We won an appeal today. Or rather two appeals since they were cross appeals which were heard together some three months ago.
“Sorry to have kept you all waiting,” said the judge. “Something else that was of a much higher value and needed a bit more attention came up.”
Yet strangely, this win doesn’t sit really well. It was a significant victory in terms of numbers but I felt more excitement opening my parcel from The State Hermitage Museum than while travelling to Court for the decision. It didn’t make us grin like crazy and drive straight to the clients’ office to take everyone out for lunch. It didn’t really do anything at all for us. In fact, in the afternoon, we got into an argument about interpreting the decision and then went back in to Court for other more pressing matters. It didn’t make us both call it a day and treat ourselves with the rest of the day off. I didn’t even eat lunch at all, spending the time at my desk drafting a long email to the clients to explain the complicated decision to them.
There was nothing: no sweetness, no joy, no smiles. There was just oh okay, back to work.
Maybe it was the nature of the file, or the fact that this is probably the beginning of a long road where we’ll be made victims of our own success again.
I kept asking The Buddha, We should be happy, right? We did a great job.
So eventually at 6pm, we both left work.
I decided to celebrate anyway by stopping by Courts on the way home to buy a new hairdryer.
After walking around the new and unfamiliar shopping mall near my parents’ place, then finally finding Courts, it turned out that they are way too busy selling people tvs and washing machines and fridges and coffee machines to sell any hairdryers.
Something isn’t quite right about today. I should just say a small prayer and try again tomorrow.
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