acts of kindness

It was a quickly dwindling mentality, especially in a big bustling city like New York. Everyone always seemed to be so consumed with their own lives, a laundry list of things to do and thinking there wasn’t enough time to do it in and so the simple things like taking that extra second to hand someone something that they had dropped or hold a door open, were lost on so many people. For Alexis, she believed that she had nothing but time. She had her deadlines and schedules to keep as well and knew that some day that clock would finally stop ticking for her but in the meantime, couldn’t she spare a moment or two if but for no other reason than to smile at a stranger in the hopes of brightening their day? That didn’t seem like half bad an idea to her and so, that was how Lexi lived her life; one smile at a time.

There was the usual interaction between her and the stranger. First came the shock of not even realizing that they had dropped what they had, then the absent minded jokes at their own expense with comments like, if it wasn’t attached, I’d probably lose my head, and then finally came the thanks and gratitude for Alexis giving it back. Others might have walked right over it or decided to pick it up and pocket it- though it turned out that the book had been nothing of value. They chatted for a few more minutes, nothing of particular importance, but still a casually pleasant conversation between two strangers. Alexis liked that. She was a people person, social and friendly more than happy to learn about others and what sorts of walks of life were out there.

As the other woman walked away Alexis found herself ready to head on back to her jog. Turning around, it seemed instead, she’d been hitting the ground from a head to head collision. She was pretty sure that it had been shock more than impact that had thrown her off her feet and landed her on her backside. There had been that jar from her crash, that seemed to stun and make her bones feel a bit of vibration in them. Alexis wasn’t seriously injured or anything but it had hurt and she’d likely be feeling sore the following day. Was she angry though? No, accidents happened and she was a forgiving person to begin with. Evidence of that could be visibly seen, if she’d ever showed anyone, on her back, those violent pink scars that criss crossed her flesh from a misunderstood and misunderstanding man whom Lexi had learned to forgive for his actions toward her parents and her innocent seven year old self. He wasn’t an evil man, just thought that their ‘sacrifice’ would help his village.

Feeling slightly woozy she hear the man speak but wasn’t quite ready to respond. The sensation of his hand on her shoulder was comforting, something that was a clear expression of remorse, which she appreciated but it was taking her a second to recover. Was she hurt? Not majorly and that was the important thing, she felt. Alexis shook her head slowly, part answering him and part clearing out the cobwebs. ”I think I’ll be alright.” She offered him as a minor concession hoping to ease his guilt. It hadn’t been entirely his fault. It wasn’t as though she had looked before she leaped either and it had resulted in the scenario they were facing now. He was just bigger, steadier on his feet and had something behind him to brace his fall. Alexis was just grateful that it hadn’t sent him over the bridge and into the water. They’d both be in quite the pickle then.

Finally looking up into his face there was an uncanny notation of familiarity that struck her. Who he was exactly, her mind wouldn’t allow her to make the connection immediately but it would come to her soon enough, perhaps through an introduction or further observation of his features. In her business, remembering things, even the smallest details, were necessary. ”Do I know you?” His quizzical comment though, in retrospect, had a bit of an accusatory edge to it she realized and that hadn’t been intentional. Hoping to redeem herself she elaborated. ”You just look familiar to me.” Still on the ground, Alexis thought it was time that she try and get back onto her feet.

The process was done slowly not wanting to get a head rush by going too quickly and make anything that might have been wrong with her worse. Preliminaries suggested that she was just a little bit sore, so that was promising. Lexi offered him a soft smile, warm and welcoming not wanting to come across as though there was any ill will harbored toward him for the accident.

The name had her eyes lighting up. Of course, Carrington. Alexis realized who he was now and those tumblers were all clicking into place. She had seen him in court once on a case that his firm was covering. He was magnificent, the way that he spun his stories while crafting the scenarios of the events that had taken place reminded her of a bard and the jury had seemed mesmerized by that enigmatic personality of his. She had wanted to meet him officially at the time but he had lawyer things to do and was busy with his client. Still a young, attractive, hotshot attorney had sparked the interest of the paper. Unfortunately it hadn’t been a high profile case and the paper found something else to print instead so her presence in the courtroom had been a wasted effort really. Lexi wished his firm had been mentioned, maybe help get him more recognition but, like he had just told her, his name had respectability attached to it already.

Taking his hand she gave it a brief shake. A lot happened in a year’s time, new faces came into one’s mind and others got pushed to the back. She was more than happy to settle her curiosity though and be able to pin point where exactly she’d seen him before. Otherwise that nuisance of pondering would have plagued her for days trying to pry the answer. ”I’m Alexis Vaisey.” As she pulled her hand away she let it flourish in the air dismissing his apologies. ”I think I’ll be alright, really. Thanks for being kosher about it too.” Other people in this city might have sneered at her, made a comment about her clumsiness and gone on about their business. ”I remember why you look familiar though.” Sometimes beating around the bush wasn’t the best course of action for a reporter to take and while she wasn’t on the clock or anything, that didn’t mean that old habits didn’t die hard. ”I watched one of your first cases here in New York last year. It was some pretty amazing work, sir. You captivated the room.”

Maybe it wasn’t the most popular thing to represent people who weren’t the hottest in a city, but when it came to doing your job she imagined that with all people who cared about what they did or had morals regarding their work ethic, came across difficulties. Some did more often than others. In Jack’s case it seemed to be that sometimes you were obligated to representing unsavory characters. Sure, he could recuse himself from a client but how would he make a living if he only took people that were innocent. If that were the case then why would they need representation at all. No human being was free from all guilt. Even at young ages of innocence you could find slivers of corruption in them, be it hitting a sibling and then lying to your parent about it to avoid getting in trouble or feeding your vegetables to the family dog.

As much of an optimist as Alexis was, she wasn’t blind. How ironic would it be for a truth seeker such as herself to be blind to the things going on around her personally, or in the world as a whole? She didn’t think any less of Mr. Carrington for any of the trails he might have been a part of. That was his job, not who he was as a person. If she had ever gotten into trouble for any reason she would want him working for her. It was a sign of a good lawyer if you had been hated on occasion. Part of her own job wasn’t always the most glamorous. Sometimes people hated her line of work when she exposed someone of wrong doing, or shed light on an area that certain people would have preferred to keep quiet. It was just part of life. Though, she supposed fewer hated her directly because at the moment she was just an information gatherer. Alexis might have written stories but her name wasn’t yet in those bylines.

She returned the smile accepting his thanks. Admiration was something that Alexis had been taught to lead with. Her grandmother had always said that you gained more with honey than you ever did with vinegar. Lexi had taken that to heart and applied it on a daily basis, both on the clock and off it. Now wasn’t really the time for using the technique to gain favor for any other reason than human decency and extending it toward the nice man that, though they might have met under slightly painful circumstances, she was having the good fortune to converse with. Alexis liked meeting new people, hearing their stories and getting to know them. Sometimes when she walked away from an interview she also walked away with a new friend. It was the same for meeting people on the street, or gym, wherever she might have been where they had the happenstance to chat.

”I was there covering the trail for The New York Times.” Every time she said the name of the empire that she worked for it made her feel proud. Even without being a big name yet, it was still a dream come true and she reveled in it. ”Please though, call me Lexi.” The formality wasn’t necessary really. There was a good chance that she might have been being too bold or something similar but the worst that could happen was Jack declining the offer. ”I was about to grab some lunch, would you like to join me?” She was the kind of women that took those chances when opportunity presented itself. Not only was there the potential of a new friend, but also an incredible asset in terms of associates. That last part only tacked on after she had asked for him to accompany her though.

She didn’t think that she had met a more agreeable man than Mr. Carrington. He was so prompt with his responses, keen to please, and though could leave you guessing- it was in an extremely endearing way rather than being terribly frustrating. The man was an incredible individual that had earned her admiration through his work from afar and in the moment, was stealing her heart. Not necessarily that she was falling in love but more in a sense of being thoroughly impressed. She wondered if he had ever made a bad impression on someone in his entire life. Even with the work that he did not being everyone’s favorite in some circumstances, he was still a fiercely likable person in her opinion. A simple conversation such as the one that they were having now seemed to captivate in much the same manner that he had those years ago when she’d first saw him in the court room.

”The honor is mine.” Saying that had her feeling like a silly schoolgirl but it was the truth. Alexis being so big on truths it seemed like she would be honest in that particular admittance. Though she have been raised with her family’s set of morals, courtesies and manners- Alexis had her own added code of conduct that she followed. To tell a lie would have been a dishonorable thing for her. She had never lied. People might have thought that was nonsense to lay claim to but it was accurate. Even when she had been a small child in those developmental stages of morality, Alexis had been a straight arrow with the words that had come from her mouth. She had admitted to her misdeeds and asked forgiveness as well for the opportunity to learn from those mistakes.

She had learned to choose her words carefully in order to craft her stories to be both honest and entertaining. The school newspaper editor had told her it was obsessive, a perfectionist fool, but wasn’t that helping her now- where real life was concerned? Alexis liked to believe so and hoped that Jack would believe her to be someone who avoiding lying and that he’d also accept her opinion. Maybe for him he felt a similar way about her? That his opinion had been sound as he saw it and he truly was honored to have lunch with her. She walked with him though, keeping in pace and giving him as much eye contact as was safe while walking. So it would be ladies choice then? Alexis had to smile at his gentlemanly ways.

It did cross her mind that location did play a part in this decision. Not just the physical location of something but also the kind of message that she was sending him as to what she might have thought a lunch together meant. Not a romantic date of course- they had just officially met, but one as potential friends. She wanted a place that would have a light atmosphere, something pressure free with good food and a friendly, yet reserved vibe that way they would be able to talk and get to know each other better- if that was something that Jack would allow to happen. ”There is a little pizza place not too far from here. It’s a bit on the small side but the food is delicious and I’m sure we can grab a table, no problem.” The lunch rush would have come and gone, besides most people ordered there for delivery. ”You like Italian, right?” The first question of likely many.