Breach Of Promise

Courtney: I… I am now.

Ignacio: Would you mind changing seats? Bob won’t mind.

Courtney: Good idea.

Movement.

Bob: Heard you were hard up for company, Kev. Or maybe it’s your deodorant.

Kevin: So the young buck’s got some spirit in him after all.

A few more comments, a few complaints about having to return for another day, and they adjourn.

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25

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Jury, Day Two, Morning:

Mrs. Lim: I thought a lot last night. It seems to me we talked all day yesterday about the superficial evidence. What about the deep thing that kept this couple celebrating anniversaries for twenty years?

Bob: And off we go for another grand tour on the Love Boat.

Mrs. Lim: They shared family. Remember his niece called her “aunt.” They had a home, a life, a business together. They relied on each other to make big decisions. They presented themselves as husband and wife.

Maribel: Which is more than you can say for some married people.

Mrs. Lim: So why wouldn’t she believe what he told her and follow his advice? Why shouldn’t she compromise sometimes, bend to him. She loved him, thought they would be together for life, and in an old-fashioned manner, showed her respect for him as a man by letting him have things his way.

Papers shuffle.

These two people were very close on every level. They understood each other very well. After all those years living together as though they were legally bound, we now know she was lulled into a false sense of security, yes. But even he said he always promised her he would take care of her. Because she loved and trusted him, she believed him. I believe he meant those words when he spoke them, too. You see? They had agreements, and they were very explicit agreements, mutually understood.

Grace: They understood each other, that’s right.

Courtney: You’re saying they really had a marriage of true minds.

Mrs. Lim: Yes.

Ignacio: That looks on tempests and is never shaken.

Courtney: You like Shakespeare?

Ignacio: It was my mother’s favorite sonnet.

Kris: Hello? (She raps on the table.) Can we save the romance for Saturday night?

Mrs. Lim: And how about this? See, it says right here. “The law protects a partner in business against someone who breaks his word. They should each take their share.” She was an equal partner. They had desks right by each other. He broke many promises. The law should protect her.

Cliff: What’s that you’re reading?

Mrs. Lim: My notes from the trial.

Cliff: I don’t think that was testimony, was it? That sounds like one of those lawyers during the arguments.

Bob: And I thought we agreed the lawyers are as full of self-interest as the parties in this conflict, so beware.

Cliff: I believe we are supposed to ask the judge to have anything read back from the transcript.

Kris: Oh, let’s not do that. Then we go back into the court, and come back here. That’ll take forever.

Cliff: We should not rely on our memories if we’re not sure about something.

Mrs. Lim: Listen, Mr. Wright, my notes are accurate! Are you saying I made this up?

Cliff: Mrs. Lim, no need to get so emotional. Of course your notes are not intentionally wrong. Anyway, we’ve gotten way off the track here. Where’s the piece of paper that shows they had a marriage? They didn’t, and all the talk about how they lived is beside the point.

Mrs. Lim: I completely disagree.

Cliff: Well, if you insist, I’ll call the bailiff. Let’s see if the reporter can read that part of the statement back to us. Oh, and while we’re at it, let’s ask for a little clarification on mutual consent. Mrs. Lim said she wasn’t sure they were agreeing to the same thing…

Mrs. Lim: No, Mr. Wright. I said I was sure they were agreeing.

Bob: You know, Mrs. Lim, it strikes me you are taking all of this very hard. Why beat yourself up about Lindy Markov? What’s in it for you?

Mrs. Lim: That kind of comment doesn’t merit an answer.

Shuffling noises.

Kris: Do we have to go do this? Can’t we just vote again?

They leave the room for a half hour. Before they return, they break.

Cliff: I’m sure we all feel clearer now that we’ve heard the transcript read back.

Diane: As if it’s suddenly clearer the second time!

Cliff: Apparently, what Mrs. Lim was reading came from Nina Reilly’s opening statement, and her words were almost, but not entirely accurate, so I’m glad we got that figured out. Now, let’s remember the judge said that things said by the lawyers are not evidence unless they are supported by other evidence. We can’t just assume they can prove what they say…

Mrs. Lim: There was plenty of proof. Plenty. He made promises. He broke them. He pretends to forget about them. Isn’t that convenient? You think he doesn’t remember getting down on his bended knee and promising to love her forever in that church? You think he doesn’t remember they started off sharing everything or that he introduced her as his wife a million times? He’s ashamed of himself, but he’s set the wheels in motion and now he’s too stubborn to backtrack.

Diane: It’s true. He really wiggled up there.

Grace: He looks bad in general. Did you see the picture in the papers this morning of him outside the courthouse?

Diane: It’s hard to believe he ever punched his way out of a paper bag.

Cliff: I have to remind you, we’re not supposed to be reading the papers. The judge said…

Grace: We just looked at the pictures, right Diane?

Diane: Who has time to read that drivel? I’ve got better things to do. I’m in training for Mt. McKinley. Three hours a day on the stair-climber, two on a bike, running…

Grace: I think he has a lot to hide. He knows he done her wrong. He must just hate himself.

Courtney: I didn’t trust him. All those years he introduced her as his wife. Every time it was a lie, and that’s according to his own viewpoint!

They talk about the video in court that showed him doing just that, and how Mike Markov did not seem surprised to see it.

Ignacio: I believe he knew in his heart he was a married man. But the business-well, the lawyer referred to it as “their child.” It’s like a custody battle. He’ll say anything to stay in control of that.

Kevin: All of that’s completely beside the point. Doesn’t matter if he lied. Doesn’t matter if he’s a cad. We’re here because Lindy Markov wants his money. And I have yet to hear the reason we ought to give it to her, besides that he gave her kisses and hugs and said a few things over the years he didn’t mean and has lived to regret.

Bob: I resent all this valuable time spent over an issue that’s just… frivolous! Has anyone considered how much both of those rich people are paying all those lawyers? Why, there were times during this trial when there were four or five people sitting at the table on each side. How much do lawyers make? A couple hundred thousand a year? That’s practically a million bucks right there, because it probably took them minimum a year to prepare for this trial. Plus, there’s the judge, the reporter, the court clerk… we pay for them out of our taxes!

Maribel: And let us not forget the little people.

Bob: That’s right. We’re putting in a whole lot of sweat equity here. And what are we getting out of it?

Kevin: Why, Bob. We have the sweet satisfaction of being an integral part of justice in America.

They laugh.

Cliff: Let’s get back to our earlier discussion. We spent a lot of time discussing Mike Markov’s testimony. But whether he lied is not the issue. The issue is, does Lindy have a leg to stand on?

Diane: You know, I just can’t let this go by. Every time you refer to Mike, you call him Mike Markov. Every time you refer to her, you just call her Lindy. Has everyone else noticed that?

Bob: What difference does it make?

Diane: He sounds more important.

Cliff: I’m sorry, Diane. I really am. If I did that, it was unconscious.

Diane: The worst part of it is, I believe you. You are so unaware of the way you are stampeding this woman, and many of the women here right into dust.

Maribel: Will you please quit being my champion, Diane? I do not feel stampeded. You have such a nerve.

Kevin: Ladies, and Diane, I can see this is hard for you. You see a man who has tossed off a good woman. But where, oh, where is it written that he should pay for that for the rest of his life? They had a good run. Now it’s over.

Frank: She needs to forget about him and move on.

Bob: I say we help her along by giving her a kick in the rear end.

Kris: You know what? I’d like to vote again.

Diane: You’re giving up.

Kris: She’s got her rich friends to bail her out. I need to get back to my kids, and in terms of the universe, who cares whether she walks away rich or poor. She’ll toil along like the rest of us.

Diane: Is this the way it works? Somebody wants to go home, so we let Lindy Markov down?

Kris: Diane, I wish I was holier than thou. But I’m not. I’m just a person, trying to scrape by. And I do not have time for this.

Diane: You know what? Up to now I had a shred of faith in the jury system. People would ask me, shouldn’t a smart judge be the one to decide? Why waste everyone’s time? And I’d say, well, a