Up way too early in In the Kingdom of Suzu

Had a disturbing dream and couldn’t get back to sleep.

The dream was work related because of some drama, not about me or even my direct department rather a former co-worker (lady m) and the judge she worked for. They had a huge blow-up the night before and my co-worker up and quit. Of course the news is all over the courthouse.

Lady m really liked her judge, in fact I would say she idolized her. The judge was like a big sister to lady m. If the judge was stuck in court, she would have lady m go to the judge’s house and let the dog out, or get her daughter from school, little errands like that. Lady m did not mind because she had chambers so organized she was bored. About a year ago things started falling apart. The judge is going thru menopause and found out a brother had serious health issues. The judge also prefers working from home when she can. She starts being really late to court, leaving as soon as court is over, canceling court at the last minute, etc. lady m is always at work covering as best she can. Well, I think some lawyers complained, judge got reprimanded and took it out on lady m and from there things just went downhill. Sometimes, she was lady m’s best friend, other times lady m could do nothing right. Judge is big on loyalty but was not loyal to lady m in defending her when lady m brought to her attention what the law clerk was doing to lady m, there was a lot more going on and Lady m started keeping her eyes open for another position because she didn’t know how much longer she could take it, well it all came to a head the other day and lady m just could not take it anymore. Lady m said she has had to double her anti-anxiety meds and went back to a counselor and of course she doesn’t have another job lined up but it reached a point of no return.

Just prior to this another judge (the colonel), his secretary is retiring. He wants to hire someone who worked for my department also but quit in a huff a couple of years ago. I will call her maw. Maw seemed to be a good worker but if she made a mistake, she was quick to say she wasn’t trained or told properly and started causing divisions among the court girls. She also had a major obsession with the colonel and told him that she would love to be his secretary. There is more but too long and complicated. Anyway the colonel wants to hire her, called down for a reference, was told not a good candidate, he asks his staff, they all say no, asks others in the courthouse, they all say no, but he is the colonel so who knows what that outcome will be. And no, lady m would not go work for him, in fact all the court girls do not want to go work for him. Just being in his courtroom is enough. It has the reputation of “the black hole” you never know when you will get out of there! That description is not just from my office, but even the d.a.’s office calls it that. The colonel will call an attorney up to side bar while a courtroom sits full of defendants to talk about some personal thing he has done, usually military, family or politics and of course it is always about the colonel!

And now it is time for me to actually get up wonder what new drama awaits!