difficult silences

I drank feni last night. Not much. But I hav a light hangover swimming around me. Any party means lots of hard work. There is work preceeding the party and alsoa fter the party. Glasses will be all over. If kids are around and then tidbits of food is strewn all around. So it meant lot of clearing up. Moreover I was alone. Felt a little sad for myself as I swept and mopped the house last night. Tried watching a film after that. I was so tired that I just slept off without waking up even once.

It is a Sunday but I am working. Lawyers work on Sundays. I have to meet a senior lawyer with whom I am working. Maybe I will not go. I have to narrate a sad anecdote about him. I ahev know this senior lawyer for a long time. I respect him for his knowledge of law and his court room craft. Remember the client about whom I was narrating in the last blog? Well, the same woman went to meet him to study the case. I could not make it that day as I was held up elsewhere. My client went to his office along with her father. The senior lawyer quickly packed off the father on some errand and began to ask embarassing question. My client is a beautiful woman, fair, young and articulate.To her horror he began to quiz her about her sexual life. She was caught in a fix and found it difficult to either talk or not. After all it is a hierarchical situation. He is a senior lawyer and she is a litigant in distress. Further he also tried touching her. I think she managed to come out by mouthing some excuse.

She later narrated to me the entire story. To put it mildly I was shocked and also angry. After a long discussion we both decided to keep quiet about the incident. This is how we deal with sexual harassment. We are silent most of the times. I am silent as his presence is vital for this case. It is too late in the day to engage another lawyer. I promised my client that she will no longer go alone to meet him. I feel wretched as I make these adjustements. With me this filthy old lawyer is professional and straight if not a little garrulous. He is careful with me as I am quite powerful. But men like this will only prey on powerless distressed women. Thats the worst part.

Interestingly my client confides only in her rmother and not her father. The secret is shared between the three of us. We share and swallow this indignity.