Just like in the movies, is how i described it to my husband. A break from the mundane.
It all started at breakfast.
Sliding glass doors leading to a lanai form the backdrop of our dining area on one side. The absence of curtains allows the morning sunshine to bathe us as we eat our usual unhealthy fare of spam, eggs, hotdogs and fried rice. Running late as always, I was a bit harried for my two trials scheduled at 8:30 a.m. in adjoining court salas.
Suddenly, BAM! What sounded like a fuse blowing up turned out to be a medium-sized, gray bird slamming on one of the clear glass doors. According to the maid, it just flew straight towards the glass and hit it hard. It was probably just stunned, but our two toy pups immediately pounced on the fallen bird and aimed for its jugular. Thus ended the life of the ash-feathered aviator.
At that point, my husband and I recalled having seen a movie where birds got disoriented and their internal compasses failed when the earth’s core stopped spinning. Ergo, the heroes had to drill deep and crank the planet’s core. Except that our glass doors are on the ground floor. Evidently, flying low at top speed is a big no-no even for birds.
Then there was this morning’s murder trial. I was private prosecutor and it was the defense’s turn to present their evidence. I expected one of the five accused to testify first and prepared for it. Alas, defense called somebody totally unexpected. He called a nondescript-looking, handcuffed prisoner who had apparently surrendered to the cops three days ago, claiming that he alone shot the victim! According to the defense counsel, the man will be seeking arraignment and will plead guilty to the murder. I had already presented four eyewitnesses who clearly identified all the perpetrators before resting my case. This man wasn’t even at the crime scene. Of course, I objected to such witness, on the ground that he wasn’t named during the pre-trial. And why was the witness-to-be already detained when he wasn’t even part of the Information? Is there even a commitment order for the guy? The private complainant and her family had no idea who the man was, yet he appeared to be sane. Talk about trying to throw my case to the gutter… Somebody must have watched that movie where a remorseful culprit would just come forward, admit to guilt, and excuse the protagonists from trial right there and then.
But that’s just showbiz, folks. In real life, trial may take years to finish.
In the afternoon, we went bowling. In the ten months or so that my husband has been a member of the Davao Tenpin Bowlers Association, he has won weekly tournaments and competed against a few national athletes. What he wished for, though, was to be part of the 800 club– an annual listing of those with a raw (zero-handicap) score of 800 for a set of four qualifying games. Whaddya know, he finally did it today.
It’s four hours until the day officially ends. Today has been more different than the other days. I might welcome some more strange in the hours to come just to cap it all off–but only if they are nice strange… And oh, i almost forgot to mention tonight’s lunar eclipse!
Could the fatally confounded bird, the disturbing witness, and Marc’s magical strikes, be connected to the lunar eclipse after all? On a second thought, i’ve probably been reading too much Harry Potter…
