Wednesday, July 10, 2013

The Chicken Fight

The judge’s chambers were just what you would expect.  The walls were clad in mahogany paneling and burgundy leather chairs lined the table. I was assisting my boss Max that day, as I had been on the job just two weeks and had only been a “real” lawyer for a few weeks before that.

We all stood as the judge entered the chambers. The judge was in his 70s and a little hunched over. He had a full head of white hair.  His craggy face bore a permanent scowl. Max whispered to me, “That’s Judge Wilson, a real ‘good ole’ boy’ who was raised in the country.”   “Jeez”, I thought, I’m glad I‘m not arguing in front of this guy.”

Max leaned over to me, “Dave, you’ve done all the research; I’m going to let you argue this.”  After recovering from the shock, I protested, “But Max, I’ve never argued in court.”  Max chuckled:  “I guess you’ll learn. And by the way Dave, I don’t think your arguments are going to fly.”  “Great”, I thought, “not only am I a novice, now I’m being told I have a bad case.”

Indeed, aside from my lack of experience, I had a bigger hurdle.  I represented the County and was arguing that cock-fighting was illegal, despite the fact that it had been going on openly in our town for over 100 years.  The County was fairly urban, but there was a substantial rural and agricultural population, and cock-fighting was a way of life.  The key to my position was that cock-fighting violated the laws prohibiting cruelty to animals.

After making my arguments and citing all the applicable cases, the opposition offered its self-assured rebuttal:  “Judge, we been doin’ this a long time and nobody ever stopped us. It ain’t cruel, it’s a sport.”

After the last arguments were made, Judge Wilson looked at the court file for a few minutes and stood up.  He looked at me and said, “That dog won’t hunt.” 
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I wrote this for the Week 85 Trifecta Writing Challenge where we are to write 33-333 words using the word “fly” in the context of something moving or passing. 

Your comments are appreciated.     

 

  

27 comments:

  1. Loved how this piece emanates the sights and sounds of the South. The dialogue rang true.

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    1. Thanks Morgan. Yeah, it's funny. This actually took place 30 years ago in west central Florida which was more urban than rural but still had many trappings of the "old south", remnants of which exist today.

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  2. The same type of debate goes on where I live as to whether fur trapping should be legal or not. It really comes down to the country folk bristling (I was so impressed when you used that word I wanted to use it too!) at the city folk telling them what's right and what isn't.

    Great piece!

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    1. That was essentially the debate. Ultimately, the "city folk" prevailed but it was a hard fought battle. Thanks for your comments Valerie. Btw, I didn't think bristle was an unusual word but now that I think about it, I don't hear it used much.

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  3. The judges one line of dialogue is priceless. Great approach to a really sticky subject!

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    1. Ha! I almost laughed when the judge said that. I hadn't heard that expression before although it's meaning is quite clear! ;)

      There is a much longer story surrounding this which I will write one day.

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    2. And thanks for your comments Jennifer.

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  4. This was a smooth, quick read. I always wondered why someone would want to be a lawyer. Now I get it. It's a game of wits - even if sometimes that dog won't hunt.

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    1. This was really a big deal in our city and as a 24 year year old "newbie" lawyer, I was thrust into the political debate as the unwitting pawn. After a newspaper story about how I was trying to shut down cock-fighting, I was not the most popular guy in town,at least, not among the country folk. Overall, it has always been an interesting job, though. Thanks Linda.

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  5. What a story! And what a situation to be thrown into! Nicely written Lumdog. :)

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    1. Thank you Suzanne. Yeah, this was my first case in court. In a way, it was good that I didn''t have to fret about it ahead of time.

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  6. Great pacing and realistic portrayal of the South. Love the judge's short but powerful line. Made me smile. :) Nice piece!

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    1. Thanks so much Ivy. I'd like to take credit for the judge's line, but he actually said that. I love those colorful southern expressions. If this piece were longer, there would have been more dialogue, which I love to write. I wrote a piece in November called "The Senator" which offers another story with some southern flavor.

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  7. I love your stories/essays. Perfect way to end the piece with that line of dialog. I once attended a cock fight. I can't remember where, though it was in the U.S.- Texas, TN? I don't know. I was very young. My father was curious about it. He let me tag along. I wish he hadn't. It made quite an impression on me. The roosters had blades attached to their feet, and they sliced the hell out of each other. It was awful. If that's not animal cruelty I don't know what is. Your post brought it all back! Great piece! I enjoyed your inner dialog..

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    1. Steph, thanks for your kind words. Ultimately, cock-fighting was determined to be cruel and we prevailed. Glad you liked the inner dialogue; I enjoy writing that stuff.

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  8. A lost case to start with with a judge like that.. But I do think it's animal cruelty if anything.

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    1. Thanks Bjorn. As I indicated to Steph, we ultimately won since this hearing was the first of many. In the judge's defense, if you are raised in that culture, it's just very hard to see the point of view.

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  9. You have a lot going on here, lumdog, but lightly and deftly handled.
    The judge's line is priceless. Great story!

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  10. Talk about trial by fire! The cynic in me wonders if your colleague hoped you'd hang yourself and he'd look good :) (I've worked with this type, and nothing is more satisfying than when they trip themselves up on their own feigned innocence.)

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    1. Thanks Janna, you hit the nail on the head. He realized we were going to lose, so it was better for him to have me take the heat.

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  11. Love your use of the prompt and the judge's pronouncement. Where did he get that line?

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    1. Thank you Sarah. I think it's an old southern expression, where someone's hunting dog just didn't do his job.

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  12. I think I need to add the judge's line to my repertoire of things to say.

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    1. Well, unless you are hanging with some crusty good ole' boys in the south, you might sound a tad out of place. But good luck. Thanks Bryan.

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  13. The dialogue is assuredly genuine. It's funny how it seems common to an Appalachian girl, though - so much so that it "tickles me" that these priceless conjectures aren't commonplace elsewhere! lol

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    1. Thanks for saying that Jody. I love indigenous colloquialisms and I try to use them in my writing. I've written another "southern" pice and a couple of Brooklyn pieces where I include these "jewels".

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