A Story

As soon as the prosecutor and the judging panel entered the courtroom, those present rose to their feet. After opening the session, the presiding judge gave the floor to the prosecutor to read the indictment. The indictment contained many written pages, but it all boiled down to two lines: “You, the defendant, have stated that your children are better than the German’s.” When the prosecutor read these words, the defendant sprang indignantly to his feet. “Is this what you arrested me for? I said it and I will say it forever,” he said in a loud voice, shifting his gaze from the judging panel to the prosecutor, and then to the people in the courtroom. The presiding judge warned him not to speak without permission, and he sat down. The prosecutor finished the indictment and the presiding judge addressed the defendant: “Defendant, stand up and swear that you will tell the truth and nothing but the truth!” He stood up, relieved, as he was now familiar with the indictment and thought nothing of it. “I admit to the charge. I said it and I will say it all my life.” He began to explain: “During the war, we were building a bridge. The work was overseen by a young, handsome German officer. One day he received a package; with the package in hand, he went into the dormitory, and a few minutes later he came out dressed in a brand-new uniform. Over his bent arm he had draped his old uniform and shoes, and in his other hand he held a bottle of kerosene and a match. Seeing the clothes and shoes in his hand, I hoped he would give them to me, or at least the shoes, but no, it was not meant to be. He gathered all the workers in a semicircle, threw the clothes in a pile, tossed the shoes on top, sprinkled them with kerosene and set them on fire with a match. Ever since that day, I have hated him. My children are not like him. When my children have worn their clothes and shoes and no longer want them because they are old, they don’t burn them like the German did; they give them to me: ‘Take them, Dad, enjoy them.’” The courtroom erupted in tears of laughter; even the judging panel laughed. I remembered this story today when my children gifted me a new cell phone and didn’t give me one of their used ones.

Compose

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