Unfit to Practice Read Free Page A

interested Nina most was not what she said, though, but how, whenever Lisa started to show real emotion by raising her voice or letting a little vehemence enter, Riesner gently steered her back to calm, like a fairy-tale hero sparing her the scary, dark woods. After several minutes, having wrung all the good he could from his client, he turned back to his table and sat down, but not without first casting a victorious sneer Nina's way.
    Nina stood. She had thought a long time about how to cross-examine Kevin's wife. Lisa wasn't a bad mother, just as Kevin wasn't a bad father, but both parents couldn't have the children. Many had tried to split custody, and the only parents who succeeded were parents who respected and liked each other after the divorce. Lisa and Kevin didn't like each other anymore.
    Emotional volatility was Lisa's weakness. She sat in the box, hands neatly folded, like a female Buddha. Nina needed to get around that pseudoserenity.
    “Mrs. Cruz, you describe yourself as a seeker,” Nina said. “Could you tell us a little more about what you mean by that?”
    Riesner cleared his throat, considering an objection, probably. The phlegm went no farther than his esophagus and lodged there, to judge from its sudden halt. He didn't like the question, but must have decided to let it ride.
    “Well,” Lisa said, any ease she had developed during Riesner's questioning now gone. She hesitated, tongue-tied, staring at Nina with a half-fascinated, half-repulsed expression on her face, drumming her fingers on the rail in front of her.
    “Mrs. Cruz?” Nina said.
    Lisa finally spoke, although the words sounded forced. “Life has a deeper meaning than just—this,” she said.
    A few observers in the audience looked around the earth-toned, windowless courtroom and chuckled.
    “I don't mean just this moment,” she said defensively, “although every moment is significant. And this one certainly is, since it involves the future well-being of my children. But to answer your question more broadly, I would say I'm interested in the big picture. Taking responsibility for your actions. Accepting blame when you do wrong.” Flat brown eyes followed Nina's every move as if she expected Nina to jump her at any moment.
    “You are a religious person, I understand.”
    “Yes,” she said.
    “You take your children to church every Sunday?”
    “Yes.”
    “I understand your religion forbids blood transfusions?” Nina asked.
    “I haven't lost my senses just because I joined my church,” Lisa said. “I'm open to advice from conventional medical doctors, and would take Kevin's wishes into consideration even after our divorce is final, as I always have before. You know, I don't limit myself when it comes to a personal philosophy to live by. I've spent a lot of time thinking about how we should live as well as why we live and I've drawn some conclusions.”
    “What conclusions?”
    Lisa sat back in her chair, considering the question seriously. “Oh, there's a level we operate on in this country—hey, I'm not knocking anyone else, okay? But I don't want my life bogged down by trivia and reduced to a long series of tasks to be done. I try to keep my life spiritual, focused, and tranquil.”
    Nina knew Lisa had balked and complained bitterly for years about the changes in her life since having children. She had no more time for her personal pursuits, felt limited in her important volunteer work, and unduly burdened by the dragging weight of child rearing. Some of Kevin's resentments percolated around his wife's stubborn refusal to contribute to the normal running of their household.
    “You have two children,” Nina said. “Surely there are many chores that need to be done? Surely there is a great deal of trivia?”
    “Of course. Children make messes. That's their job.”
    “And tranquility isn't really a normal state of affairs in a young family, is it?”
    “No. Tranquility is an aspiration. It doesn't come