Mark's heart began to race, and his palms grew sweaty when he saw the family gathered at the dining table, from the Patriarch to the least, which he was wearing stern expressions.
He looked like a small kid standing before the principal. The lawyer was a middle-aged man who had trimmed beards, a bit light in complexion he looked well taken care of while Mark looked down at himself. He looked like his mother-in-law called him, he looked like a male servant. Infact, some male servants dressed better than him and he didn't know what to say.
" Good afternoon everyone." He greeted and heard a soft scoff come from behind, he knew that it was none other than his beloved mother-in-law. He couldn't fathom what he ever did to her that led to his dehumanization everytime. She never missed it.
" Good afternoon, Mr. Mark. You must know the reason you are here right?" The lawyer asked before rising slowly, " Sorry, my name is Barrister Mike. It's a pleasure to meet you sir." He said and stretched his hand out to take Mark's in a handshake.
The feeling is not mutual. He said inwardly but could never spit it out. " Same here. I guess there's nothing much to say, you already know who I am."
" Doesn't stop you from introducing yourself dimwit." Mrs. Richard said and he looked at her.
" I'm sorry about that." Lacey said as she smiled at the lawyer when he turned to her mother probably wondering why she was speaking that way to her inlaw.
"May we take a seat sir." Barrister Mike said and Mark nodded before pulling out a chair from his front and plopping on it.
" Thanks for responding to this invitation."
Mark grimaced, if he had his way he wouldn't, " Thanks for being professional." He replied. If Barrister Mike shared their sentiment, he did well to conceal it.
" Okay, may we go to the crux of the matter?" He said and Mark nodded. Then Mike opened a large book before him, " I am here on behalf of Mrs. Lacey who states that she is tired of the marriage and wants a divorce. Is that right?" He asked.
" No," Mark butted in and everyone's eyes fell on him. Mr Richard snickered into his palm. His wife's eyes were blazing with fury and he rubbed her back gently to take a breather. He was scared that she was going to pass out from excessive stirring up.
" What do you mean by no?" Barrister Mike inquired and Mrs. Richard nodded. That was what she wanted to ask too.
" I don't believe that my wife is tired of this marriage but she might be pushed by external forces to make that decision." Mark said quickly.
Mike cocked his head,this was one of the reasons he didn't like taking family matters. If not for the fact that his mother was friends with Mrs. Richard, he wouldn't have taken up the cases. These mothers and cashing out favors were to be studied.
" Okay, and who do you think is behind it?" Mike quizzed him further
" I think she is listening to what people who do not understand us have to say." Mark was taking his chances to say everything that he had in mind since the inception of the marriage.
Mr. Richard snickered and quickly covered it up with a cough when his wife shot him a glare.
" I don't think anyone can push my daughter into doing whatever she doesn't want to do, things are not done that way." Mrs. Richard spoke in a seething tone. If she were a cartoon character, she would probably have smoke coming out of her ears by now.
Mike rolled his eyes inwardly at Mrs. After Richard's intervention, it was clear that she was the one Mark was talking about. How did her husband cope with such an attitude? " With all due respect ma'am. I would like for only the parties involved to speak." He said and Mr. Richard let out another chuckle. He was enjoying this.
Mrs Richard didn't find her husband's laughter funny and she gave him the stink eye throughout.
Mike waited for everyone's feathers to be calm before continuing his speech.
" So, Miss Lacey. What do you have to say concerning what he just said about you." He asked.
Lacey cleared her throat, she didn't want to sound hostile in Mike's presence considering the fact that they attended the same Church and she wanted to preserve her image. " Everything he said is a complete lie. I can assure you that no one is teaching me how to live my life. I'm divorcing him on the grounds of him bringing shame to me all the time, causing me to lose my job and a whole lot more." She said.
Mike took notes as he tried to get to the bottom of this issue. This was a minor case. She didn't have any strong accusation against Mark. What he was seeing was the case of Lacey's mother influencing her decision to divorce her husband while she was still married to hers. He never understood why women did that
He was seriously expecting a case of violence, assault, battery and the rest but he was presented with something that even reasonable people could sit and have a conversation about.
Alas, not everyone was reasonable. No matter the age. The only he saw that was not in support of the madness was Mr Richard and his respect tripled for that man. He caught him snickering at his wife's foolishness.
" So, is that all you have against him?" Mike asked.
" For now, he's a pest and is sent to destroy my life, I don't think I can have anything to do with him again." Lacey replied.
" I hear that you have filed for a divorce before?" Mike asked, this was information from his mother who was giving him premium gists.
" Yes, sir."
" Do you agree to this divorce sir?" He asked.
"No."
" I'm sorry Miss Lacey, the court cannot grant you a divorce, because your complaints are not cogent to warrant one."