I was riding in the back seat of a car with a lawyer who looked like an assistant district attorney I had met on one of my criminal cases. We were both dressed in suits (he was wearing a dark blue one) and were headed to court where we were going to have a trial against each other. We had both been preparing quite a long time for this case, and both of us were anxious because it was going to be a jury trial and neither of us were very experienced in jury trials. I also knew that the facts of the case were strongly in his favor and that I would probably lose.

On the way I began joking with the other lawyer, asking how much money he would take not to introduce some of his evidence, but he seemed rather tense and not really in the mood for joking. He and I both worked in the same office, although he worked for another law firm. He told me he wasn't satisfied with working there and he was planning to ask to be transferred to another office. I told him I was also thinking of looking for work with another small law firm which had just two or three lawyers. I likewise wasn't satisfied working where I did.

We arrived at a building which looked like the old store on Fourth and Offnere Streets in Portsmouth. The court was upstairs on the second floor, and I opened the door which led to the stairs. Quite a few other people were arriving at the same time and I held the door open for a woman who walked in ahead of me. As I smiled at her, I realized she might end up being on my jury. I wondered if she might vote in my favor just because I had been friendly and opened the door for her.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I could see a door in the corner which apparently led to the courtroom. Judge Brooks (a Dallas judge) was standing behind it, opening it for the jurors as they arrived.

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