Before Alex stood, Aisha leaned over and whispered in his ear. “It was spring break with my friends,” she said, her voice tentative and shaky. “I borrowed one of their bikinis. The tattoo’s not even real.”
Alex looked at his client and saw the tears beginning to form in her eyes. She was certainly embarrassed, maybe even humiliated. “It’s okay,” he said. He put a hand on her shoulder and stood to face the jury.
He walked to the jury box, carrying no notes. He stood there for a moment without saying a word. He definitely had their attention.
“Have you ever done something you regretted later?” Alex asked. “Even something against your religious beliefs?”
He looked down, thinking of examples. “Maybe you went out and tied one on with the boys. Or you cursed and took the Lord’s name in vain. Or in a worst case, you had an affair. Does that mean you should be forced to drink or swear or have sex with someone just to get a job?”
The questions at least had them thinking-he could see it in their eyes. “Doing something against your beliefs doesn’t make those beliefs go away. It doesn’t make you a pagan; it just means you’re human. In my religious tradition, the apostle Paul said that he had the desire to do what was good but he couldn’t carry it out. Instead, he kept doing what he knew he shouldn’t do. Did this make him an atheist? No, it made him normal. A believer beset by his own human nature.
“C’mon, folks. These were three girls on spring break. Aisha didn’t post that picture on her Facebook page; one of her friends did. A sixteen-year-old girl borrowed a bikini because she wanted to be like her friends for a week and not stand out. She rubs on a fake tattoo. And now Mr. Spears wants you to believe that this whole lawsuit is just a scam.”
Alex shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe his opponent could stoop so low. “During the week, I’m a lawyer. But on Sundays, I serve as the pastor of South Norfolk Community Church. And I’ll tell you one thing-if pictures from my college spring break trips were the litmus test, I wouldn’t be preaching very long.
“We all stumble sometimes. That’s why we all need a little grace. If you’ve ever been shown grace, maybe you could extend some yourself. I know that Aisha would really appreciate it.”
Alex thanked them and returned to his seat.
“My dad is going to kill me,” Aisha whispered.