The Mambo

Jenny stopped. She didn’t know what was going to happen next. Either her brother was going to be released from prison and all hell will break loose, or the jury will find him guilty and she can return to her normal life.

The judge returned from her chambers and Jenny froze. "Please rise," said the bailiff. Protesters could be heard from inside the courthouse—a low murmur crescendoed explosively when the word 'innocent' was uttered. Moments later a flaming garbage can burst through a window.

The flaming trash flew around the courtroom in a shower of sparks. The bailiff rushed to extinguish it. Spray paint on the side of the trash can read “JUSTICE JENNY!!!” Jenny hung her head, while the jurors scratched theirs.

The judge called a recess while the courtroom was cleaned. Jenny sat in the hall outside, staring at her ash-smeared hands, listening to the clacks of attorneys' high heels on the glossy floor. She closed her eyes & let the sharp rhythm take her back to that night in Havana where

she first discovered the magic of the mambo. Swinging her hips and spinning across the dance floor made all her problems seem to disappear. A crash abruptly brought Jenny back to the present. “The files!” Jenny watched with mild interest as the courtroom clerk scurried after the

stack of papers. Only one thing to do now. She ripped off her suit, revealing a sequined leotard and flowing skirt, which she wore daily for exactly this scenario, and mamboed across the room. She snatched the files. She would win this case. She could feel it in her hips.