THE DECISION THAT MADE THE COURTROOM QUIET
The whole courtroom went quiet when the bailiff shouted out the case number.
“Case 14-CV-9921: Henry and Margaret Dalton against their sons Michael, Aaron, and Travis.”
People were talking in whispers. The judge even looked over his glasses to see the two old people gently getting up from the front row.
Henry Dalton was ninety years old, and his bones were as thin as twigs under his clothing. His wife, Margaret, who was ninety-one, moved more slowly but with astonishing steadiness. The fluorescent lights made their gray hair look like halos.
By now, everyone had heard the story.
Three
A ten-acre piece of land worth millions.
And parents were taken to court when they were about 100 years old.
Michael, their oldest kid, stood proudly at his table. Aaron, with his jaw set, and Travis, with his eyes cold, were next to him. All three of them looked like wolves stalking their prey.
The judge cleared his throat.
“Okay. You three, the plaintiffs, are suing your parents for giving you their land. Is this right?
“Yes, Your Honor,” Michael answered in a calm voice. “We think we have a right to the property they own.”
The
“And you? Do you know why you’re here?
Henry nodded, but not very hard. Margaret held his hand tightly.
“Yes, Your Honor,” she responded in a gentle voice. “We know… more than they think.”
The boys laughed. They thought the old couple would give up. How could two weak parents battle three grown men, three lawyers, and a lot of paperwork?
But no one knew what was going to happen.
Not even the judge.
THE REASONS
Michael’s lawyer started a long, well-spoken speech:
“The sons of Dalton bought this land. They worked on it all through their childhood. They are entitled to get what would have been theirs anyway—
Margaret
He went on, “And at their senior age, Mr. and Mrs. Dalton can no longer take care of or manage this property. The rights should go to—
The judge remarked firmly, “That’s enough.” “Let me hear from the guilty people.”
Everyone looked at the aging couple.
Henry tried to get up, but his knees gave out. The people in the courtroom gasped. Margaret quickly put her arm around his and helped him stand up straight.
She whispered to him, “We’ll talk.”
They stood together in front of their three sons.
THE TESTIMONY
Margaret’s voice was mild but easy to understand.
“Your Honor… We had three boys. Gave them food. Kept them safe. Worked two jobs so they could buy nice clothes. We sold the jewelry we got for our wedding to pay for one of them to go to college.” We stayed up all night when they were sick, prayed for them when they were away, and forgave them when they did something wrong.”
She held Henry’s hand tightly.
“We always thought love was enough.”
Henry’s voice broke as he started.
“But at some point throughout the years, they began to see us as a burden. It felt as if we were no longer seen as parents, but rather as problems.
Michael rolled his eyes. Aaron shook his head like the old man’s words were crazy.
Henry stared right at them.
“None of you came to see how your mother was doing when she fell last year. When our roof fell down, you all fought over who should pay, and in the end, you told us to “figure it out.” You three sued us to take the land away from us when we said we wanted to leave it as it is and live on it until we died.
He stopped for a while to swallow his sadness.
“You want the land more than you want us.”
There were gasps throughout the courtroom.
The judge even leaned back, worried.
Margaret took a stack of papers out of her purse.
“We would like to give our final decision, Your Honor.”
Michael frowned. “Choice? What choice?
The judge looked at the papers and accepted them.
His eyebrows went up.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dalton… Do you know what this means?
Henry nodded.
He said, “It’s already signed.” “And signed.”
Michael’s self-assurance wavered. “What… what is it? What did you do?
Margaret let out a deep, nervous breath.
“We sold the land.”
People in the courtroom started to whisper.
Michael’s face got hot. “YOU WHAT?!” “To whom?”
Henry glanced at him with a broken heart.
“To people who treated us like people.”
“But you can’t!” That’s what we got from our parents!
Margaret’s eyes got sharper.
“We owed you love.”
We owed you advice.
We did NOT owe you our land.
The judge hit the gavel. “Order! “ORDER!”
But the shock wasn’t over yet.
Margaret lifted her chin.
“We sold the land last week.” The money has already been moved to a trust.
Michael moved forward. “A trust for whom?”
Henry took a deep breath.
He said, “For charity.”
There was complete quiet.
“We gave everything to a charity that develops homes for underprivileged families and helps seniors who don’t have anyone to help them with their health care. People who never had kids to aid them. “People like us.”
Travis gasped, “You—you handed away millions? To people you don’t know?
Henry stared at his sons. He wasn’t mad or resentful; he was simply exhausted.
“You made yourselves strangers a long time ago.”
THE TURN
Michael hit the table with his hands.
“You’ve lost your mind!” This is crazy—
The judge stopped him.
“I have looked at their papers. The notary’s verification, their signatures, and their medical assessments.” They knew exactly what they were doing.”
He looked at the three sons.
“And this litigation is no longer important.” You can’t claim any land.”
The boys looked like their world had ended.
The judge wasn’t done yet, though.
He said, “One more thing,” in a severe voice. “After hearing how you treated your parents, I strongly suggest you rethink your priorities before you lose more than land.”
The frustrated brothers were led out by the bailiff as they yelled:
“You’ll regret this!”
“You’re nuts!”
“After all the things we did for you?!”
Their conversations got quieter as they walked down the hall.
The aging couple was the last one left.
WHAT HAPPENED NEXT
After the session was over, Claire, a young reporter in the courtroom, went over to the old couple.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dalton, do you wish you hadn’t made that choice?”
Henry took his wife’s hand.
“No,” he responded softly. “We lived our lives to make something important.”
Margaret smiled sadly.
“And today, we did something important again.”
Claire swallowed hard.
“What do you want your sons to do now?”
Margaret’s voice got softer.
“I hope they learn someday for their own good…”
She gazed at the empty door where her sons had gone.
“…you can sue for land, but not for love.”
Henry murmured the last line as they slowly walked away:
“And land is worthless without love.”
