Fields of Deceit.

The Lawyer’s office.. Marinus van Reymerswaele.. 1545.

Fields of Deceit.

“For the farmer sows his fields,

Of barley, oats or wheat,

While the Lawyer reaps fortune.

From fields of deceit.”

Play of one act, one set.

Characters : Brian Pascoe. Farmer / father.

Mr Crompton : his Lawyer..

Jilly..: Brian’s divorced wife.

Jilly’s father.

Scene..: A lawyer’s office set out in dark timber furniture with soft leather chairs and low lighting. Brian on one side of the desk with his lawyer on the other. Brian’s hand is clenched into a fist and he sits on the edge of his seat as the lawyer speaks.

Lawyer : “She’s got you on those points, Brian..First, you admit you’ve come home drunk and second you admit to striking the children…”

Brian : “But not both at the same time…bloody hell!…Yes, I’ve come home under the weather at times, but not blind drunk mind..and then only after some local event, like winning the district footy grand final say, or something like that…but I didn’t come home pissed and drag the kids out of bed and thump them if that’s what she’s implying…oh..I’d give them a clip around the ear’ole a couple of times for mucking about. . . “

(The lawyer tosses several pages of statement onto the desk and sighs as if in frustration of ever having these clients understanding the blunt instrument points of law.)

Lawyer : “ I know, I know, Brian..of course I know…we all of us know..but still the facts remain on the paper in black and white…Look.. It’s an old trick of evidence, I’ve used it myself at times..You take separate pieces of fact, they may be totally estranged from each other, and you bring them together to frame one picture  ( The lawyer speaks with the enthusiasm of  enjoying the game of law) like two negatives of photographs…one of a person and the other of a background..(he holds his arms up in front of them at eye level with his hands flat and moves them in a scissor motion) ..you bring them together and you have the person standing against the background…you see….it’s and illusion of evidence..and you cannot deny either frame..clever, eh?”

(The lawyer sits back and throws his hands up in acknowledgement. Brian sits silent…looks over the desk at the lawyer through narrowing eyes..he winces one eye in disgust and gives a slight shiver to his body in revulsion.)

Brian : “You people have got it all sewn up, haven’t you?” (he speaks quietly).

Lawyer : (looks surprised) “ What do you mean?”

Brian : “Never mind (waves hand to dismiss his comment) “What’s the third accusation she’s got on me?”

Lawyer : (reads from a form) “You struck her.”

(Brian looks down at his crossed legs with his foot “tapping” the air.)

Brian : “I…I gave her a back-hander once.”

Lawyer : “Rather vicious of you?”

Brian : “We were in the kitchen argueing..she was right in my face calling me all the names under the Sun…I was about to turn away lest she get me really mad..”Don’t you turn from me!” she shouted and went to hit me around the head and I automatically swung my arm up in defensive response and it struck her on the face..she gasped and wept…I DID feel my stomach knot up..but it was accidental and in the heat of the moment…I still don’t feel justified in that action…so in answer to your accusation…yes, it was..”

(The lawyer raises his eyebrows and settles back in his seat..there is quiet for a minute.)

Lawyer : “Well..you’ve got to realise she has those facts on her side..(he lifts finger up to count them off) A ; You have come home drunk..B : You have hit the children..and C : You did strike her.. (Brian raises his hand to interject but the lawyer held his up to stall him..) Hold on Brian..hold on..those are the facts that will be presented to the magistrate, you won’t be allowed to interject to explain in a broken-voiced, hesitant way..this isn’t the front bar of the local you are arguing a point in..as a matter of legal point, I’d advise against it if what you just said to me is the best you can do..all excuses will be irrelevant, those are the facts, like the negatives in the photographs I told you about, the final picture is the one the Family Court will see and adjudicate upon and if you can forgive me saying; a picture says a thousand words.”

(The lawyer finishes breathless..for although still a relatively young man, he already has the pale look of frail professionalism…there is silence in the room…the lawyer looks away to avoid Brian’s eyes. Brian casts his eyes around the well-appointed office..he nods his head in silent acknowledgement of all the signs of reward for success in the trickery of a school of thought that would slander a man and manipulate the facts and then present the mixture as truth and be blessed and rewarded for it he places his working hands on the desk and opens and clenches them, their hard calloused skin a sign of the evidence off his honesty…he replies in an angered tone.)

Brian : “NO!..Bugger it, Mr Cromptom..I won’t accept that, I’ll fight if only to clear my name. I’ll not accept those lies, I’ll not have it insinuated that I was a bad father…they’re lies..!” (He stabs his finger at the document in anger) no matter how clever they’re put into words or legal jargon…I’ll fight it..I’ll fight it!” (he pounds the desk with his fist..the lawyer gazes at the clenched fist…he sighs..)

Lawyer : “Well, Mr Pascoe..I’ll pass that information onto my opposite colleague and we’ll deliberate on the matter…but she’s a hard one is your ex…I’ll tell you that for free.”

Brian : “The first and last thing I’ll get free from you too…Right..but you make sure they understand” (he waves his finger in emphasis.)

Lawyer : “Well, that’ll do for now (he stands to shake hands) I’ll get back in touch with the results.”

(Here the stage darkens for a moment while a time lapse is managed..the next appearance is at a later date with both Brian and his lawyer at the same desk in the same office.. the lawyer is reading from a document..)

Lawyer : “ . . . and further to agree to drop all accusations of abuse against you, should you agree to sign over full custody…” (the lawyer stops short as Brian leaps to his feet.)

Brian : “AGREE!…(he is shouting) They agree…my oath they agree! (he nods his head in anger) My bloody oath they agree…as long as I sign away my children…sure they agree..that’s blackmail!!” (he raps his knuckles on the desk)

Lawyer : “Well (he sighs ) that’s how it stands at this moment.”

Brian stands straight..he takes a deep breath to steady himself and gather this thoughts.)

Brian : “ No it bloody well isn’t (he speaks with controlled anger.) ..not in a pink fit is isn’t!…” (he leans over the desk supported by his arms with clenched fists on the desktop.).. “But I’ll tell you how it is me ol’china, an’ I’ll tell YOU for free.. It’s doin’ the “Bobby Limb” every morning till it gets to be a habit and you forget what tired is, it’s when there’s too much work and not enough time and no-one to help and they keep piling on more till you’re bent double with responsibilities and prodded on to up-hold the lot. It’s when the crops failed or the sheep come down with some pox or other and it’s any excuse to die and the fridge can’t stay empty and kids need new shoes. It’s when the machinery needs to be overhauled and the wool cheques not in yet and the fence needs mendin’ because some bloody hoon’s crashed his car through it and pissed off an’ left you with another job to do. It’s when your hand’s gashed on the reaper’s teeth so it needs a dozen stitches and you have to work the bloody thing that same after-noon so the doctor gives you some painkillers an’ says you’re lucky you didn’t lose a finger or two and tells you to buy a ticket in “tatts”. It’s when you’re carrying some sort of physical injury big or small every fuckin’ day for years till you’re like some sort of sick animal. It’s the workin’ in the forty plus degree heat so you’re that beat when you get home but still get called “lazy” for not doing “your share” of the housework. It’s when you’re old and your hands are like claws for the arthritis in them and the only thing you can carry is a bloody stick.  It’s being accused of trying to keep them in their place so you throw your hand down on the table in exasperation of it all, your palm up so they can see the in-grained dirt and cuts and callouses and you say to “put your hand next to mine and tell me who knows their place!”. It’s society pointing the finger when the family goes bust and asks “what’s HE doing, why isn’t HE supporting his family?”. It’s the presumption that he’s some commodity that’s there for the privilege of people to work till he drops and screw what ever’s left from the corpse… Well, the presumption’s wrong. I’m no boozer, I’m no child abuser, I’m no wife beater and I’m not a bastard, Mr Crompton. I’m a working man, an honest man…” ( he stands solidly before the desk, anger reflected in his stance.)

(The lawyer’s secretary gingerly opens the door to enquire if all is alright…the lawyer shss’s her out with a grimace and assuring wave of his hand…he then settles with both fore-arms on his desk and stares at Brian.)

Lawyer : “Very heroic, Brian (he pushes a paper document toward him .) still..that’s their proposition..and I think I explained and you know the score (the lawyer turns side on to his client his body language shows a kind of contempt for these rough and crude working types..) you do realise, of course, if she presses ahead with these accusations, they could well be taken out of the civil court and placed into the hands of the criminal court.”

(Brian reads again the document, a silence falls over him..his shoulders drop in the realisation of the field of deceit he is up against…no labour of work can alter the legalese of the document…he looks trapped. He sighs and asks in defeat.)

Brian : “What do you advise, Mr Cromptom?”  

(stage darkens again as we have another managed time lapse..it re-lightens to see a group of people seated in the lawyers office.. Brian sits at the desk, in front of him is the form he is to sign that would give custody of the children to his wife. On his right sits his wife’s lawyer, then his ex-wife. Beside them and a little further back sits his wife’s father and mother..on his left sits an official from the Family court..Brian stares down at the document in resentful awe. The official points his finger to where Brian has to sign.)

Lawyer : “Just sign there Mr Pascoe.” (He speaks softly..Brian hesitates with pen and finger over the space…he is angry..he whispers to his lawyer..)

Brian : “ Bastards! Bastards!…it’s all wrong…I don’t want to sign I don’t…a document to control lives..it shouldn’t be so…a piece of paper over flesh and blood…no! it isn’t right!” (both his lawyer and the wife’s lawyer placed their fingers simultaneously on the dotted line where he was to sign…He started to write his name…all the time hissing under his breath..)” No, No…it’s not right…it just isn’t right!” ( he touches away tears of sadness in his eyes as he finishes signing his family name with a flourish. He drops the pen to the paper and falls back into the chair.)

(His ex-wife immediately jumps up in glee, crying in elation like a child.)

Wife : “Yippee!..Yippee!…I’ve won..I’ve won!” (she claps her hands together in elation.)

(The lawyers look to each other in silence and surreptitiously roll their eyes..her father winces and leans over to touch his daughter on the arm.)

Father : “Jilly..” (he speaks softly) Jilly…I don’t think..(he glances to the ashen face of Brian sitting in silence) ..I don’t think you realise what Brian has signed away..”

(Jilly shoots him a glance as if to kill…he shrinks back embarrassed and turns his face ashamedly away..Brian sits silently for a moment as the official straightens the papers and is about to dismiss them all. Brian pushes himself back and stands..the chair falls backwards onto the floor, he ignores it and makes impatiently for the door…as he passes out of the door, the stage darkens slowly to the cries of Jilly in a shrill voice calling..”I’ve won..I’ve won..I’ve won!”