CHAPTER 3
Downtown in her nineteenth floor corner office, Debrah switched off her television set after watching the latest twist on the Cantery story. She had never heard about the church before, but all the show boating irked her. Debrah knew that the church was being mob lynched out of ignorance by the society. She was a country girl from a conservative family. She witnessed her father lose his entire farm because of the government’s liberalists policies that greatly promoted corruption and greed. The injustice and utter disappointment she felt fuelled her struggles through law school and eventual acceptance into the bar. Over the years, she made a name for herself at Shishak and Lloyds defending the poor and downtrodden. Her work had done much to clean up the law firm’s image as a broom that cleans up all the mess made by popular celebrities and corporate. Debrah knew her efforts would certainly merit her partnership, but it was never forthcoming. The grey heads over there chose Jethoram instead, a move that saw them part ways where she went to set up shop in downtown Melrose. Debrah and associates was now a year old.
The thought came to her mind and it seemed mildly wicked, yet it brought such a rush down her spine. She had never faced off with anyone from Shishak and Lloyds ever since she departed, more so Jethoram. She was tempted, but brushed the idea aside. “It is none of my business anyway.” She thought out loudly. Debrah got up from her swing of a chair and straddled across the expansive office to the large windows that overlooked the city, her high healed shoes chiming to a beat on the beautiful tiles with each step she took. She stared at the people down below, they all looked like little ants, each on his on endeavor. Each a unique soul just seeking happiness in whatever it is they did. Every single one of them woke up in the morning hoping plans would work out for them in their businesses. Jobs, schools, hobbies or whatever it is anyone could care to do under the sun. So too did the ministers at Cantery and the entire fraternity over there. Right at that moment a bigger sense of purpose overcame her. There must be a reason God had raised her so high that fast. All the activity and chatter in the other rooms on the nineteenth floor was all because of her. Everyone who worked on that floor either directly of indirectly worked for her. “To what purpose?” She asked herself. The senior counsel then walked backed to her desk very sure that the peace God had granted her all this time would elude her if she ignored the calling that she felt in her heart. Debrah picked up the phone and got on the intercom to her assistant. “Hello lovely, I hope you are still keeping tabs on those scoundrels. You do know that they are all advocates.” She chuckled into the mouth piece. On the other end was Misha, ever so warm and never lucking in humor. She loved her boss so much she actually followed her from Shishak and Lloyds despite the pay cut she would have to accept while starting out with Debrah. She knew Debrah well, and Debrah trusted her with everything about her life. “Yeah you can bet on that my lady, especially that eye candy Barack. Gosh! I could eat him dry hahahaha.” Misha joked. “You will kill me with laughter dear, please keep your talons to yourself for the time being because I will need him for a few months now hahahaha. Could you be so kind so as to summon him to my office?” She requested Misha. “Of course madam, you are not planning to take him for yourself. Are you?” She chided her boss as both chuckled as they hanged up.
Debrah knew her next meeting would be unlike any other she ever had. She did not want to be sited behind her desk when Barak came in. They would speak as equals in trying to convince him to avail himself fully, if she was going to swoop in and come to the Bishop’s help. She knew they did not stand a chance against Jethoram with any other legal representative. As good as she was, she too would need someone to team up with. Barak would be the ideal partner in such a situation among all the lawyers in the city of Melrose. He was passionate about justice and well versed with religious edicts. More so she noticed how level headed, meticulous and industrious he was. He would surely make a great counsel in the future, and she wanted to hand him his major break. She, therefore, went to the sofa up on the left side of her office. “Who knew my power nap bed would ever serve such a purpose?” She thought to herself, and a wry smile curved out on her dimpled face. Barack walked in as soon as she had sat down, as if on cue. He truly was eye candy Debrah thought. She found it crazy that she never really noticed that until Misha mentioned it. “Stay focused woman!” That inner voice she had trained herself for long always to listen to, brought her back from the star struck world she had ventured to. She motioned him to sit besides her, and for a moment there was an embarrassing silence. She then gently tapped the cushion next to her and beckoned him if only to move matters. The young man rushed forward almost apologetically and sat down like a student in the disciplinarian’s office. It took Debrah’s smile to ease the tension in the room.
“I am sure you are aware of the Cantery hulla baloo by now Barack.” Debrah started off right away. Her guest nodded in the affirmative. “Well, I would like us to help them out. By ‘us’, I mean you and I. ” Barack tried as much as he could to keep his cool, but his eyes almost popped out at the suggestion, and Debrah knew he was startled. He did not see this one coming though he knew his boss would not miss in any eccentrics list. At first he did not see the opportunity in it and tried to convince Debrah otherwise. “With all due respect miss, we are not even sure whether indeed that Abner intends to follow this to trial, or he is just looking for some more publicity. For a fact, we do not even have any idea if the Cantery church would need our services or afford them for that matter. Hypothetically speaking, lets say all these factors fall into place, you are well aware that Jethoram is representing the plaintiff.” All these words he said knowing very well he was only punching in the dark for it was impossible to dissuade Debrah once she had set her sites on anything. His reaction was more of a flight reflex. Indeed she was prepared for it. “Do not worry man, I know very well that Jethoram has waded into the matter, which is the main reason I chose you for this one. Let’s just say you are my David, and I believe you have what it takes to take on the Goliath that is waiting for you out there.” That sounded musical to Barack, he cherished flooring giants and Debrah knew he had him hooked. “I know that I do not need to ask you twice to partner me on this one.” She offered him the chance. Barack did not want to seem too eager, so he just kept quiet, but Debrah knew him well enough. “Well silence means concurrence.” She said, her tone low as if the words were meant for her alone. “You will be the lead counsel should they accept our offer.” Debrah followed up her statement, this time more audible as she rose up to go pick her laptop from the desk. She intentionally dropped the bomb the bombshell on him to toughen him up for the grueling fight that was coming. Barack, on the other hand, could not believe his ears. This one was big, and he was not even sure he could handle it as her assistant, yet she was handing it all to him. “I am very honored Debrah to serve you in such a capacity, but I would really appreciate it if you came with me to every hearing should it go to full trial.” That was the most diplomatic the young Barack had ever been his entire life. It was barely ten in the morning, and already his day had veered way off the normal path. Debrah just looked at him and laughed. “Then what will people say when you win? Barack was coached to victory by a woman? Surely the honor will not be yours if I am constantly babying you.” Her modesty disarmed him so much he remained silent. “Well then lead counsel, I am typing out our proposal to Cantery, please pass by the printers down stairs as you go to check out the guys at church. Shalom!” Having been severely challenged he walked out briskly and heavily sighed the moment her door shut behind him. The staff members who passed him by outside the big office felt sorry for him, anyone would be forgiven for thinking he had just been fired.
Barrack straightened his coat lapel and went to the printer room. Debrah had already mailed the proposal and the lady over there was waiting for him. Keen as ever, he went through it in detail and what caught his eye was that they would be working on this case for free. It did not surprise him, however, for he knew how crazy hi
s boss could get. Next stop was Cantery Fellowship Church main alter. He arrived at the church compound, and there was clear evidence that Jethoram had come calling. The more patient media men still hung around to collect any left over morsels. One of his journalist friends once told him that people in that industry called them the lazy journalists for they always hanged around for the aftermath. None of them took note of him as he drove through. The church leadership was locked in a meeting, and he was not even allowed past the visitors lounge. It was only till late in the afternoon that he managed to get hold of Abijah. The deputy bishop immediately led Barack to his chambers when he introduced himself. Apparently they had been brainstorming on all possible ways they could get out of their current quagmire with minimal success. Abner was under pressure from his fans to go to full trial while Bishop Ashphenaz would not even negotiate with him. It was almost forgone that this would be a court battle, but they had no idea how they would go about it or the means to finance a protracted situation. They had never been in a legal tussle before, and it came as a surprise to them that it was unconstitutional to refuse to marry two willing adult partners. The provision was vague, but Barack informed him that all same sex partners who ever petitioned the courts under the law always won their pleas and it always resulted in huge financial implications in terms of settlements. The risk of jail term was also on hand. Abijah was clearly distressed, and the wrinkles on his forehead seemed to dredge deeper into his skull as he explained to Barack that Abner was suing for seven million. He knew they needed to act fast to stem the impending disaster, but he still remained non committal. He instead offered to take up the matter with his principal and the other board members. The two men exchanged pleasantries and parted ways. Barack would receive further communication the day morning. The meeting had taken him longer than he expected, and he knew he would not find Debrah back at the office. He instead opted to call and inform her of developments at Cantery while he headed back to his house. “I can certainly do with some alone time.” He thought.
Debrah was going through her emails before anyone else arrived at the office. She had made this a habit so she could sort out the important ones and reply them before the day got busier. While she was at it, the most noteworthy one came in. It was from Ashphenaz. They would be taking up her offer, and they had decided to come to her office and go through the modalities. A sense of excitement came over her, and she sighed. She really wanted this one, not that she ever doubted they would take it up, but she feared they would dilly dally on a decision. Now everything was in place. Target Shishak and Lloyds was locked. Barack arrived earlier than usual. He barely slept the previous as images of the looming court battle kept poring over his head. The young lawyer made a beeline to the corner office where Debrah was waiting with the news. She was happy, but he was apprehensive as he forced a smile. A small part of him secretly wished that they would be turned down for he was spooked by the law juggernaut that is Jerimoth and his team. Debrah has always been adept at reading body language, and she noticed his uneasiness, but she was not overly concerned about it. She knew he would snap out of it when the rubber meets the road. Jethoram’s pride and brush nature would ignite his competitive nature immediately they met. At nine thirty, Jethoram and Abija stepped out of the elevator on the nineteenth floor of Hirams Towers. Debrah and their lead counsel were waiting for them in her office. The duo was ushered in, and the meeting started in earnest. Ashphenaz explained in detail the events that transpired two days earlier as he made it clear that he would not barge from his stance. Abijah on, the other hand wanted to make sure that this unsolicited help was indeed free and that they would still work on their defense with utmost commitment. After both parties had been satisfied, they signed the meeting’s minutes and commitment letters and parted ways. Abijah would immediately go and break this to the press. With that, Barack was the name on everyone’s lips. Opinion analysts painted a grim picture for him, and many felt Cantery church had shot itself in the foot. Debrah was not the type to toot her own horn, but deep in her heart she knew that she was way better than Jethoram any day. Besides, it was her deep conviction that Ashphenaz was right in what he did, and she decided she would do all she could to ensure such ethos always stood. Barack had just come from escorting the church men’s press briefing and was walking back to his office when his phone came to life. He did not recognize the caller ID, it was rather strange, but he picked it up all the same. These were crazy times and anything could come up. “Hallo there big shot.” A male voice came from the other end, deep and corky; he wondered who it could be. “It is your boy Jeth here; I guess you are wondering how I got your number. Well, I do my homework perfectly. Please do not believe what they say. I am not a stat lawyer, somebody lied I have little under three hundred case wins and no loss at just thirty two. However, believe me when I say I want to get over this one so fast you won’t know how you lost my friend.” He did not even give Barack a chance to answer him as he hung up immediately his threat was conveyed to his opponent. Jethoram had no idea what an awful move that was. Barack did not care anymore whom he was all he wanted to do was to ready himself for this. He had stung him into action. He would never allow himself to be cowed by cheap threats.
Debrah was waiting for him in his office. “Hey there big shot.” That phrase now sounded ominous to him. She smiled at him as he hung up his coat. “To what do I owe the honor?” He tried to establish a rapport with the boss he rarely ever spoke to before. “Aaah! Do not be worried lead counsel, I’m gonna be a regular here now if we are gonna take them down. . .” She said with a light touch. “... and we are starting right now.” She finished her statement as she dug her shoe heels into the carpet to push the wheeled chair she was seated on a little to the side. Now Barack could see his whole desk from where he stood. Two piles of foreign documents stood out conspicuously from where he usually kept his in tray. Debrah’s perfectly manicured fingers rested on one pile. “These are files of all previous such cases since 1986. You will study them carefully, these over here. . .” her palm moved over to the other pile as she posed briefly and looked at him. “. . . is a dossier on Jethoram. Everything about his practice, mannerisms, strengths, weaknesses and tactics. You gonna need the second one more than the first. Thank me later.” She then gracefully stood up, walked up to him, straightened his tie and left. He stayed still until he heard the door’s click shut. Debrah’s cunningness just amazed him. She was actually more prepared that he ever thought. It was as if she knew the Cantery fiasco would come, yet he was wise enough to understand that she had obviously burnt the midnight oil in digging up all this information. In her, Barack knew he had the perfect partner because she worked like a stallion and covered all her bases. He could certainly learn a lot from the boss. Barack almost leaped to his desk and pored over Jethoram’s dossier. He could not believe that Debrah had that much information about one of the worlds most renown law men He actually was not all that the media made him to be. It seemed like he over relied on his team and had taken all the credit for all positives. It surprised him that Debrah and Jethoram had worked together in almost all of Jethoram’s earlier famous victories, yet for some reason Debrah chose to remain nondescript. Barack immersed himself into the other files, and he deeply pondered about each and every single event documented therein so much he lost track of time. When he lifted his head to look at the time, it was an hour to midnight. His neck felt rubbery, and he knew his body could not take any more. He just drew the curtains and slept on the floor. He could not drive himself home with his eyes heavy with sleep, a burning neck and an almost numb brain.
“Wake up sleepy head.” He heard a woman call up as she shook him to life. “Damn it, it can not be morning already.” He reached for his coat; to cover his face when the familiar scent of Debrah’s perfume registered in his nostrils. He quickly jumped up and clumsily attempted to straighten and tuck in his shirt. “I’m sorry madam; it is not what it looks like.” She only cringed her face. “I know e
xactly what I am looking at.” Debrah reached into her clutch purse and handed him some mints. His spirit melted as he endured the most embarrassing moment of his life. He looked like a clown, with a creased, half tucked in shirt, and the office was so stuffy he just wanted to disappear. Debrah went over to the windows and slid all of them wide open. “Do not sweat it Barack, now go and refresh yourself before the other guys come in and find you looking disheveled. I expect you back here at noon. ” Barack could not believe how gracious his boss was. Such moments made him believe that God always led his ways. He turned to rush out of the place, when he was stopped midflight. “Hey.” Debrah shouted behind him. “. . . always remember to take it cool. Do not loose much sleep over the things of the earth.” She said as she waved him off. “Gosh she is a preacher too.” Barack thought as he rushed to the elevator.
Barack was coming from the shower when he heard on television that the hearing date had been set. It was just three days away. Suddenly his phone rung it was Jethoram. “Hi buddy, three days baby, three days. You know I can put the bishop away for ten. Nice weekend, chao!” “Maaaan, just what I need.” Barack gasped sarcastically. “I better hurry.” He thought out loud as he practically jumped into a clean suit. Realizing that time too was helping to stack the odds against him, he sped his BMW downtown Melrose. He found Debrah in his office waiting, calm and composed so much some of it rubbed off on him. “With such a boss, who needs a guardian angel?” He chuckled. That was the beginning of a grueling three day preparation marathon.