The Fate of Martín (Part IX)

Martin was waiting to formalize his breakup with Magdalena, but he didn't want to appear as the one who initiated it. "It was Magdalena who started this, she should be the one to end it." Meanwhile, he was trying to stabilize his finances, his level of debt was demanding, and his credit card was requiring costly payments. He had been living on credit.

His job kept him busy, and he felt good doing it. It gave meaning to his discreet existence and was a path of personal and professional growth. Everything was falling into place at work: a second lawyer on the team fell ill with a muscle problem that would keep him out of the office for at least a month. Martin had to take on much of his colleague's workload, including making arguments in court.

Martin had a phobia of this event and avoided it, seeking pro bono lawyers to help him in those situations. But the moment arrived when he had to face it, whether he liked it or not. No one could replace him in that task. He presented it to his boss, seeking to be released, but the response was negative:

"Let's see, it's inevitable. You just need to prepare. Make a minutes and elaborate a speech. Try not to be too aggressive, but not boring in the presentation, either. Remember that they usually give you a maximum of 15 minutes, but at five or seven minutes, they will interrupt you with a question or refuting the arguments. It's a matter of mental quickness, of knowing how to listen, respond, and weave with what you had prepared. You don't have to be aggressive, but rather calm, yet attentive. If you see one of the judges getting restless, speed up the argumentation."

"But... I've never done it before."

"There's always a first opportunity. You might even get a not-so-complicated courtroom. Don't show anxiety, disinterest, or nervousness. If they perceive that, they'll be like wolves after blood and will tear you apart."

"But..."

"Nothing, man. Prepare a minutes, turn it into a speech, and I'll tell you what I think."

Reluctantly, Martin did it. He barely slept in two nights, due to the fear he felt before that scenario. He was so anxious that he got up at 5:00 a.m., put on his sports gear, and despite the early morning chill, went for a run through the almost empty city streets and returned completely sweaty, but after a cold shower, he seemed to gain new energy. He felt secure, went to the office, spoke briefly with his boss, who gave him encouragement, and went to the Tribunal.

He had to appeal two rulings from first-instance courts: one civil and one family. The civil one was about a ruling that granted eviction to a tenant who had been in a local for over thirty years, which was his workshop and home, and which he had repaired and maintained, and whose current owner had raised with a confusing mechanism. The labor case was about the unjustified dismissal of a worker who took care of a warehouse, whom his employer accused of ...