Characters: wife, husband, and mother. Spectators: the public from the courtroom, judges, and some lawyers. Reason process: an old woman and one, maybe ill; his mother claims her only son, a man in full strength, healthy and sturdy, help her to live decent, her last years. Just ask the unwritten laws of humanity. According to them, she addressed the court to do justice. That is, to force the son, an engineer with a well paid job, so maintain the mother.
As expected, the court awarded in favor of the applicant, as they say in the language of lawyers.
So far, nothing special. A civil lawsuit, like so many others.
Accustomed to such cases, judges were hurrying to move to another folder, considering the case solved. But our story starts now ...
Upon hearing the sentence, "too friendly" daughter- in-law of old woman was caught simply by a fit of anger; seemed a blatant injustice, her husband to bring home, payday, less than the few hundred dollars, the tribunal decided to give her son month, to his old mother, for expenses maintenance. And then, in front of the room, she began to crying, to insults mother-in-law, blaming her for pettiness.
Those present, stunned by this output, it looked amazing and justified contempt.
Eventually, of course, the court had to call to order and to warn that if peace will not be enforced the law. Of those present were heading now towards the man. Sentenced by most for his attitude reprehensible, pitied by others because the wife had as the classic shoe, the man was silent and just stared into the ground.
If, at that time, the three had left the room, things would have stopped there, leaving only the present meeting with a bitter taste of an event that did not honor human nature. No one could have known what happened but, old soul ?! Until then there had never been to court. He looked at the faces of the room, looked at the judges, clearly all the same reproach to her son. And covered it a legitimate and painful sense of remorse, shame, shame on him. Something in her soul rebelled and refused to leave it at that. He would like foreign men to regard her son as a jerk, a jerk. He asked so to speak, to protect him from such unjust suspicion.
- I ask to be forgiven, she began, but do not think my son is a bad man at heart. I know him better than anyone. Not to bore me inhuman and from him I cry myself tribunal. I would not have done it if he would have called. And you'll see why ...
A silence filled with eager attention settled down in the hall. Overwhelmed engineer eyes dropped down when his wife suddenly appeared, and she listened, amazed.
- I am a simple woman, continued the old lady though encouraged by the attention of the room. I worked long and hard to live and to grow on him. They were then hard times right after the Great Depression. I was alone all my life, I never had a man. And you see, again, why. The boy wore always nice to me: it was good, I listened, learned my ass off to make future; also had a good head, do not talk. Then, when it was bigger, worked, and made sense and he took care of me. When he married, I thought I could be of help in the home, children. I'm just used to work. It was not long, however, and saw that my daughter-in -law "tangling" more and more of me around the house, although they had a good house, spacious. As children ... not want to have ... One time I endured stings. He did not say anything. I saw that works, that sees its work. I knew him well and saw where I enjoyed working for him. I did not want to upset him with mine. Besides, in the presence of him my daughter-in-law wear otherwise. But he could just leave in the morning and evening. Sometimes he went through other cities. Stay at home with daughter-in-law, she does not work. When not doing various things in the kitchen, I would sit in my corner somewhere, to no upset at all. All day silent, hoping that things will go for the better. But did not go well! Do not say everything happened. Enough that, after a while, fights broke out between them. The reason I was. Eventually no longer feared me. For the wife, money was the most important thing for which she lived, ate the illusion that money gives control over her life and others. One day to my son she shouted: "Either me or your mother! Choose ".
At that moment daughter-in-law, under the hostile entire room, I had to go look.
- In short, continues old, I could not bear. My son loved and I had wanted to separate my account. But what could I do? I found somewhere a little house and I moved. But, I felt alone in the world loud now! Work could not: I am old. However, I have not given up. I was trying to assure basic needs doing various things on my neighbors, walked their dogs, but I stayed with children at a time aging and I got sick and I had to stay longer in bed. I went over to their house very rare. My son, what I say, so how can I help. But his wife kept strictly counting the money he was earning. Very soon broke out and fights. Then, thinking that doing a good boy guided me to address the court. Not to be his wife says, because if that will decide the law, he can not do otherwise ... Seeing how you look at it, I was sorry that I listened. Know that it is not a bad man at heart ... Can not tell you this, but I endured heart when I heard his wife screaming here those terrible things about me ...
Old hesitated. He wiped his tears and trembling hand as if remembering a thing distant stories on with an obvious sense of relief.
- And I want to tell you something ... something I have not said before, anyone .. Even my son, because I did not embitter him ... I, I think, about 18 years old, well I do not know. We were a bunch of kids from their parents. One day, I was in the forest near the town where I lived with my parents because I had to gather dry wood for the fire, I heard a whimper. At first I was scared and not knowing what I started to run. Then I explained. It was a whining child. He was only a few weeks. Some, not even a man. What was I to do? I took him gently in his arms. I also cried. I let him pile of wood and chest, I ran home. At the edge of the woods I stopped. I had fear. I put the baby down. He immediately began to cry louder than before. I broke into a run to not hear it. But I stopped soon; I watched his crying. I'm back. He looked at me with pleading some with little eyes so that I have not the heart to leave him there.
When I saw my father home, was stunned. I cried to go where the child know that's not right. My father was a hard man and unyielding. And seeing me as caregivers, entered the suspicion. He thought that it be mine and I hid the truth. Maybe drunk that day, we took the beating and my mother and me. Wed began to be my dear child and did not know what to do. Finally, I decided to go home with him. What will be, it is !, I thought ... I was not easy! Nowhere did not want to take me with him. Let him, I endured. But I was ashamed to tell someone that's not my child. Who would have thought it? When I finally found, some benevolent people who welcomed me, boy, I have been able, if I would have asked her to work just to earn my food and child and have a shelter. I raised myself. The show was not. Who was to look at a poor woman, with a child over? No one asked me to marry him. I had him, my sun. He grew sturdy, as you see it ...
Here, the old silent disconcerted. He could not speak. Tears started flowing down his cheek. Among sobs just added this:
- If this woman had so sorry after morsel that gives me my son, I declare that I want to get anything from him and withdraw my complaint ... is a silence in the room. People wiped his eyes furtively ...
This was the story. Son, overwhelmed by emotion, approached the old woman, hiding her face in her hands rough. His wife got up and left the room disconcerted. I do not know if left next to a man who would bring home a few hundred dollars less, but I know him, "foundling in the forest" will not be able to live apart from one who was a mother so hi there.
foto credit: google.com
HAVE A NICE DAY !!!!
