Vanity

Vanity Episode 8

VANITY EPISODE 8
© Akoto Alexander 

Esi Haizel and the potbelly man took a seat in one the corners of the restaurant and immediately signalled one of the waiters around to come and take their order they select from the menu card, after the waiter left to get their ordered food they went down to straight business.
Esi Haizel: Sir I got your contact details on your website as I was surfing for a credible barrister of the law to help defend my bossom friend who has been locked up for something she barely knew nothing about.
Potbelly man: (brings a note pad from his br-ast pocket and takes note on some information the lady was bringing out) Mmmm you haven’t said anything concrete yet but I know before we leave this beautiful edifice I would have gotten enough information and evidence to work upon. As you already know my appellation is Lawyer Doctor Niibi Ayibontey, most of my colleagues call me “the Law Genius or a walking constitution”, am an embodiment of the Ghana Constitution as I was part of the committee that drafted the 1992 Constitution and amended it later, am the only surviving member left on this earth so you can even call me a “National Treasure”, I have been practicing law for the past thirty seven (37)years and am yet to loss my first case in the court of law and I don’t think your case could be the first case I was going to loss as a lawyer. From the little information I have gathered so far am very much interested in your case and am willing to go to any length just to bring your friend out from that police cell or even prevent her from going to jail even if she is found guilty. Where is the waiter at all, he has kept long in bringing the food we ordered and am starving very much, I don’t like to be delayed at all when it comes to food related matters.
Esi Haizel: (gives a faint smile as she scratches her hair) Lawyer Niibi Ayibontey I think he is bringing the food so please exercise a little patience.

The waiter eventually brings the food Esi and her lawyer ordered, the lawyer ordered for banku and tilapia with a very cold club beer whiles Esi went in for fried rice and chicken and a glass of fruit juice. They started eating and the way and manner Lawyer Ayibontey was eating, if you were sitting infront of him at the same table you might loss your appetite at once, as a matter of fact he was not eating the food infront of him but rather he was attacking the food and noise that was coming out of his mouth was like that of a Bedford engine that was climbing a very stiff mountain, honestly lawyer lacked table manners but I don’t think this was the time to take him through any lectures on table manners or anything related to food, to add insult to injury lawyer gave out a super loud belch which drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant, Esi Haizel lost her appetite for eating at that very moment and looked very embarrassed but was she in any good position to comment or make any utterances? Hell no, she just had to endure everything that was unfolding itself infront of her, alas the long wait was over, the man infornt of him was done with his food so she signalled the waiter to come and clear the table so they could now talk business. Esi Haizel took time to give Lawyer Ayibontey every single information she had so the lawyer could strategise a way he could approach the case, when all this was done Lawyer Ayibontey requested to visit Adjoa Wusua at the police station and also get her side of the story so that should in case the matter is arranged before the law court he would not go there to make a fool out of himself, Esi Haizel loved the idea but was a bit worried because they hadn’t finalised on the bill Lawyer Ayibontey was going to take. When they sat in the car about to move Esi raised her concern on her bill she was required to pay, lawyer smiled and mentioned five thousand cedis(5000), Esi scre-med out loud with what she heard:
Esi Haizel: My goodness Dr. please kindly reduce the charge, I don’t have that kind of amount, please don’t charge me based on my appearance because am just a hollow person behind my costume, am begging you in the name of God.
Lawyer Ayibontey: My dear the amount in question is very low compared to what my other colleagues are charging their clients, you see because you didn’t come to meet me in an expensive office and clothes you are looking down upon my charges. See I personally trained most of this renounced lawyers we have in this country back at the law school and even when some passed out as lawyers they still came to my feet, even the current chief justice took some training from me but it’s true that no prophet is well respected in his homeland. Secondly too I have to grease some palms so I can get first-hand information from the doctors end and that of the officer who will be handling your friends case, freedom is not sold or given to people in mortgage but if you are caught in the net of the law, you will have to pay a fortune before you can get your freedom back, but I will be considerate here and take one thousand cedis(1000) off the amount, that is the best I can do for you. Deal or No Deal?
Esi Haizel: Hmmmmmm it’s a Deal.
Lawyer Ayibontey: Are you convincing your ass**tion?
Esi Haizel: Yes sir, please how do you want the payment to be made?
Lawyer Ayibontey: Well if you can pay all now, it will boast my confidence but if you can’t also you can pay 50% now then you spread the rest in bits.
Esi Haizel: Okay Doc and openes her hand rest and brings an envelope out, she hands it over to the lawyer and tells him this is 50% of the bill.

_____

Lawyer Ayibontey: I do not see how an automobile can run on navigation whiles it is motioned bereaved of premium motor spirit, I mean to say a car cannot run on an empty tank. Your action now has proven to me that you mean business and we are now in serious business.
Esi Haizel: (smiled and turned the car engine on) Okay sir please can we go to the police station now?
Lawyer Ayibontey: Am at your service my lady, take me to the place harbouring your dear friend.

Esi Haizel drives straight to a supermarket to get some stuffs for her friend and then to the police station, they walk to the charge office with Esi Haizel’s hope of hearing that Adjoa Wusua’s statement would have been taken by then. The time was almost 3pm as they got to the charge office, Esi Haizel told Adjoa Wusua not to worry because he had brought to their rescue a very credible and reputable lawyer to see to it that she is granted bail in no time, she gave the things she bought for her friend to the police officer at the counter to hand it over to her friend, Lawyer Niibi Ayibontey introuced himself to the police by handing over an identity card to the officer so he could be allowed to have a one on one conversation with his client. When Adjoa was brought out from the cell she narrated her story to the lawyer and went further to inform him that up till now her statement had not been taken even though she had requested to see the officer in charge of the case severally, with this revelation Lawyer Niibi Ayibontey got very furious and he knew he could play along with this information just to nail the police down with some charges and threats, he immediately started making noise just to pull the attention of the commander at that police station, the police station was in disarray which brought the commander out of his office to see who was causing a pandemonium in his police station.
Commander: (throws a question to the officers behind the counter) What is happening here and who the hell is that man who is scre-ming on top of his voice this sunny afternoon in my police station? Can’t you curtail sanity and serenity in this place for once?
Officer: Sorry sir but we have tried our best to calm him down but he has just decided not to buy into our persuasions. He happens to be an advocate for the lady next to him.
Commander: Excuse me sir, please this a police station and a high level of decorum must and should be observed here. If you have a problem I believe the best way to do it is through a dialogue and not trying the bring this place down with your noise and threats!!!
Lawyer Ayibontey: This is ridiculous, preposterous, barbaric conduct, attitudinal corruption, national misconduct, gross contraption, arrant nonsense. Are you aware of the unqualified services your personnel display under your nose or should I take it that you ordered them to handle people like animals?
Commander: Excuse me sir
Lawyer Ayibontey: You have been excused already by me that’s why am listening to the crap coming out from your mouth if not I would have assisted you with a transfer to the worse police station in the Upper East region and rendered you a miserable person.
Commander: (sensing danger and seriousness in the threats coming out from the mouth of the lawyer infront of him tried calming the lawyer down) Sir as I said earlier on scre-ming on top of your voice won’t resolve the issue on board, if there is any problem my office is very opened for a discussion so please why don’t you step into my office so you brief me of the problem.
Lawyer Ayibontey : (In his head he had succeeded with his first approach and knew everything was going in his favour) I will oblige to your humble request but won’t hestitate to bring into reality my threat if you are not able to properly convince me. Lead the way to your office, Esi join me to the commander’s office and my dear Adjoa Wusua everything will be okay now that am here. Enjoy the drink and snacks your sister brought to you as we have a short discussion with the commander.
Commander: (to his officers until am done with the lawyer, anyone who comes looking for me tell that person that am not around.
Counter officer: Yes sir

Adjoa Wusua gave slight smile of relief and for the very first time in about 18hours she gave a smile and felt the eager to eat something. Who told you knowledge and power was not sweet, sometimes power is even sweeter than money, see how a wh0le district commander had been reduced to a common floor person. They walked into the commander’s office to have close door discussion

Commander: You are welcome to my office, Please have a seat and let me into details what the problem is this afternoon sir and my lady.
Lawyer Ayibontey: The propelling factor behind the display of my misery and anger this afternoon is the barbaric way one of you officer’s has displayed against my ward. He or she has trampled and infringed on the human rights of my ward which I find it difficult to accept.
Commander: Well am very sorry for that sir but you are yet to open up fully on the matter to me. My name is Chief Supt. Ansah Akoto, am known in the police service to be a custodian of peace in the form of dialogue so trust me everything will be resolved amicably before leaving my office, please can you also introduce yourself to me in a formal way.
Lawyer Ayibontey: My name is Lawyer Doctor Niibi Ayibontey, am a renowned human rights advocate who doesn’t like to see my fellow human being to be subjected to any inhuman conduct. Seated next to me is my niece and also in your custody is the elder sister of her.
Chief Supt Ansah Akoto: Wow am privileged to meet you sir, I have read a lot of your books and you personal track records in the bar association and I must confess you are Legend, to attest of what am saying (he opens his drawer and brings two books out) here are a few of your books I have purchased that I read often. Am surprised you are not in the media and limelight always because people like you must be celebrated now that you are alive.
(All this whiles Esi Haziel sits quitely in her seat dazzled at what was going on infront of her)
Lawyer Ayibontey: Thanks for your accolades but that doesn’t still change the fact that my niece is in your stinking cell for something she knows nothing about all because she happened to be at a wrong place at the right time and the annoying part is spending close to 18hours in your cell here, up till now her statement has not even been written by who ever is in charge of the case.
Chief Supt Ansah Akoto: What?

To be continued

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