It was better for me when I was joined at the court by a second

Host: The sunlight poured through the tall, arched windows of an old courthouse, its rays dusting the floor in lines of gold and shadow. The air smelled faintly of paper, wood, and time. Beyond the columns, the city murmured — the sound of cars, voices, and distant church bells.

At a bench near the steps, Jack sat in his worn leather jacket, flipping through a newspaper, his grey eyes sharp, searching for something he could believe in. Jeeny, her hair tied back loosely, balanced a folder of legal papers on her lap, her eyes soft, yet focused — the kind of focus that comes from years of listening to stories that never make the news.

The morning was bright, but the conversation that waited between them felt heavy — like truth itself was about to enter the room.

Jeeny: “You ever read what Sandra Day O’Connor said about being the only woman on the Supreme Court?”

Jack: (without looking up) “Something about being grateful when another woman joined her, right?”

Jeeny: “Yes,” she said, nodding. “‘It was better for me when I was joined at the court by a second woman. When I was there alone, there was too much media focus on the one woman…’ She was talking