THE FEMALE LAWYER EPISODE ONE
Jane was in her office reading a legal brief submitted to her by one her staff. It was to 4pm, but she was bent on finishing the lengthy document because she needs to understand the content to be able to argue a case properly in two days in court. At exactly 4:30pm, a woman rushed into the office in tears.
“Good afternoon. My name is Simbi, and I would like to divorce my husband. I need a lawyer to help me argue my case in court.” Simbi said. She did not even care to sit down on the seat offered her by Jane. She was panting like a rabbit that had been pursued by an aggressive fox.
“Please sit down. Let’s talk about this.” Jane said to Simbi. She finally sat down and used her left palm to wedge her chin. She looked sad and dejected.
“Now that you are more relaxed, I would like to ask, why would you want to divorce your husband? Does he beat you? Is he not a good husband? Or he is not able to provide for the family? Why do you want a divorce?” Jane asked. She had set aside the document she was reading so as to listen to Simbi who was restless.
“My husband beats me. He is a wife beater. Are you seeing my face? He just battered my face this evening and I just can’t take it anymore. I don’t want to continue to live under his roof. I don’t want to die in the name of marriage. I have endured enough and I want to put an end to the suffering.” Simbi said to the female lawyer.
“Alright, if your husband beats you, then that’s a very good ground for divorce. I would like you to tell me the whole story. Tell me the truth, because divorce is something serious. I will also need additional evidence to support your case. When did your husband start beating you?” Jane asked Simbi.
“It all started four months ago after he lost his job. He was a loving husband but his character suddenly changed after he was sacked from his work due to downsizing. He became a nagging husband such that every little thing irritated him. He usually beats me at the slightest provocation. I have endured it for too long and I would like to divorce him before I will die. I’m too young to be married to a wife beater.” Simbi said amidst tears.
“Do you have any evidence to support your claims that your husband beats you. I mean, do you have pictures we can use to prove the case in court? The court will not accept verbal narration of what your husband does to you. I would need evidence in the form of pictures and videos. Do you have any?” Jane asked. As Simbi was talking, she was busy jotting some points on a notepad.
“I have pictures and videos. There’s a lot of evidence.” Simbi said as she handed her phone to Jane. Jane took the phone and browsed through the pictures. She saw photos of Simbi’s battered face and she was alarmed.
“Your husband did this to you? Why did you wait for a long time before seeking a divorce? You wanted him to kill you first?” Jane asked.
“I was thinking he was going to change. I have been praying for him to change to the man he was. It’s like someone is using charms to manipulate him. He was never a wife beater. He just changed all of sudden. I was hoping and praying that that he would stop beating me, but it was like I was waiting for a ship at the airport. Last week , he almost made me blind with a very painful slap on my face. That was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. I have made up mind to divorce him.” Simbi said sadly.
“Are you sure about this?” Jane asked.
“If I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t have come here. I came here because I want divorce. Let’s proceed please.” Simbi said impatiently.
“Very well then. I will file the divorce papers in court tomorrow and the papers will be served on your husband. Please, write your address here. After filling the divorce papers tomorrow, I will have to come your house to serve it on your husband.” Jane said, passing a paper to Simbi. Simbi wrote the address of her house on the paper and left the office, still weeping.
The next day, Barrister Jane filled the divorce papers and also obtained a court summons just as she had promised the previous day. She traced the address given to her by Simbi. Soon, she saw the house number and then packed her car close to the gate. She knocked at the gate and a security man opened and ushered her into the compound. She requested to see Dele, Simbi’s husband and the security man took him to a shade where Dele was sitting and reading a newspaper.
“Good afternoon Mr Dele. My name is Barrister Jane. I’m your wife’s lawyer and I have come to serve you divorce papers. Your wife is divorcing you and I have filed a notice at the court. You are advised to get yourself a qualified lawyer who would argue your case in court.” Jane said as she made to leave.
“I won’t be needing a lawyer. I’m a lawyer myself. I have my practicing license, though I recently branched off to work as a legal advisor to an oil company. I lost my job recently, and that’s why I’m idle at home. Well, I will argue the case myself in court.” Dele informs Jane who was pleasantly surprised.
“That’s interesting. What branch of law did you major in?” Jane asked. Dele had captured her interest with the way he spoke so eloquently.
“Do you want to sit down?” Dele asked, showing Jane to a seat directly opposite him. Jane sat down and engaged in a deep conversation with Dele. It was as if they clicked instantly.
“I’m a constitutional lawyer. I’m a senior advocate of Nigeria.” Dele said with pride. Jane became more interested in Dele.
“You should set up your chambers you know. You shouldn’t be idle. You are so intelligent.” Jane said.
“I don’t know if I can still shine as a practicing lawyer. I prefer working for private firms as a legal consultant. It’s unfortunate that I lost my job.” Dele said as he flipped through the papers given to him by Jane.
“I can offer you a chance if you like. I’m traveling to Abuja this evening. I have constitutional case I’m handling and there’s a part of it I’m finding difficult. Can you travel with me? I will pay for your flight and hotel expenses.” Jane promised. Dele thought for a while before nodding his head.
“Why not? Let’s do this!” Dele said as he stood up, went indoors and grabbed his bag and hopped into Jane’s car and they drove to the airport.
When they got to Abuja that night, they slept in the same hotel room.
Jane is 40 years old, though she still looked young and very beautiful. The demands of her job have not allowed her to get married. She was always busy and had no time for men.
She was very rich as well, but she knew the time had come for her to get married before she enters menopause. She decided in her heart that she was going to do everything possible to win Dele’s heart since his wife was divorcing him.
“Since his wife is dumping him, I will pick him and clean him up and make him my man.” Jane said to herself while taking her bath that night.
Dele was already in bed when she went to take her shower. When she was done, she went to meet him. Dele did not resist when Jane touched him and invited him to test her bottle of honey. Afterall, his wife has not allowed him to touch her for months.
They did what they were not supposed to do.
“My sleep will be different this night. I can’t remember when last I did this. I’m happy I met this man. I’m holding him tight.” Jane said to herself as she slept off.
Watch out for episode 2
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