I’m Fine . . . Really!

By Jeremy Gulley

Sometimes I judge other people too quickly. I tend to project my own opinions and ideas rather than looking deeper to get to the real story. People have their own lives and reasons for doing what they do. I think that if I cut through the surface to see each person’s real story I would be less likely to judge and more likely to understand them.

Every person has a story. By taking the time to hear the truth, I think I would be better off, and so would they.

For example, one time there was a man named Mr. Andrews, who was on trial for lying to a police officer at the scene of an accident. At his trial, the prosecuting attorney, a young, overzealous man just out of law school, tried to lay the pressure on hard to show Mr. Andrews as the liar he obviously was.

“Mr. Andrews,” said the attorney “is it true you told the officer at the scene of the accident that you were ‘fine’?”

Mr. Andrews took a deep breath and replied, “yes, but I . . .”

The attorney cut off Mr. Andrews, “just answer the question, please; we do not need an explanation! Did you or did you not tell the officer that you were ‘fine’ and are you now saying you are not fine?”

“I said I was fine,” replied Andrews, “but I . . .”

The attorney then turned to the judge and said, “your honor, I am merely trying to establish that Mr. Andrews told the officer at the scene of the crime that he was ‘fine’ but is now trying to change his mind so that he can get money from my client and the insurance company. Please tell him to answer the question.”

The judge looked at the attorney, and then turned to Mr. Andrews. “I want to hear the rest of the story. Please continue.”

Mr. Andrews took a deep breath, closed his eyes and began his story. “You see,” he began, “I had just loaded up my best cow Bessie in my trailer and was on my way to town to go to market.

As I was driving, out of nowhere a big tractor-trailer ran through an intersection and hit my truck in the side so hard it threw Bessie into one ditch and me into the other.”

Mr. Andrews opened his eyes and took another breath. After a few seconds he continued, “You see, I could hear Bessie moaning and wailing in the ditch, but I couldn’t see her. I was hurt so bad I couldn’t get up to go check on her, but I sure could hear her.

Then a highway patrolman came and I could see him go over and check on Bessie. Bessie was still wailing pretty bad, and I heard the officer ask her how she was feeling. Bessie moaned loudly, and the officer took out his pistol and shot Bessie dead.

Then I watched him walk across the road to where I was laying. He looked down at me with his gun still in his hand and asked me how I was feeling.

Now, what the heck would you say!?”

Short URL: http://osawatominews.com/?p=1050

Posted by admin on Mar 23 2011. Filed under Jeremy Gulley, Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry