Hope
By Ayesha Haqqiqa
"Oh
come on," Nora Lewin looked at Jack.
"I need to sign up three eligible bachelors for the Muscular
Dystrophy Bachelor Auction."
Jack
McCoy shook his head. "I don't
know what your definition of 'eligible' is, Nora, but I just don't have the
time. With the work here---"
"Your
work here is well under control," Nora assured him. "And didn't I remember you saying
something about wanting a long weekend next month?"
"Yes,"
Jack said. "A bike trip
upstate. You mean, I'll have the time off
if I do this?"
Nora
nodded.
"And
it won't come off my regular vacation time?"
Nora
sighed. "You drive a hard bargain,
Counselor, but I'm desperate.
Yes."
A
week later, dressed in a tux with his hair barely tamed, Jack wondered if every
woman in New York City weren't desperate.
They certainly looked hungry enough as they looked over the bachelors on
the auction block. Jack had chosen to
include a dinner at The Greenery, his restaurant of choice, as a part of his
date package. At least he'd be able to
enjoy his meal. If some of these women
got him, though, he wondered if he'd even be able to do that.
"The
dowagers and the ugly rich," Lennie Briscoe quipped as he stood beside
Jack. "What did you get out of
this little excursion? I got a week's
vacation."
"You
went high, then, " Jack sighed.
"I only got off a Friday and a Monday. But they don't come off my vacation days."
"Then
you got the better bargain," Lennie said.
"I just got to take my vacation when I want to, for a
change." He smiled as the ladies
filed past him. "I hope I get
someone who likes pool."
"That's
your package? A night in a pool
hall?" Jack asked.
Lennie
shrugged. "A first class pool
hall. And anyway, the committee
approved it." He grinned. "What will be fun is watching Green get
auctioned off."
Eddie
was standing nearby, a smile frozen on his face while his eyes showed panic.
"He's
very very afraid," Lennie said, "of getting an 85-year-old yearning
for a taste of brown sugar!"
"But
his package includes dancing," Jack said.
"That ought to weed out the less spry."
Lennie
nodded.. "That's what he's afraid
of! There are too many fit senior
citizens to suite him."
When
the auction commenced, Ed was the first to go up. The bidding was spirited, and he breathed a sigh of relief when a
fairly young woman, her hair natural, nabbed him. Lennie came two or three bachelors later, and the applause that
greeted his package showed the crowd appreciated his ingenuity.
Then
it was Jack's turn. He stood on the
podium self-consciously as the auctioneer read, "And now, ladies, watch
your step and hang onto your hearts.
It's Executive District Attorney Jack McCoy, ready to sweep you off your
feet! He will take you to a romantic
dinner at the Greenery, followed by a carriage ride through Central Park. What am I bid?"
The
bidding was spirited at first, and from all sides of the hall. But soon it came down to two bidders--an
older, heavy-set woman who looked to be about 75, and a shapely young woman
forty years her junior. Silently, Jack
prayed…..
"Going
once, going twice, SOLD! To Amanda
Williams! Come on up, Amanda, and meet
Jack."
Jack
opened his eyes and saw the shapely beauty coming his way. "Thank you, God," he breathed as
he smiled and took her arm. They were
led to another room, where they were to make the arrangements for their date.
"Sit
down, Amanda," Jack said, holding the chair for her. He sat down beside her at the small
table. "Sorry there's no
refreshments here, but if you'd like--"
Amanda
held up her hand. "No thanks, Jack.
And anyway, I need to explain things.
I played a proxy tonight."
"I
beg your pardon?"
"The
money I spent -on you- wasn't for me.
And you're not for me--for the date.
Your real date couldn't come tonight, so I came in her place."
"What's
wrong?" Jack had visions of enormous women laying in bed eating
chocolates. "Was she sick or
something?"
"Or
something," Amanda said mysteriously.
She handed him a card.
"Your date is Darla Williams.
Yes, we're related. She's my
sister. She's terribly shy, but she
agreed to let me come tonight. I don't
think she thought I'd get you."
"Then
she knows me?" Jack had an uneasy
feeling in the pit of his stomach.
"Have I ever prosecuted her or any of her friends?"
Amanda
laughed. "No, Jack. She saw you on TV, after that case about the
Chilean colonel. You became her
hero. When I saw you were on the list
of bachelors, I told her, and, well…she'd like it if you called her up and made
the arrangements for your date."
Jack
raised his brows and looked at the card.
"All right," he said.
"Excuse me for a minute."
He went out to the lobby where the pay phones were.
She
picked up on the first ring.
"Amanda?" she asked in a small, scared voice.
"No,
this is Jack, Jack McCoy," he said..
He heard a gasp at the other end of the line. "Your sister put in the winning bid, and I'm calling to ask
what day you wish to have our date."
"Jack--it's
really you," she breathed. "I
know it is--your voice is so distinctive--yeah, well, maybe you won't want to
do this."
Jack
sighed.. "It's an obligation, to
the cause," he said.
"Besides, I'd like to meet someone who is a fan of mine. I usually meet people who don't like me all
that much, especially after I put them away for 25 to life."
He
heard her laugh. "If you put it
that way, I guess…well, would you mind it if you came by tonight? Like right now? That way, I know I'll keep up my nerve."
"Sure,"
Jack said, relieved to be able to get the thing over so quickly. "Your sister gave me your card with the
address. I'll just go say good-bye to
her, and then be right over."
Amanda
nodded when he gave her the news.
"Sounds exactly like Darla," she said. "Timid, yet impulsive." She looked at Jack. "She's not a monster, you know."
Jack
thought over that last remark as he rode in a taxi to Darla's address. He fiddled with the white rose in his hand.
He paid off the cab, squared his shoulders, and went to the door of the elegant
brownstone.
She
answered at the second ring. Jack
looked down at a young woman, pale and wan, who awkwardly maneuvered her new
wheelchair around so he could get in.
"Very
nice to meet you, " he said, bowing and presenting her with the rose.
She
smiled sadly. "Thanks so much,
Jack. Do you mind coming into the
living room for a bit? I thought we'd
better talk."
He
followed her into a comfortable living room, where he sat on a couch. She placed the rose in a bud vase, and then she moved her chair so she was
facing him.
"I'll
tell it to you straight, Jack," she said, "before I lose my
nerve. I was in an automobile accident
some months ago. I have major injuries,
and it's doubtful if I will ever walk again.
I hold myself responsible for the accident, which killed my
boyfriend. I dawdled too long in the
sidewalk café, and then insisted on taking a new way home. We were rammed by a drunk driver. I'm sorry, is this upsetting you?"
"No,"
Jack said quietly, "just bringing back some ghosts I thought were long
buried, that's all." He leaned
over and took her hand. "Go ahead
with your story."
She
sighed. "I've felt so guilty--and
so helpless. I used to watch the court
news while I was in rehab--that's when I saw you. When I came home, I told Amanda that no one would want to be
around me--a cripple. Then she saw the
ad about the auction, saw your name, and you know what happened." She looked at him with tears in her
eyes. "Thanks for taking pity on
me," she said.
"Pity? What's there to pity?" Jack asked as he
stroked her hand. "I see a
beautiful young lady here, a damsel in distress."
"But
of my own making," she said sorrowfully.
Jack
sighed. "We all do things in life
which we regret. I have a story similar
to yours in that regard. My behavior
caused the death of my best friend. I wouldn't wait for her to come get
me, and she wound up being dead at the
hands of a drunk driver. It took me
years to realize it wasn't my fault.
That things just happen sometimes.
Life is like a poker game; you've got to play what you've been dealt. And sometimes life deals out some
interesting hands."
"Interesting
hands. That's a way to look at
it," she said with a sigh. She
looked him in the eyes. "Tell me
the truth, Counselor. As an officer of
the court. Is there really a chance for
me? To find life again? To find love?"
"There's
always a chance, Darla," he said.
"But you've got to stay in the game. Are you ready for your date
now?"
"Now?" Darla looked confused. "I thought--you'd come here--we'd talk,
and that would be it."
"Sorry,"
Jack said, getting up and standing behind the chair. "Tell where to guide your chariot, my dear. Dinner awaits."
He
piloted her down the ramp when the taxi came, and swept her into his arms as
the cabby folded the chair and put it in the trunk. Jack carefully seated her and shut the door. He went around to the other side and got
in. Darla scooted herself until she was
comfortable--and quite a bit closer to Jack.
He smiled at her sad beauty and positioned himself closer so he could
put his arm around her.
"I
hope you like the Greenery," he said, "because it's a favorite of
mine." He looked into her eyes and
smiled. There was so much suffering he
saw there. He thought a moment. "Of course, after the meal, there's the
ride in Central Park."
"Oh,
I couldn't--I wouldn't want to burden you--" she began, but he touched his
finger to her lips.
"You
are no burden, you are my date," he said.
"And a very beautiful one, too, I might add."
She
turned her face and blushed. "No
flattery, please."
"It's
no flattery," Jack said.
"It's the truth."
She
turned and looked at him, surprised.
"Beauty
isn't just exhibited in physical appearance," Jack explained. "True beauty comes from deep within the
soul, Darla. How you act towards
others. How you view life."
"Life?" Darla nearly cried. "What is there to life for me
now?"
"Hope
is there," Jack said, patting her on the shoulder.
They
arrived at the Greenery, and it was
just as Jack hoped. Darla was
impressed with the service and loved the food. And she relaxed visibly as Jack talked with her. It was only after dessert that she grew
apprehensive.
"This
was a lovely evening, Jack, but really--I think a ride in the park would be a
bit much."
"Are
you tired?" Jack asked.
"N-no,"
she said.
"Then
the ride will not be too much."
Jack wheeled her out of the restaurant to the hack stand. With the help of the driver, Jack was able
to get Darla in the back, and they rode out into the night.
"The
lights of the city are lovely at night," Darla said. "It has been so long--so long--"
Jack
took her hand in his. "It's all
right, Darla. Live each moment for
itself. Savor the good times, and store
them in your memory."
"Is
that what you've done?" she asked him.
He
looked out in the park for a moment.
"I have tried," he said.
"It's much better to remember the sweet than the bitter. It took me a long time to realize I'd never
get my friend back--and it was longer before I could get past the pain and
remember the good times, the sweet times we had." He patted her hand. "You can get past the pain." He looked into her eyes. "And I hope I can give you some sweet
memories." He leaned over and
kissed her lightly on the lips.
It
was as if an electric shock went through Darla. She knew that the kiss was real; there was no doubt that Jack was
sincere in his words and actions. She
looked at him with wide eyes.
"Don't
be afraid of life, Darla," Jack said.
He looked at her and smiled.
They held each other's hands for the rest of the ride.
He
insisted on coming in with her to say goodnight. He leaned over and kissed her again. "Thanks for being my fan," he said softly.
She
held his hand. "Thanks for giving
me hope," she said.