Post by Icon Lord Jon Kellar on Jun 30, 2015 15:49:05 GMT -6
Circuit Judge Rycush tapped her pen on her desk, and stared up at the clock. In front of her sat a gentleman in a sharp suit, and behind him sat the grinning form of Mr Wilson. To their left sat the representative for the local council, and to their right sat the representative for the Guardian, a lady appointed by the court to represent Melissa's interest.
Mr Wilson's representative rose.
Lawyer: With respect Your Honour, it was Mr Kellar who sought this hearing but he clearly hasn't attended, so...
HHJ: We will give him five more m.....
The court door flew open and Jon Kellar entered, his eyes were still slightly swollen from the events of a few days before, but he modelled a well fitted suit and carried a briefcase under his arm.
Kellar: I apologise for keeping the court waiting Your Honour, I'm afraid I was held elsewhere.
HHJ: Where is your representative?
Kellar: I represent myself Your Honour.
There was an audible groan from all present
Kellar: I have a law degree, it's about time I used it.
HHJ: Very well, take a seat.
Kellar shuffled onto counsel's bench, "accidentally" elbowing Mr Wilson in the side of the head as he did so. He sat.
HHJ: Very well, Mr Kellar, you made this application to have your daughter returned to you. You may make an opening statement
Kellar: It's very simple your Honour, the council acted on incorrect information and have no right under the law to hold my child without my consent.
The representative for the council coughed loudly.
Lawyer: Your Honour, the council acted appropriately in the circumstances. The child was living in a building completely unfit for human habitation...
Kellar: Forgive me, but Melissa Kellar does not "live" at the Macheda Dojo.
Lawyer: The investigating officers found her.
Kellar: My daughter and I were simply staying there while I finalised the transfer of the Dojo...
Kellar swallowed hard
Kellar: ...to a property developer.
He opened his briefcase and produced the documents
Kellar: Recently my Melissa and I lost my wife, her mother, and incurred a significant financial loss as a result.
HHJ: How significant?
Kellar: As of the close of the markets yesterday, aproximately £11bn.
The judge's eyes widened.
Kellar: My wife was principal shareholder and CEO of a multimedia conglomerate which transferred from her ownership to her father at her point of death. Due to...
Kellar looked at Wilson out of the corner of his eye. Wilson was seething, his fat hairy hands crushing down around a pen.
Kellar: An unforeseen contractual irregularity.
HHJ: I see
Kellar: We were forcibly evicted from our home, and we have been staying at the Dojo while I look for suitable accommodation. It was, quite simply, the only four walls and a roof we had available. However...
He produced another piece of paper
Kellar: I have this morning secured a lease on a furnished two bedroom maisonnette in South Croydon, and the landlord is happy for us to move in any time.
Wilson: Your Honour I must pro...
HHJ: You must do nothing Mr Wilson, you will speak through your counsel or not at all.
With a smirk, Kellar passed copies of the lease to the Judge and to the council's representative. They perused it for a while, then looked up.
Kellar: Is there anything else I can assist with?
---
On the concourse outside the Court, Sean O'Riley tapped his fingers. He looked over at some magazines, and picked one up.
Sean: How to please your man through the magic of shrimp and cucumbers...
The court door opened and Kellar strolled out alongside the councilman and their representative.
Lawyer: Mr Kellar, I can only apologise again. We should have investigated matters more thoroughly.
Kellar: I don't care about your apologies, where is my daughter?
Lawyer: On her way here now.
Kellar: Good.
Wilson: JON!!!!
Kellar turned to see Wilson bursting through the door. His face was red as a tomato, a picture of rage.
Wilson: YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!
Kellar: You know, you always assumed the reason I didn't work for UltiMight properly was that I couldn't... never occurred to you that I just didn't want to.
Wilson: I swear I will...
Kellar: Sorry Mr Zookeeper, you just got outsmarted by the prize chimp.
Wilson: You will slip up Kellar... And when you do...
Kellar: You know, you may play golf with the resident judge but I know every security guard in this court and they know every orrifice someone can hide a bag of coke up...
Kellar smiled
Kellar: Please... Continue shouting.
Wilson shook with rage but said nothing, then pushed past Kellar and stormed towards the exit. Sean, fighting hard to contain his laugher, approached.
Sean: He is right though... I mean what did you net from selling the Dojo?
Kellar: I got screwed but it had to be a quick cash buy, £200k.
Sean: That doesn't even clear the mortgages you took out!
Kellar: No, but it pays off other debts, buys me some goodwill with the bank and with enough left over for the deposit and a few months rent on the maisonnette.
Sean: So you've bought yourself a few months, then what?
Kellar sighed
Kellar: Sean, I need you to take care of Melissa for a while
Sean raised an eyebrow.
Sean: What? After what happened?
Kellar: I'm sorry. It's just... I cant take her to Hong Kong....
Sean's eyes widened, and slowly his mouth broke into a smile.
Kellar: Don't, just don't...
Sean: I kn...
Kellar: If you utter any variation of the phrase "I knew it" I will slap you so hard you'll be drinking Guinness through your ear hole...
Sean: When are you leaving?
Kellar: Tonight... I spent some of the Dojo money on a plane ticket and a trailer in Kowloon Park. I'll send you and Melissa every penny I earn and be back before you know it.
Sean: Do you know who you'll be facing?
Kellar: Devotion said she'd tell me when I got there.
Sean: What's the pay packet?
Kellar: See above...
The two friends made their way towards the court exit just as a car pulled up. Melissa leapt from the car and ran towards her father.
Melissa: Daddy!!!!
Kellar knelt down and wrapped his arms around her, burying his head into her tiny shoulders and scrunching up his face as he tried to bottle up the flood of rage, relief, joy and sadness that filled him.
That it had come to this was almost heartbreaking.
A deep breath later he let her go and looked straight into her eyes.
Kellar: M. Daddy has some bad news...
Mr Wilson's representative rose.
Lawyer: With respect Your Honour, it was Mr Kellar who sought this hearing but he clearly hasn't attended, so...
HHJ: We will give him five more m.....
The court door flew open and Jon Kellar entered, his eyes were still slightly swollen from the events of a few days before, but he modelled a well fitted suit and carried a briefcase under his arm.
Kellar: I apologise for keeping the court waiting Your Honour, I'm afraid I was held elsewhere.
HHJ: Where is your representative?
Kellar: I represent myself Your Honour.
There was an audible groan from all present
Kellar: I have a law degree, it's about time I used it.
HHJ: Very well, take a seat.
Kellar shuffled onto counsel's bench, "accidentally" elbowing Mr Wilson in the side of the head as he did so. He sat.
HHJ: Very well, Mr Kellar, you made this application to have your daughter returned to you. You may make an opening statement
Kellar: It's very simple your Honour, the council acted on incorrect information and have no right under the law to hold my child without my consent.
The representative for the council coughed loudly.
Lawyer: Your Honour, the council acted appropriately in the circumstances. The child was living in a building completely unfit for human habitation...
Kellar: Forgive me, but Melissa Kellar does not "live" at the Macheda Dojo.
Lawyer: The investigating officers found her.
Kellar: My daughter and I were simply staying there while I finalised the transfer of the Dojo...
Kellar swallowed hard
Kellar: ...to a property developer.
He opened his briefcase and produced the documents
Kellar: Recently my Melissa and I lost my wife, her mother, and incurred a significant financial loss as a result.
HHJ: How significant?
Kellar: As of the close of the markets yesterday, aproximately £11bn.
The judge's eyes widened.
Kellar: My wife was principal shareholder and CEO of a multimedia conglomerate which transferred from her ownership to her father at her point of death. Due to...
Kellar looked at Wilson out of the corner of his eye. Wilson was seething, his fat hairy hands crushing down around a pen.
Kellar: An unforeseen contractual irregularity.
HHJ: I see
Kellar: We were forcibly evicted from our home, and we have been staying at the Dojo while I look for suitable accommodation. It was, quite simply, the only four walls and a roof we had available. However...
He produced another piece of paper
Kellar: I have this morning secured a lease on a furnished two bedroom maisonnette in South Croydon, and the landlord is happy for us to move in any time.
Wilson: Your Honour I must pro...
HHJ: You must do nothing Mr Wilson, you will speak through your counsel or not at all.
With a smirk, Kellar passed copies of the lease to the Judge and to the council's representative. They perused it for a while, then looked up.
Kellar: Is there anything else I can assist with?
---
On the concourse outside the Court, Sean O'Riley tapped his fingers. He looked over at some magazines, and picked one up.
Sean: How to please your man through the magic of shrimp and cucumbers...
The court door opened and Kellar strolled out alongside the councilman and their representative.
Lawyer: Mr Kellar, I can only apologise again. We should have investigated matters more thoroughly.
Kellar: I don't care about your apologies, where is my daughter?
Lawyer: On her way here now.
Kellar: Good.
Wilson: JON!!!!
Kellar turned to see Wilson bursting through the door. His face was red as a tomato, a picture of rage.
Wilson: YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS YOU LITTLE SHIT!!!
Kellar: You know, you always assumed the reason I didn't work for UltiMight properly was that I couldn't... never occurred to you that I just didn't want to.
Wilson: I swear I will...
Kellar: Sorry Mr Zookeeper, you just got outsmarted by the prize chimp.
Wilson: You will slip up Kellar... And when you do...
Kellar: You know, you may play golf with the resident judge but I know every security guard in this court and they know every orrifice someone can hide a bag of coke up...
Kellar smiled
Kellar: Please... Continue shouting.
Wilson shook with rage but said nothing, then pushed past Kellar and stormed towards the exit. Sean, fighting hard to contain his laugher, approached.
Sean: He is right though... I mean what did you net from selling the Dojo?
Kellar: I got screwed but it had to be a quick cash buy, £200k.
Sean: That doesn't even clear the mortgages you took out!
Kellar: No, but it pays off other debts, buys me some goodwill with the bank and with enough left over for the deposit and a few months rent on the maisonnette.
Sean: So you've bought yourself a few months, then what?
Kellar sighed
Kellar: Sean, I need you to take care of Melissa for a while
Sean raised an eyebrow.
Sean: What? After what happened?
Kellar: I'm sorry. It's just... I cant take her to Hong Kong....
Sean's eyes widened, and slowly his mouth broke into a smile.
Kellar: Don't, just don't...
Sean: I kn...
Kellar: If you utter any variation of the phrase "I knew it" I will slap you so hard you'll be drinking Guinness through your ear hole...
Sean: When are you leaving?
Kellar: Tonight... I spent some of the Dojo money on a plane ticket and a trailer in Kowloon Park. I'll send you and Melissa every penny I earn and be back before you know it.
Sean: Do you know who you'll be facing?
Kellar: Devotion said she'd tell me when I got there.
Sean: What's the pay packet?
Kellar: See above...
The two friends made their way towards the court exit just as a car pulled up. Melissa leapt from the car and ran towards her father.
Melissa: Daddy!!!!
Kellar knelt down and wrapped his arms around her, burying his head into her tiny shoulders and scrunching up his face as he tried to bottle up the flood of rage, relief, joy and sadness that filled him.
That it had come to this was almost heartbreaking.
A deep breath later he let her go and looked straight into her eyes.
Kellar: M. Daddy has some bad news...
