| Michelle Mills: Finally home. What a long day. |
| Robert Rush: Long day for me too. The traffic in D.C. is terrible today. |
| Michelle Mills: It’s always terrible! You must be new here if you’re surprised by the traffic. |
| Robert Rush: Is it that obvious? I moved here a few months ago. I’m Robert. |
| Michelle Mills: Nice to meet you, Robert. I’m Michelle. I’ve seen you around the building, I think. Do you live in the Triple Almond building too? |
| Robert Rush: Yes, I do. I’m on the top floor. The Penthouse. |
| Michelle Mills: The Penthouse? Wow. That’s a nice view. I’m on the fourth floor. It’s not quite the Penthouse, but I like it. |
| Robert Rush: After you. |
| Michelle Mills: Thanks. |
| Robert Rush: So, Michelle, you look like you had a busy day. Are you a student? |
| Michelle Mills: Oh, no. I finished school a couple of years ago. I’m a lawyer. |
| Robert Rush: A lawyer? You seem... well, you seem very cheerful for a lawyer. I thought lawyers were always serious. |
| Michelle Mills: We can be serious! But I try to leave the serious stuff at the office. Today was just busy. Lots of paperwork. |
| Robert Rush: I can imagine. What kind of law do you do? |
| Michelle Mills: A little bit of everything. I help people with contracts, moving arrangements, sometimes family issues. It’s a general practice. |
| Robert Rush: What was that noise? |
| Michelle Mills: I don’t know. The elevator stopped moving. |
| Robert Rush: Let me check the buttons. |
| Robert Rush: Nothing is happening. I think we’re stuck. |
| Michelle Mills: Stuck? In the elevator? Oh no. I knew I should have taken the stairs. |
| Robert Rush: Don’t worry. This building is very safe. I’m sure it’s just a small mechanical error. Look, I’ll press the call button. |
| Robert Rush: Hello? Is anyone there? |
| Michelle Mills: Great. No answer. We might be here for a while. |
| Robert Rush: Well, at least we have good company, right? And the lights are still on. It could be worse. |
| Michelle Mills: You’re very calm, Robert. If I were alone, I think I would be panicking right now. |
| Robert Rush: I learned to stay calm in my job. Panic usually costs money. |
| Michelle Mills: Oh? What do you do? You live in the Penthouse, so it must be a good job. |
| Robert Rush: I work in finance. Well, sort of. I was an early investor in digital currency. |
| Michelle Mills: Digital currency? You mean like... magic internet money? |
| Robert Rush: Something like that. It’s called cryptocurrency. Have you heard of the Blockchain? |
| Michelle Mills: I hear that word on the news all the time. "Blockchain." But honestly? I have no idea what it actually is. It sounds like a type of heavy metal chain. |
| Robert Rush: It’s not that heavy! Imagine a shared notebook. A digital notebook that everyone can see, but no one can erase. |
| Michelle Mills: A notebook? |
| Robert Rush: Exactly. In traditional banking, the bank keeps the notebook. They say, "Michelle has ten dollars." You have to trust the bank. |
| Michelle Mills: Right. I trust my bank... mostly. |
| Robert Rush: But with blockchain, everyone has a copy of the notebook on their computer. If I want to send you money, I write it in the notebook. Everyone’s computer checks it to make sure I actually have the money. |
| Michelle Mills: So, there is no bank? |
| Robert Rush: Correct. No middleman. It’s direct. It’s secure because you can’t cheat the system. If you try to change one page in your notebook, everyone else’s notebook will say, "Hey, that’s wrong!" |
| Michelle Mills: That actually makes sense. So, you made your money doing that? |
| Robert Rush: Yes. I started when I lived in Chicago. I bought some digital coins when they were very cheap. Then, everyone wanted them, and the price went up. |
| Michelle Mills: That sounds incredible. But isn't it risky? |
| Robert Rush: It is very risky. That’s why I’m changing my strategy now. I want to move my money into safer things. Traditional investments. |
| Michelle Mills: Like what? |
| Robert Rush: Real estate. Businesses. Actually, I’m thinking about buying the local tennis club. |
| Michelle Mills: The one down the street? My neighbor owns that! |
| Robert Rush: Really? That’s interesting. Small world. I think it’s a good business. People always want to play tennis. It’s a "stable" investment. Unlike digital coins, a tennis court doesn't disappear if the internet goes down. |
| Michelle Mills: That’s true. And you get free tennis lessons, right? |
| Robert Rush: That’s the plan. I need to relax more. |
| Michelle Mills: Speaking of relaxing, you said panic costs money in your job. Is it stressful? |
| Robert Rush: It used to be. The market never sleeps. It’s open twenty-four hours a day. I used to wake up at 3:00 AM to check prices on my phone. |
| Michelle Mills: That sounds exhausting. |
| Robert Rush: It was. I was twenty-two, and I looked like I was forty. That’s why I moved to D.C. I want to enjoy the finer cultural things now. Museums, art... |
| Michelle Mills: Do you collect art? |
| Robert Rush: Well... sort of. I collect comic books. |
| Michelle Mills: Comic books? Like superheroes? |
| Robert Rush: They are modern mythology! And some of them are very rare. They are like fine art, just with more capes and explosions. |
| Michelle Mills: I’m not judging! I think that’s cool. It’s better than spending money on... I don’t know, boring expensive cars. |
| Robert Rush: I like cars too, but comic books tell a story. What about you? Does a busy lawyer have time for hobbies? |
| Michelle Mills: I make time. Actually, my hobby helps with my job. I love acting. |
| Robert Rush: Acting? You mean like in a theater? |
| Michelle Mills: Yes. I’m in a local theater group. We do plays on weekends. |
| Robert Rush: That’s fantastic. How does acting help with law? |
| Michelle Mills: Well, being a lawyer is a performance. When I’m in a meeting, or if I have to go to court, I have to be confident. Even if I’m nervous inside. |
| Robert Rush: Ah, "fake it until you make it." |
| Michelle Mills: Exactly. I have to use my voice and my body language to convince people. It’s just like being on stage. |
| Robert Rush: So, are you a different person at work? |
| Michelle Mills: A little bit. At work, I’m "Michelle Mills, Attorney at Law." I’m tough. I’m organized. But at home, or on stage, I can be silly. I can be emotional. |
| Robert Rush: I understand that. People think because I have money, I must be sophisticated. They expect me to wear suits and drink expensive wine. |
| Michelle Mills: But you prefer comic books and... what do you drink? |
| Robert Rush: Soda. Or just water. I’m a simple guy from Chicago. |
| Michelle Mills: I’ve never been to Chicago. Is it nice? |
| Robert Rush: It’s great. But it’s very cold in the winter. We call it the Windy City. The wind cuts right through your coat. D.C. is much warmer. |
| Michelle Mills: It’s humid here, though. In the summer, the air feels like soup. |
| Robert Rush: Soup! That’s a good description. |
| Michelle Mills: Oh! Did we move? |
| Robert Rush: I think so. The motor is starting again. |
| Michelle Mills: Thank goodness. I was starting to get hungry. I didn't want to eat the mints in my purse for dinner. |
| Robert Rush: We were only stuck for about ten minutes, Michelle. |
| Michelle Mills: It felt like an hour! Time moves slowly when you’re in a metal box. |
| Robert Rush: That’s true. So, tell me more about your job. You said you help with "moving arrangements"? |
| Michelle Mills: Yes. It’s not the most exciting part of law, but it’s important. When people buy a house or lease an apartment, there are so many contracts. |
| Robert Rush: The fine print. |
| Michelle Mills: Yes, the text is so small you need a microscope. People sign things without reading them. My job is to read them and say, "Wait, this is a bad idea." |
| Robert Rush: You protect them. |
| Michelle Mills: I try to. Sometimes people don’t listen. They just want the keys to the house. But if something goes wrong later, they call me. |
| Robert Rush: It sounds stressful in a different way than trading crypto. You deal with people’s emotions. |
| Michelle Mills: Yes. People get very emotional about their homes. And their money. |
| Robert Rush: I can imagine. You know, I might need a lawyer soon. |
| Michelle Mills: Oh? Did you rob a bank? |
| Robert Rush: No, no. For the tennis club deal. If I decide to buy it, I will need someone to check the contracts. |
| Michelle Mills: Well, I can certainly help with that. I know the area, and I know the owner. |
| Robert Rush: The neighbor mom? |
| Michelle Mills: Yes. She’s very... energetic. Negotiating with her might be interesting. |
| Robert Rush: Energetic is good. I like energetic people. |
| Michelle Mills: So, why a tennis club? I mean, you have crypto, you have comic books. Why do you want to manage a sports club? |
| Robert Rush: I think I miss the community. In crypto, everything is online. I talk to people on screens. I have avatars and usernames. But I don’t see faces. |
| Michelle Mills: That can be lonely. |
| Robert Rush: It is. A tennis club is a physical place. People go there to meet, to play, to talk. I want to build something real. Something I can touch. |
| Michelle Mills: That’s a lovely ambition. It’s building a community. |
| Robert Rush: Exactly. Plus, I need to get in shape. I sit in front of a computer too much. |
| Michelle Mills: Don’t we all. I sit at a desk all day. Sometimes my back hurts like I’m an old lady. |
| Robert Rush: We are too young to have back pain, Michelle. We are in our twenties! |
| Michelle Mills: Tell that to my spine. That’s why I like acting. On stage, I have to move. |
| Robert Rush: What kind of roles do you play? |
| Michelle Mills: Last month, I was a queen. A very angry queen. |
| Robert Rush: Did you order people to lose their heads? |
| Michelle Mills: "Off with his head!" |
| Robert Rush: Wow, I felt a chill. You are good. |
| Michelle Mills: Thank you. It’s fun to be powerful. In real life, as a young lawyer, people sometimes don’t take me seriously. They see a young woman and think I’m an assistant. |
| Robert Rush: That must be frustrating. |
| Michelle Mills: It is. I have to work twice as hard to prove I’m smart. |
| Robert Rush: I have the opposite problem. |
| Michelle Mills: Really? |
| Robert Rush: Yes. Because I made money quickly in crypto, people think I’m a genius. They ask me for advice on everything. "Robert, what stock should I buy?" "Robert, will the world end next Tuesday?" |
| Michelle Mills: And do you know? |
| Robert Rush: Of course not! I was just lucky, and I did my homework. I’m not an oracle. I’m just a guy who likes math and comic books. |
| Michelle Mills: It sounds like we both have to deal with stereotypes. |
| Robert Rush: Stereotypes? |
| Michelle Mills: You know, a fixed idea about a type of person. People think lawyers are boring and greedy. People think crypto guys are... well... |
| Robert Rush: reckless? Crazy? |
| Michelle Mills: Maybe a little bit. But here we are. A lawyer who acts like a queen, and a millionaire who reads comic books. |
| Robert Rush: We break the mold. |
| Michelle Mills: "Break the mold." I like that phrase. What does it mean exactly? |
| Robert Rush: It means we are unique. If you make a statue, you pour metal into a mold. If you break the mold, you can never make the same statue again. |
| Michelle Mills: That’s a nice way to think about it. |
| Robert Rush: Looks like we’re moving again. What floor is this? |
| Michelle Mills: The display says... Floor 4. That’s me! |
| Robert Rush: Ah, safe and sound. |
| Michelle Mills: Thank you for keeping me calm, Robert. I’m glad we got stuck together. |
| Robert Rush: Me too. It was the most interesting elevator ride I’ve had in D.C. |
| Michelle Mills: Hey, if you are serious about that tennis club... here is my card. |
| Robert Rush: "Michelle Mills. Attorney at Law." Very professional. |
| Michelle Mills: Call me if you need help with the contracts. Or if you want to know which neighbors are nice and which ones are grumpy. |
| Robert Rush: That information is worth a lot of money. I will definitely call you. |
| Michelle Mills: Have a good night, Robert. Enjoy your comic books. |
| Robert Rush: Good night, Michelle. Break a leg! |
| Michelle Mills: Excuse me? |
| Robert Rush: Oh, sorry! It’s an idiom. It means "good luck" for actors. |
| Michelle Mills: Oh! I forgot about that. Thanks! |
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