It all started out well. I pleaded my case to the judge, my lawyers backing me up as well as they could. The snag came when the judge had started asking Hogger follow-up questions. I did all I could to contain my rage during this time.
“So, Mr. Hogger”, the rather weighty judge said, “I see that you have served this man some raw meat at your establishment, which resulted in a horrible case of salmonella, which has been stated had almost claimed the mans life. What do you have to say to that allegation?”.
“Fine judge,” which the beast seemed to dribble, “I do not mean to dishonor your court with this petty trial. All I can say is I simply sell proteins that are not prepared for consumption. I run a modest butchery, not a restaurant. The man ate the raw poultry completely on his own accord and stupidity, and not by any fault of mine”.
I had argued against this. If the beast didn’t plan on his customers eating in his building, why did he insist on placing tables and chairs inside it? Surely, this was a formidable defense. Hogger, however, was not swayed.
“I have those chairs and tables there for the consideration of the customer. On rather busy days, it is not uncommon for there to be a long wait for service at my establishment. The chairs are for sitting and waiting comfortably, and the tables are to rest your weary arms on, if you deem fit”.
The judge then seemed to turn on me. He gave me glances as if I was a child who had no idea what I was doing. I tried throwing out every piece of evidence I had. The judge said he had heard all he needed to, and ruled in favor of Hogger. I had lost my chance at revenge, and made myself look like a fool trying to obtain it.
“So, Mr. Hogger”, the rather weighty judge said, “I see that you have served this man some raw meat at your establishment, which resulted in a horrible case of salmonella, which has been stated had almost claimed the mans life. What do you have to say to that allegation?”.
“Fine judge,” which the beast seemed to dribble, “I do not mean to dishonor your court with this petty trial. All I can say is I simply sell proteins that are not prepared for consumption. I run a modest butchery, not a restaurant. The man ate the raw poultry completely on his own accord and stupidity, and not by any fault of mine”.
I had argued against this. If the beast didn’t plan on his customers eating in his building, why did he insist on placing tables and chairs inside it? Surely, this was a formidable defense. Hogger, however, was not swayed.
“I have those chairs and tables there for the consideration of the customer. On rather busy days, it is not uncommon for there to be a long wait for service at my establishment. The chairs are for sitting and waiting comfortably, and the tables are to rest your weary arms on, if you deem fit”.
The judge then seemed to turn on me. He gave me glances as if I was a child who had no idea what I was doing. I tried throwing out every piece of evidence I had. The judge said he had heard all he needed to, and ruled in favor of Hogger. I had lost my chance at revenge, and made myself look like a fool trying to obtain it.
I love this section in your e-novel. I really like that you are completely open with it all. I could totally picture the part where you said that the judge turned on you in my head. Keep up all of the good writings.
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