If you choose that path, remember this: the law should never belong only to those who can afford it.
And never forget the man who worked through the night so you could dream during the day.
Love, Mom.
Marcus slowly lowered the letter.
Samuel covered his face.
Judge Bennett looked at them both.
“Your mother would have been proud of you, Marcus.”
Then she turned toward Samuel.
“And your father has spent seventeen years keeping this courthouse running. People should have recognized his contribution long before today.”
Marcus reached for his father’s hand.
For years, people had looked at Samuel Hill and seen nothing more than a janitor.
They had looked at Marcus and seen nothing more than a poor Black teenager wearing a borrowed suit.
But that morning, Courtroom 7 learned a lesson no expensive law degree could guarantee.
The worth of a person isn’t measured by the job they hold, the clothes they wear, or the money they earn—but by the character they show when nobody thinks they’re important.