The Devil’s Court
“Your honor, I did nothing wrong. How was I supposed to know, she had something in her eyes? All I saw was a wink, and right there I knew, she was asking for it.”
The crowd cheered and the Judge nodded his head in agreement.
Miss Hanna , the prosecutor and the victims were all present; Caroline, Kristen, Brenda; those who somehow survived, albeit with uncountable scars, some very visible and some buried deep within, scars that haunted these women, made them scream in the middle of the night ; lucky for the rest of the world that could never experience such trauma.
In attendance the bodies of Tamia, Grace, Hillary and Ginny; the ones who God loved so much that he didn’t allow their suffering prolonged. The only downside was their silence, they couldn’t speak and tell the stories of how devilish the defendant was. Their cold and stiff corpses were rolled into the courthouse to try and make a difference and sway the jury to make a decision that could even slightly help the living.
“Your honor, he killed, raped, beat these women. We have evidence, including his own….” Miss Hanna pleaded.
“Sit down Miss Hanna. Don’t make my court your playground.” The judge interrupted.
“But your honor” Miss Hanna desperately tried to state her case…
“SIT DOWN”
Murmurs from jurors terrified Miss Hanna even more.
“How dare she raise her voice !”
“Who the fuck does she think she is?”
“Who raised this woman ? “
“She should be ashamed talking to a man like that.”
“She will never get married. No one likes a stubborn woman.”
Miss Hanna sat down, what other choice did she have?
The Judge smiled, the courtroom was his little world; he ran this place, he makes the rules.
“Bwana Masumbuko, tell the court what really happened”.
Masumbuko, the devil wearing a beautiful Italian suit stood up, you couldn’t tell whether he’s smiling or grinning.
His thunderous, terrifying voice then filled the courtroom.
“Your honor, take Tamia for example . I had to choke her, you know there’s nothing worse than a wailing woman. She always wore those skimpy dresses, all smiling. Clearly, she wanted me to notice, and I am really good at paying attention. I gave her what she wanted, instead of enjoying it, she started to cry. She tried to kill me with her shrieking, I had to silence her. And let me say one thing your honor, I’ve never been with a woman who is as loud as Tamia, her voice wasn’t sexy at all, she didn’t make an effort to give those beautiful moans that most women award me with. It was such a terrible experience but I endured, to give her heart’s desires”
“Ungrateful bitch” The judge chimed in.
Ms Hanna, dumbfounded stood up but the word “Objection’ escaped her mind, she had a cocktail of emotions she couldn’t explain, confusion, anger, sadness, disappointment; all of it.
“Your honor, this makes me extremely sad 😢. What did I do wrong? Anticipating what these women wanted and making sure they get it? Since when was generosity a bad thing.”
Masumbuko shed a tear, not being appreciated for his dedication in helping others was too painful for him to bear.
The judge ordered bailiff to provide this unsung hero with some tissue.
“ I never intended to share my woes with the world your honour. Like the good Samaritan, my help was supposed to be discreet. Miss Hanna and her gang is clearly trying to take away my identity as a man. Who am I without telling, showing and helping women realize what their business should be? If there’s none of us doing what men are supposed to, what’s the use of us being here.
He looked so helpless.
“Look, Caroline, you wanted that job, I gave it you. Since when is Quid pro quo sexual exploitation? I gave you a job in exchange for you know what, why am I not complaining?”
“Insensible humans” Judge whispered to himself.
“I have so much to say Your Honor. My crime here is being a responsible man; plain and simple. There are a few of us who are still holding the traditional values, men who are not seduced by Western cultures, we know a woman’s place and we help them realize that. This may feel like a crime to someone like Miss Hanna who can’t even keep a man.”
The jury murmured, agreeing to what he said.
“There is a possibility, Miss Hanna is one of those women who thinks having access to strap on makes them men, that’s why she’s so determined to destroy me and other real men; she wants to take my roles.”
Tears were rolling down his cheeks again. Miss Hanna was seething, her body trembling.
“Masumbuko is either the best damn actor to ever live or his poor soul is convinced every word he is saying to be true. In a twisted way, he thinks he is right and probably there are many people who think like him, heck, there could be millions of women who share the same fucked up belief….” Miss Hanna’s thoughts were cut short by Masumbuko’s voice.
“I helped each one of these women. I don’t want to waste time addressing each one of them, please allow me to finish my statement with Brenda and Ginny.
Brenda and I were friends for quite a while. She had a habit of coming over to my place, a clear sign she wanted something. Would you blame a lion for devouring an antelope that decided to present itself in a lion’s den? Brenda claimed I forced her into sex, what else did she expect coming over at my place when it’s just the two of us?
And to you, Ginny; the most beautiful of them all; when your parents got an accident you came to me crying. I helped you pay for their bills; in exchange I wanted nothing but a small token of appreciation; your perfect body. I remember that day very well, I called the hospital and settled the bill so that your parents could get the treatment they badly needed. Your body was a fair exchange, you cried the whole time, I’m sure it was one of those happy tears because you knew the money I just sent would keep your folks alive; you are welcome. I didn’t exploit your vulnerability, we helped one another”
Masumbuko received a standing ovation, the courtroom stood at it’s feet. This was Masumbuko’s drop the mic moment. The only person who wasn’t clapping was Miss Hanna. The weight that she carried was too much, even the people she was defending were standing up, clapping. Everything was so clear now, Masumbuko justified his actions and made it look like these women were at fault.
Celebrating the victory, Masumbuko threw his fist in the air then exclaimed “A man isn’t supposed to cry, but see what this shameless woman did to me! Masumbuko, a stallion crying in front of everyone. I hope my tears made you happy.”
The courtroom stood at it’s feet again, celebrating Masumbuko’s bravery and vulnerability.
The End
