more than three times of the objection battle of the memo.

Starting from hearsay to prejudicial than probative to improper character evidence, objecting and responding from the third floor to the cafeteria.

Maybe she didn’t notice, but it was surely an assurance to me.

—

It was the night before the competition.

I became scared. Things became out of reach. 

“I’m just so afraid that our team would be affected because of me,”

She hugged me.

“You will do fine, things will be okay.”

—

Just like the past few days, I woke up at 5:00 am, and I couldn’t sleep. The only thing I could think of was my opening statements and examinations. I dreamed of reciting it with her. Her eyes were calm and steady.

I opened up my messages. 

And my co-counsel  said to go for it and stay confident.

4.

It was the big day.

We headed out of the van. The sky was dark, the sun was rising.

Before we started, our coach attorney gave us each a scale of justice, and we pinned it on our coats.

Let’s go

I told myself to leave the nervousness and anxiety out the court. The moment I stepped out, the only thing I have should be confidence.

And it began.

“Your honor, opposing counsel, members of the jury, may it please the court…”

“Please find for Petzicon Products.”

—

There were unexpected situations.

Like me missing some objections that my co-counsel suggested me to raise.

Like the defense’s Pat O’Connell not admitting seeing the memo.

But what I only see is her strong and touching closing. But what I only see is him crossing witnesses harshly. But what I only see is her raising solid objections and protecting witnesses.

I see us together as a team.

And it’s what I’ve been yearning for for so long.

5.

Defense: Team 8.

She jumped up with joy.

We made it to the semifinals.

We were smiling bright, and I got a glimpse of what mock trial means to me.

“You’ll do well, take it easy,” coach said.

I saw myself more confident in the afternoon, and in fact, I find myself liking the feeling of being an attorney.

I see his thumbs up every time I finish the statement or get an objection sustained. I’m not nervous anymore, he is beside me, my witnesses are behind me, and my teammates are on the jury seat.

There was support and encouragement.

—

Sometimes there were accidents…

“I’m sorry…”

“Sorry for what…”

“For talking with them, for violating the procedure and getting points deducted”

“It’s okay, it’s really not a big deal”

“Go for closing, stay confident”

“I’ll try my best”

But I find the accidents no longer important to me. It’s the people and the memories I value the most. It’s when we cheer when “8” is called. It’s when we put our hands together and yell “one two three prisms”. It’s when we stand close and say cheese together. How I wish the story to be never ending.

I’m so thankful, that I’m with them, for the first time being in court.

6.

I walked out the courtroom. And yet couldn’t believe that the three trials had ended.

It seems like in a blink of an eye, but 12 hours have already passed.

Through the windows I see the setting sun. It was beautiful.

I’m not afraid of making objections anymore, I’m not afraid of standing in front of so many people and delivering my words anymore.

But it was the last competition with many of them.

I touched the scale of justice as we waved goodbye to our coach, an attorney that we just met a month ago, but so much support she did for us.

Walking out of Trenton court house, there were the clouds and the sky. Under the brisk wind we took a picture together. Smiling, enjoying.

It was sunset, the day would end soon.

7.

We went to eat together that night.

Laughter filled the air as we recalled the moments of small mistakes in trial earlier that day.

“And Ms. O’Connell but not Ms. Stone,” we laughed as he covered his face.

“A serious.. Serious sincere condolence to Sally’s death,” she chimed in, “I never knew that I would be stuck at this one.”

“It’s Deee-fect, not di - fect”, “haha please don’t judge on my pronunciation”

“Sally, you know that Ms. Capella’s death…”  “omg thank you so much (ironically)”

I heard the word substantial from the other table, I heard the word treatment from the radio, and my first instinct was to recall “rule 403 substantially more prejudicial than probative” and “Petzicon flea treatment”. I smiled at her, and she had the same instinct as I did.

It was night when we finished eating. We walked on the streets of downtown Princeton.

I know things will end.

But why can’t it linger just a bit longer…

8.

I opened up my computer when I came back. What popped up first was the NJSBF workbook. I could see the colorful highlighted lines and the comments I made for the two months. There was Pat O’Connell’s direct and Dr. Delani’s cross. I look at all the possible objections and responses I marked for the past two months. Moments of practicing and responding in the cafeteria still stuck in my head.

Every point, every objection, every word, is written by us from scratch, bit by bit.

And I don’t want to close them, it seems like if I did, their story would end, and our story would end too.

No more Petzicon and Capella, no more NJMT 2025.

“Go for it, stay confident”

“For one last time, your honor, opposing council, members of the jury, may it please the court.”

“It’s my first time stepping in court, but how grateful I am to be with everyone.”

“To our one and only journey”

“Someday, we will meet again”

“After all, we can’t stop the sun from going down, but the sunset is beautiful”

I love you all.