One morning she simply asked whether I’d like her to introduce me to a counselor who worked with people returning from incarceration.

“I don’t need someone to tell me to think positively,” I said.

“I wasn’t going to suggest a motivational speaker.”

That made me laugh in spite of myself.

The counselor, Angela, didn’t promise that winning a case would erase what had happened.

She helped me practice grounding myself when a slammed door made my heart race.

She asked what I wanted if the conviction remained on my record longer than I hoped.

The question made me angry.