MY FATHER GOES TO COURT
By Carlos Bulosan
There was a family that lived in a small town on the Island of Luzon. Their father’s farm had been destroyed in 1898 by one of the Philippine flood. They had a very rich neighbour with two children that sudden came out of the house. Their rich neighbour also had a tall house that his children could look in the window of their house and watched them played, slept or eat, when they have food to eat.
The rich man’s servant usually cooked special foods and the children smell the yummy aroma of the food. They always stay in the window to smell the spirit of the food. Then days passed, and the rich man’s children got thin and anaemic while the happy children, got robust and full of life.
One day, the rich neighbour look at them one by one. My sisters, my brothers and then he banged down the window and immediately shut all the windows. From that day they never see the children once again. The window of the neighbour’s house were always closed. But still, they can smell the aroma of the food the servants were cooking.
One morning a policeman from the presidencia came to their house with a sealed paper. The rich man had filled a complaint against them. His father took him to th town clerk and asked what is the complaint all about. Then the man claimed that we are been stealing the spirit of the rich man’s wealth and food.
The day comes that they need to appear in court. They are the first to arrive and then his father sat on a chair in the centre of the courtroom while his mother occupied the chair by the door. The children sat on a long bench by the wall. The rich man arrived. He had grown old and his face was scarred with deep lines. With him was his young lawyer. Spectators came in and almost filled the chairs. The judge entered the room and sat on a high chair. They stood up in a hurry and then sat down again.
The judge asked if the father has a lawyer with him and the father replied that he do not need one. The lawyer of the rich man start it with a question. The father agree that they inhaled the spirit of the food. He also agree that he’s children grow strong and limb while the rich man’s children grow thin and pale. He ask if he could see the complainant’s children. Then, the children arried shyly in the courtroom looking thin and pale. The father asked the judge if he could do examine the complaint, then the judge let him. He asked questions to the complaint that agree on all if it. The father walked across the room of the hall with the judge permission. In his hand is a hat full of coins. The sweet tinkle of the coins carried beautifully in the courtroom. The spectators looked at it with wonder. The father asked the complainant if he heard the spirit of the money, the complainant answered yes. The father then said that they are paid.
The rich man tried to talk but then he fell on the floor without a sound and his lawyer rushed to his aid. The judge pounded his gravel and said that the case dismissed. The father asked asked the judge if he want to hear his family laugh. The judge agree to hear it and then they started laughing their heart out that is started with his sister. The rest followed but the judge was the loudest of them all.
Answer the following question:
1. What was the rich man’s accustion against the father?
2. If you were the judge, what would be your judgment?
3. If you were the father, would you do the same Why?
4. Why did the judge dismiss the case?
5. What lesson did the rich man learn from this experience?
Answer:
Sstealing the spirit of the money
