Friday evening at the Bistro was always a vibe. Whether a group of friends or co-workers wanted to hang out, or a couple intended to bond over some drinks, this was the place to be, with good music, incredible lighting and a top-notch aura.

At one couples’ table, Natalie sat opposite Marty, who was dressed in smart Friday wear.

In the buildup to the date, she had successfully flushed away her initial concerns. There was no problem with her going out with a friend for a meal on a regular Friday evening; it was common stuff. Besides, she and Naphtali were done, and the likelihood was that he was probably out there with some new girl. Why did she have to remain in her shell and not live life? It made no sense.

As they were there, though, she wasn’t as talkative as she would have hoped. Lingering thoughts about Naphtali and work pressure had muted her.

And Marty noticed it after a while, watching as she kept her head down for a bit.

“You’ve been quiet tonight,” Marty prodded gently, his voice carrying the soothing tone she had grown accustomed to in the past couple of weeks. “Is everything okay with you?”

Natalie looked up, startled by his question. “Oh, sorry, Marty. Sorry. I’m okay. Just… a lot on my mind, you know.”

“Thinking about him again?” he asked, his tone pointed.

“No, no, no, actually,” she replied quickly, shaking her head vigorously. “I mean, sometimes, memories of him pop up in my head, but… not as much as before. I’m slowly but surely moving on with my life.”

“That’s good,” he smiled. “You know you deserve to move on, Natalie. That man’s in the past. You deserve someone who sees you for the wonderful person you are.”

Natalie nodded as she shifted in her seat. “I—I appreciate that, Marty. You’ve been so kind through all of this. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.”

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “You don’t have to thank me. Trust me. I care about you, Nat. More than you could ever imagine.”

The weight of his words landed heavily between them. She straightened slightly, a tint of wonder occupying her brain.

That sounded extremely sweet, yet at the same time, it seemed to suggest something else.

Something… deeper than just concern for a friend.

“Umm… Marty…” she began, her tone uncertain.

“Nat, listen. I’ve been meaning to tell you something,” he started, cutting her off gently. “I know this is going to blow you off course, but… it’s something I’ve been holding in for far too long. And in light of certain… personal circumstances, it behooves me to do this.”

Natalie’s tummy turned over as he took a deep breath, ready to admit whatever it was.

“Natalie, I really, really like you. More than I should, maybe. And I know this might be unexpected, but for some time now… chale, I’ve been thinking… wishing, really… that I… that I’d met you first before I met my wife.”

Natalie’s eyes widened, and she pulled back instinctively. “What?”

Now this was a wild claim to make.

He nodded, his expression earnest and somewhat morose. “Look, I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, and I’m sorry if I already have, but… the truth is, I’ve been unhappy for a long time. That woman, she’s turned the house into a boxing ring. Every day, unnecessary fight after unnecessary fight. It’s been so frustrating. That’s not what I signed up for when I got married to her, but… that’s my reality at the moment. And you have no idea how awful it is. Yeah, it’s that bad.

“It’s when I got closer to you that… I realized what I was missing. You’re smart, kind, beautiful. You’ve been through so much, and yet you still manage to light up a room. It’s amazing, Nat. simply amazing.”

She let out a shaky breath, trying to process his confession. Her eyes were on the wedding band on his left hand, her eyebrows furrowed, thinking long and hard about this new set of developments.

I can’t believe this. He likes me? Like, he actually likes me? As in, like-like? How? Is this why he’s constantly checking up on me or something? Is he telling the truth?

“Marty,“ she finally whispered after a while, “this is… a… a lot to take in. A whole lot to take in.”

“I know,” he replied quickly. “And trust me, I’m not asking you to make any decisions tonight. I just needed to tell you how I feel. Because… I think we could have something real, Natalie. Something worth taking a chance on.”

Her lips twitched as she searched for the right words. “I… I don’t know. This is complicated. Y-y-you’re married. That’s a big matter.”

“And I’m looking to change that,” he responded, his tone resolute. “What I’ve gotten myself into, it’s crazy. You’ll understand in due time. But I’m working on that. Nat, trust me, we’re all going through crazy stuff. And see, I was thinking to myself a while back that God does mysterious things. Else, how come we’re connecting at this period in our lives? You know I’ve been coming to the court for years now. I never moved to you like this, did I?”

Natalie shook her head.

“Exactly. It was only when this craziness happened that our paths crossed and we’ve gotten this close. Nat, trust me, it’s written in the stars. Obviously, I want you to think about it. But… but this could be the start of something real and beautiful.”

Natalie sighed and looked away, her stomach twisting with unease. As logical and sensible as it sounded, she still felt very edgy about this. “Ummm… I need time, Marty. I can’t—this isn’t something I can decide on right away.”

He reached across the table, his hand brushing against hers. “Take all the time you need,” he assured softly. “I’ll wait.”

She nodded softly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

***

“Hihihihihihihi! Oooooooooh, you’re such a naughty boy!”

“Oh, I know, baby. I know.”

Elias squeezed his eyes shut in utter frustration, using every sinew of willpower in him to keep from screaming at the ceiling above him.

Just when he thought he was done with all this foolishness, it was back with a vengeance.

Felix and Yaa were at it again. Drooling all over each other and doing the deed loudly.

At this point, he could tell Yaa did not need to be that loud, but she was doing it mainly to piss him and the Aubynns off. The stupid girl was deliberately squealing at the top of her voice to get back at them for throwing her out of the house the last time.

For all her harebrained folly, this was one extremely spiteful way to get her revenge. And it only made her more unlikable. Not that she was looking to be anything else, though.

Sighing out loud, Elias grabbed his phone, opened WhatsApp and moved straight to Akyaa’s chat.

Chale, these idiots at the top are really pissing me off. The way Yaa wants to moan like some idiot porn star bi. Kmt…

It didn’t take long for Akyaa to respond.

They just don’t learn sense, do they? Maa is so fed up she’s talking about calling the landlord again.

Elias shook his head as he replied.

Oh, forget. He won’t do anything about it. He never does.

The next response: Yeah, you’re probably right. But chale, this is just getting ridiculous.

“Really, really ridiculous,” Elias muttered to himself, doing his best to mentally block out the irritating fake moans.

Another message arrived from Akyaa.

I bet you Yaa’s going to blow up at Felix soon though. Next two weeks, give or take.

Elias stifled a laugh.

She wasn’t joking. It was very likely that would happen. The foolishness of Felix clearly hadn’t gone anywhere, meaning he was more than likely to cheat on Yaa again and get caught.

Snickering as he responded, he said it out loud. “Only a matter of time, my dear. Only a matter of time.”

***

“I’m dealing with a motion to set aside a judgment entered in default. The applicant is arguing they weren’t properly served under Order 7 of the High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules, but the respondent claims service was valid, citing substituted service by publication in the Daily Graphic. What’s your take?”

“That’s a tricky one. It’ll depend on whether the substituted service complied strictly with Rule 8. Did the respondent provide an affidavit showing they had exhausted all means to serve personally before resorting to publication?”

“Not convincingly, to be honest. The affidavit is weak—it doesn’t establish due diligence in trying to locate the applicant.”

“Then I’d say the service is most likely defective. The courts have been clear in so many cases. If due diligence isn’t demonstrated, substituted service cannot stand.”

“That’s what I was leaning toward, but I wanted a second opinion. Thanks, Amankwah. You’ve been a big help.”

“Anytime, Paul. Keep holding the line.”

As Justice Paul ended the call, he nodded in satisfaction. It was always good getting a second opinion from his friend, Justice Thomas Amankwah. From group discussions in law school to discussions as judges, they had come a long way.

Bolstered in his brief chat, he turned to the law reports on his desk when his phone buzzed.

The sender was listed as “Private Number.”

His brow furrowed. Opening the message, his expression darkened as he read it:

“Justice Paul, it seems you still have not reconsidered our earlier proposal. I urge you to think carefully about the benefits of a more… cooperative approach. It’s a win-win for all parties. You know how to reach me.”

Paul’s jaw tightened, and he took a deep breath to steady himself. This was obviously the same person who had called a few days ago, trying to sway him with unethical offers.

He didn’t seem ready to give up on convincing him. Too bad his persistence was nothing but an exercise in futility.

He quickly typed out a response:

“Your suggestion is both inappropriate and unwelcome. I have no interest in further communication. Do not contact me again, or I will report you to the police.”

After hitting send, he navigated to his phone’s settings and blocked the number. Tossing the phone onto the desk, he leaned back in his chair, exhaling sharply.

“This nonsense again,” he muttered. “Do they think Ghana’s judiciary is for sale? They’ve hit a brick road with me. I’m not compromising any integrity for anything. Not now or over.”

Whoever is behind this bribery attempt isn’t giving up. Don’t give in, Justice Paul! And for Marty… what a cliche claim to make. Natalie better not fall for that nonsense…