Family Law<\/p>\n
By Dewi Anggraeni<\/p>\n
Simon steps into the chambers still elated from the weekend
\nspent in close proximity with his new love. Paramita is not only
\nbeautiful, she is also intelligent. And what warms his heart even
\nmore is, she has a social conscience. She works for an NGO back
\nin Central Java, specializing in educating women about their
\nbasic rights in the community. No bimbos for him. He is, after
\nall, a young barrister with a progressive mind.<\/p>\n
David, the clerk, looks up over his computer monitor, picks up
\na brief and hands it to Simon.<\/p>\n
\"Morning Squire,\" he says, discreetly looking at his watch.
\nThe boy's late again.<\/p>\n
\"You have a family law case first thing in the morning there,
\nSimon,\" he continues, \"Judge Fairweather is presiding.\"<\/p>\n
\"Oh dear, what is it?\" asks Simon, opening the brief. My first
\nfamily law case. \"Hermann versus Hermann,\" he reads, turning
\ntowards his office.<\/p>\n
\"Restraining order,\" David's voice follows him. \"He's a Dutch
\nAustralian and she's an Indonesian woman. You're representing the
\napplicant.\"<\/p>\n
Simon feels his nerves, rendered sweet and gentle by the
\nweekend contact with Paramita, straighten out to full alertness.<\/p>\n
His instant sympathy towards one of Paramita's fellow women
\nmakes him grunt with righteous protectiveness. The brute must be
\nin the habit of bashing his wife to a pulp.<\/p>\n
The clock on the office wall warns him that he should be at
\nthe court house now, having a brief pre-hearing interview with
\nhis client. Slipping the brief into his briefcase, Simon reaches
\nfor his gown from the rack and rushes out.<\/p>\n
Sitting on one end of a bench, is a big, burly bulk with
\nthinning chestnut hair, his face rendered untidy by a five
\no'clock shadow. He is wearing a sky blue T-shirt with \"Don't
\nworry, be happy\" written across the front. On the other end of
\nthe bench, a petite dark-haired, brown-skinned young woman is
\nlooking the other way. Simon strides headlong to the woman,
\ngreeting her in the only Indonesian phrase he has learned from
\nParamita.<\/p>\n
\"Selamat pagi. You are, I presume, Mrs. Hermann?\" he asks
\ngenially.<\/p>\n
The women looks at him, slightly frowning.<\/p>\n
\"Yes,\" she replies, a little too petulantly for Simon's
\nliking.<\/p>\n
Poor thing. Anyone married to that brute would be in constant
\nbad mood. Simon gives her half a reassuring smile and continues,
\n\"I am Simon Gerard, your legal counsel.\" When Mrs. Hermann looks
\nsomewhat bewildered, Simon pulls the brief out of his case and
\nbegins, \"Now, about your application for a restraining order.\"
\nSimon tries not to look at the other end of the bench, \"I don't
\nthink you'll have any...\"<\/p>\n
\"Wait on, mate,\" a whining voice from the other end rudely
\ninterrupts him. Simon shoots a censorious look at him. \"Mate,\"
\nthe voice drones on, \"you've made a mistake there. I am the
\napplicant.\"<\/p>\n
Simon's mouth gapes for a second, then he quickly opens his
\nbrief and speed-reads it. Holly shovel! He is, too.<\/p>\n
Quickly readjusting his mood, then his expression, Simon says
\nto his client, \"Mr. Hermann, we need to have a brief talk,
\nprivately.\"<\/p>\n
Mrs. Hermann doesn't seem to hear. She is determined to stay
\nput. Simon casts a glance around and then makes a quick decision.
\n\"Let's go outside. There's a bench there.\"<\/p>\n
They are barely seated when a careful of brown-skinned women
\nscreeches to a stop right in front of them. Simon has the
\nsensation of seeing a nightmare coming true. Five Indonesian
\nwomen of differing ages step out before the driver rushes off,
\nobviously looking for a car park.<\/p>\n
Hermann apparently can see Simon's face, because he stands up,
\ntotally unfazed, saying, \"S' alright, mate. They're my in-laws.\"<\/p>\n
Of course I damned well knew they were your in-laws. You think
\nI'm an idiot? However, cool and composed, Simon replies, \"Yes, I
\nrealized that. You know what this means, don't you?\"<\/p>\n
Hermann turns to look at him with such puerility Simon's
\nannoyance gives way to pity. \"What, mate?\"<\/p>\n
\"It's bad enough to convince the judge why they should give a
\nrestraining order against your wife. Now with all her family in
\nfull force testifying against you.\"<\/p>\n
\"Oh no, mate! They're testifying against Melina, against my
\nwife.\"<\/p>\n
I'm not hearing this correctly. Simon turns to the women, who
\nby now are standing in a untidy circle around them. Maintaining
\nhis cool -- with difficulty -- he asks the oldest of them, \"Are
\nyou relatives of Mrs. Hermann's ?\"<\/p>\n
The women turns to a younger relative beside her and says
\nsomething in Indonesian. The younger woman then answers, \"Yes, we
\nare. And we have come to testify against Melina.\"<\/p>\n
Then they all seem to speak at once. Simon can only catch
\nwords like \"punched him in the face\", \"stabbed him with a rolling
\npin.\" Quietly he steps back inside to have a second look at the
\nwoman he thought was Mrs. Hermann. God Almighty. She's barely
\nfive foot one.<\/p>\n
\"Excuse me, please confirm this, Mr. Hermann,\" he says after
\npulling his client away from the crowd of feminine support he is
\nenjoying. \"The woman sitting on the other side of the bench just
\nnow was your wife. Am I right?\"<\/p>\n
\"Too right, mate! That's her, that's Melina alright.\"<\/p>\n
I'm dreaming this! No, they're having me on! Richard's
\npractical joke! My first family law case indeed!<\/p>\n
\"Do you have any evidence, I mean, any scars, bruises,
\nanything at all?\" Simon asks, completely forgetting that he has
\nsufficient witnesses to file a divorce suit.<\/p>\n
\"Bloody oath, I have.\" Then, without warning, he pulls his T-
\nshirt up, revealing a ghastly map of scars and bruises around his
\ntorso. Simon nearly touches him to confirm that they were not
\npainted on. But they are real all right.<\/p>\n
\"All right, all right. I believe you, Mr. Hermann,\" Simon
\nreassures him. Then, casting a glance around, he indicates to his
\nclient to cover up again.<\/p>\n
Why didn't Paramita tell me how assertive an Indonesian woman
\ncould be? Wait till I tell Richard this. Well, well! Speaking of
\nthe devil.<\/p>\n
Obviously frazzled but trying to keep his cool, Richard is
\nlooking around when Simon pats his shoulder. \"How're you, old
\nson?\"<\/p>\n
Richard looks relieved to see him. \"Don't ask! Had a row with
\nGenevieve about her mother, and didn't get to the chambers until
\nfive minutes ago. I'm looking for a client, a Mrs. Hermann.\"<\/p>\n
With admirable restraint, Simon indicates to the person, still
\nsitting on one end of the bench, seemingly refusing to
\ncommunicate with anyone. \"And,\" Simon is positively enjoying
\nhimself now, \"guess who I'm representing.\"<\/p>\n
\"Not Mr. Hermann?\" asks Richard, hamming horror.<\/p>\n
\"Himself.\" And Simon indicates the man.<\/p>\n
\"Well, Simon, old son. Prepare yourself to go down the
\ngurgler. The case is open and shut.\"<\/p>\n
\"Indeed. Let's go in.\"<\/p>\n
When they are seated after the ritual of standing for the
\njudge, Simon looks straight ahead, waiting for the judge to find
\na comfortable position in his seat. Richard is still holding his
\nbrief, convinced of a smooth proceeding.<\/p>\n
When the judge sees Mr. and Mrs. Hermann over the top of his
\nspectacles, he addresses Mrs. Hermann's legal counsel, \"I think
\nthis is a very straightforward case, Mr. Waterwood.\"<\/p>\n
Simon stands up and interrupts, \"If you permit me, your
\nhonor. With due respect, your honor. Can I bring to your honor's
\nattention, that my client, Mr. Hermann, is the applicant?\"<\/p>\n
The judge frowns but looks down to read the brief nonetheless.<\/p>\n
\"I see,\" he says quietly.<\/p>\n
Richard Waterwood looks incredulously at Simon, then quickly
\nreads his brief.<\/p>\n
The application is granted. Simon and Richard both breath a
\nsign of relief almost in unison, glad to walk out of this weird
\nexperience.<\/p>\n
When they file out of the court room, Simon and Richard see,
\nto their horror, Mrs. Hermann approaching her husband with a
\nhesitant, almost shy smile, and Hermann smiling back longingly.
\nGood grief, are they seeing things? Before they have time to warn
\ntheir respective clients, the relatives are already surrounding
\nthem.<\/p>\n
Richard manages to push his way to Mrs. Hermann's side,
\nfollowed by Simon, who tries to establish eye-contact with his
\nclient.<\/p>\n
\"Mrs. Hermann,\" Richard says emphatically, \"I must remind you
\nthat you've just had a restraining order served on you. You must
\nnot come within five hundred metres of you husband.\"<\/p>\n
Mrs. Hermann coolly turns around and gives her legal counsel a
\nlook of contempt, while her husband says, \"S' alright, mate. I
\nthink we've made up.\"<\/p>\n
Richard raises his eyes to meet Simon's. They both shrug and
\nwatch their respective clients walk out of the building, hand in
\nhand, still surrounded and talked at by the relatives.<\/p>\n
Simon rushes back to the chambers. He must ring Paramita.<\/p>\n
Dewi Anggraeni was born in Jakarta. She lives in
\nMelbourne with her husband and two children. She was the
\nAustralian correspondent for the defunct Tempo magazine and now
\nwrites for The Jakarta Post, Forum Keadilan and other
\npublications in Indonesia and Australia. Combining her skills as
\na journalist and novelist, her works have been published in both
\nlanguages in Australia and Indonesia. She has three books
\npublished in Australia, two novels, The Root of All Evil (1987)
\nand Parallel Forces (1988), and the third, a trilogy of novellas,
\nStories of Indian Pacific (1993).<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/family-law-1447899208",
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