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父爱如山

2020-07-04

阅读与作文(英语高中版) 2020年6期
关键词:汉克帕尔默汉姆

父愛,不像母爱般温柔,也不及母爱般细腻,但是这平凡朴素的爱就如山一般深邃而内敛。本期《影视派对》即将讲述的就是关于父爱的故事。

汉克是一名律师,为了赚钱,时常钻法律漏洞给罪犯开脱。他的父亲,帕尔玛法官,在印第安纳州供职42年,兢兢业业。母亲的离世使汉克回到家乡,却不料父亲卷入一场谋杀案中。在寻找事实真相为父亲辩护之时,汉克终于明白了他与父亲疏离的原因,二人重修于好。

Palmer法官在妻子葬礼当晚卷入了一场交通事故中,但他完全想不起来自己曾经撞车。警方调查发现受害人正是20年前被Palmer审判入狱的Mark Blackwell,是巧合还是蓄意谋杀?

Dale Palmer:Why were those people so mad? She spit on the window.

Glen Palmer:Look, Dads a judge, you know. Its, sometimes he has to make difficult decisions.

Hank Palmer:There was a girl.

Dale:What, what was her name?

Hank:Hope Stevens. There was a guy, Mark Blackwell, was his senior, like Glen. Hope was his girlfriend, just turned 16. He took a 38 to her house, shot the place up…

Glen:Can we talk about something else?

Dale:I dont get it. Why…why…

Judge Palmer:He shot out at her bedroom windows, angry over whatever kids get angry about when theyve been dating for…what? 6 months? Now you listen to me. He stood in court and wept like a lost child, said he was drunk, would never do it again. If he meant to hurt her, he would have. I believed him! I believed him. I believed him. I gave him the minimum, 30 days. I remember the morning he got out, Glen and I were in the backyard, tinkling with his breaking ball. But uh…God help us, while we did that…

Hank:Blackwell drug her down to a spill pond…

Glen:Its about 50 yards behind her house. He hauled her into 2 feet of water. He kneeled on her chest until he drowned her. Dad gave him 20 years, he got out in April.

Hank:Body recovered there. Figure the impact right here. The police report has him on a bike?

Judge Palmer: Yeah. I dont see any skid marks.

Hank:OK, hey, here it is. Lawyer to client. Did you recognize Blackwell?

Judge Palmer:I dont remember…

Hank:No, no, no.

Judge Palmer:I cant have.

Hank:Cant have?

Judge Palmer:Yeah.

Hank:Stick with that. Look, we both know you didnt intentionally hit him, right? But thats the way theyre gonna intentionally spin it. I mean, a few shots of Jack, just the right amount of axe to grind, thats what I thought…but you havent been drinking, have you?

Judge Palmer:No. Nope.

Hank:Are you sick, pop?

Judge Palmer:You might say Im sick, yes. Yeah, cancer in my plumbing…colon. Few more chemo sessions, itll be in…in uh…remission. Nothing I cant handle, nobody knows. Your mother knew, thats all.

Hank:They need attempt for murder, thats our case. We build on a diminished ability for defense due to the chemo. If we can gain some sympathy from the jury, theyd never convict you.

Judge Palmer:But wait, hold on.

Hank:Native son, public servant, for over 40 years.

Judge Palmer:No, back up. Back up! Look what that does to all the cases Ive heard for the last year.

Hank:Youve had this a year?

Judge Palmer:Everybody I sentenced will challenge the ruling.

Hank:Strangers? Who gives a shit? Youre gonna die in prison!

Judge Palmer:Id rather die in prison than be remembered like that.

Hank:Oh, boy.

Judge Palmer:An incompetent old man on the stand. No.

Hank:Oh, Im not letting you anywhere near the stand.

Judge Palmer:Now, listen, listen to me. Ulysiss S. Grant held this country together. Now whats he remembered for? Being a drunk! Ronald Reagan oversaw the fall of the Berlin Wall that ended the cold war, but any discussion of his legacy ends with jellybeans, naps and Alzheimers.

Hank:Reagan?Wow, with all due, Im gonna say this as professionally and gently as I possibly can: youre a civil servant in a corn belt, Bible-banging back-water. Nobody…nobody gives a rats ass about your legacy!

Judge Palmer:But I do, son, I do. I sat on the bench in that courtroom for 42 years. People in this community trust me. They trust the law. Now this…this accident is a legal iron ball Henry. You cant screw it up. So dont.

Dwight Dickham:10 years, hell do 7.

Hank:Insufficient evidence.

Dickham:Offer expires when you walk out that door.

Hank:Pack it up. Do you want me to fly you?

Dickham:Im glad to see youre on your game.

Hank:I like you too, but Im so bored.

Dickham:I have intent now! Premeditation. Ill paint your father as a “holier than thou” prick determined to see what he considers justice served.

Hank:My father is a “holier than thou” prick determined to see what he considers justice served. So its going to be a light day.

Dickham:Thats funny. I guess I cant fault you for not remembering me. I was just second chair for the prosecution. You defended that Milwaukee beer barons kid, the one that went slumming in Gary. 40 million in the bank, one dead prostitute. Yep. My god, youre good. Best verdict money can buy.

Hank:Everybody wants Atticus Finch until theres a dead hooker in a hot tub.

Dickham:Theres your bumper sticker.

Hank:So, in a nutshell, Youre following me down here to settle a score?

Dickham:Oh, good lord. No. I followed you down here because I knew if I didnt, it was likely somebody was gonna get away with murder.

Hank:My father is a lot of many unpleasant things but murder is not one of them.

Dickham:But he is a liar. Weve established that. A liar who thinks he can operate under the color of the law just like his son. Youre a shined up wooden nickel, Mr. Palmer. A bully with a big bag of tricks. But unlike you, I have one simple belief, that the law is the only thing capable of making people equal. Now, you may think Mark Blackwell was white trash and he may very well have been, but in the eyes of the state, his life matters. Im going to impale your client on a first degree murder charge and you get a front row seat.

Hank:Ill ask you again, undergoing any medical treatment? Yes or no?

Judge Palmer:Chemotherapy.

Hank:For how long?

Judge Palmer:6 months.

Hank:Chemo? Thats cancer?

Judge Palmer:Yes.

Hank:Prognosis?

Judge Palmer:Its advanced.

Hank:Did your doctor caution you against the potential side effects of chemotherapy?

Judge Palmer:Yes, he did.

Hank:What are they?

Judge Palmer:Nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite…

Hank:Delusions, fits of anger?

Judge Palmer:Yes.

Hank:Depression, memory loss?

Judge Palmer:No. But none of that applies to me.

Hank:Really? What would happen to all the cases youve presided over in the last 6 months if it were determined that your mental actuality was diminished?

Dickham:Objection! Counselor is trying to prejudice the jury.

Judge:Overruled.

Hank:All those trials, they would be declared mistrials, would they not?

Judge Palmer:Potentially, yes.

Hank:A stain on your reputation. Youd do anything to avoid that, would you not?

Judge Palmer:No, no, no! No, no…

Hank:Then, why dont you remember seeing Blackwell that night?

Judge Palmer:I remember him. I just dont recall, uh…hitting him.

Hank:What do you remember?

Judge Palmer:I remember he, er, opened his disgusting mouth.

Hank:What could he have possibly said?

Mark Blackwell: Hey, Judge. Sorry to hear about your wife. You know, seeing her buried no more than 15 feet from Hope, Im not gonna have to walk too far to piss on both graves.

C.P.:He got him.

Hank:No, doesnt add up. I dont buy it. It cant be the first time someones insulted you. Its your job. Why did you go easy on him the first time? Of all the judges in Indiana, the one with the tightest…You gave him 30 days. He threatened her, discharged a firearm at her residence. Thats 6 months, a year, easy. What was your reasoning? 180 days, thats solid, maybe to cool it off. Maybe he doesnt kill Hope, maybe well not here. Of all the years you sat on that bench, all the people that stood before you, the leniency, the understanding, the free ride, goes to Mark Blackwell? How do you explain that lapse in judgment?

Judge Palmer:I looked at him and saw you. The same willful disobedience, same recklessness. I looked at him and saw my middle son, my little boy, my little boy. I watched him cry right there. I wanted to put my arms around him and tell him it didnt have to be like this. I wanted someone to help him, like Id want someone to help my boy…if hed lost his way. It was my chance to be that someone, is that so much to ask? Maybe so, maybe so.

Hank:I have memories of us. You and me. Then I dont. How come? Why?

Judge Palmer:Why? Why? I looked at you and saw him.

戴尔·帕尔默:这些人为什么这么生气?她往车窗上吐痰。

格伦·帕尔默:注意,爸爸是一名法官,你知道吧。有时候他必须作出艰难的抉择。

汉克·帕尔默:有一个女孩。

戴尔:她叫什么?

汉克:霍普·斯蒂芬斯。还有一个人叫马克·布莱克韦尔,比你大,和格伦一般年纪。霍普是他的女朋友,刚满16岁。他拿着一把点三八口径手枪到她的住处开枪……

格伦:我们能聊些别的吗?

戴尔:我不明白为什么……为什么……

帕尔默法官:他朝她卧室的窗户开枪了,气急败坏,那时他们约会了……多长时间?6个月?现在听我说。他站在法庭上,哭得像个迷失的孩子,说他喝醉了,以后再也不会发生这样的事情。如果他有意要伤害她,他早已这么做了。我相信了他!我相信了他。我相信了他。我判了他最短刑期,入狱30天。我记得他出狱那天早上,格伦和我在后院研究着他的变化球。但是,呃……上帝,他为什么要那么做?

汉克:布莱克韦尔把她扔下污水池。

格伦:在她家后面大概50码的位置。他把她拖入2英尺深的水里,用膝盖顶住她的胸口直到她溺死。爸爸判了他入狱20年,4月他刚出狱。

Palmer法官聘请了蹩脚律师C.P.为自己辩护,不料遭到儿子Hank的强烈反对。在调查庭上,C.P.的表现不佳,Palmer法官终于同意让Hank为自己辩护。为了寻找真相,父子俩来到事故现场。

汉克:尸体在那儿发现的。估计在这儿撞的车。警方报告显示他当时正在骑自行车?

帕尔默法官:是的。我看不到任何车轮打滑的痕迹。

汉克:好的,嘿,听着,律师和委托人的对话。你认出布莱克韦尔了吗?

帕尔默法官:我不记得了……

汉克:不,不,不。

帕尔默法官:我应该没认出来。

汉克:应该没认出?

帕尔默法官:是的。

汉克:咬住那一点。听着,我们俩都知道你不是故意撞到他的,对吗?但是他们会用此来扰乱视听,我的意思是,几杯威士忌(Jack即Jack Daniels,是世界知名的美国威士忌酒品牌),加上怀有私心,我本来就是那么想的……但是你一直没喝酒,对吗?

帕尔默法官:没有。

汉克:你生病了吗,爸爸?

帕尔默法官:你可以说我生病了,是的。是的,癌症,在结肠上。再经过几个疗程的化疗,病情就能……能,呃……得到缓解。没什么是我不能解决的,没人知道这件事,只有你妈妈知道,就是这样。

汉克:他们需要杀人动机,那就是我们的情况。我们可以说,因为化疗的缘故,防御能力开始减弱。如果我们能博得陪审团的同情,他们就永遠无法给你定罪。

帕尔默法官:但是等等,打住。

汉克:本地人,做了40多年的公务员。

帕尔默法官:不,往回看。往回看!看看过去一年我審理的案件会变成什么样。

汉克:你去年有吗?

帕尔默法官:我判决的每一个人都将对裁决表示异议。

汉克:那些都是陌生人,谁在乎呢?你会死在监狱里的!

帕尔默法官:我宁愿死在监狱里,也不愿意被人们那样记着。

汉克:哦,天啊。

帕尔默法官:说我是听证席上一个不称职的老人。不。

汉克:哦,我不会让你沦落到听证席的份儿上的。

帕尔默法官:现在,听着,听我说。尤利西斯·辛普森·格兰特将这个国家团结在一起,现在他在人们心中是个怎样的人呢?一个酒鬼!罗纳德·里根永远不会想到柏林墙的倒塌会导致冷战的结束,但是最终留下的关于他的讨论无外乎里根糖、打盹和老年痴呆症。

汉克:里根?哇,恕我直言,我会尽可能以专业并平静的口气这样形容你,你是在玉米种植带、有基督教信仰之争的闭塞之地的一个公务员。没有人……根本没有人在乎你的留名。

帕尔默法官:但是我在乎,儿子,我在乎。我坐在那把长椅上,当了42年的法官。这个社区的人们信任我。他们相信法律。现在这……这场事故是个实实在在的法律铁球,亨利。你不能搞砸了。那就别搞砸了。

Hank从医生处得知,父亲已经是癌症晚期,已经接受化疗的他会伴有多种副作用反应,而记忆缺失就是其中之一。与此同时,警方在调取监控视频时发现,Palmer法官并没有说出真相。Hank在质疑父亲的同时,又遭到了控方律师Dwight Dickham的挑衅。

德怀特·迪克汉姆:本该判10年的,我会让他只坐7年牢。

汉克:证据不足。

迪克汉姆:你走出这扇门,就没这好事儿了。

汉克:住嘴。你想我开飞机送你出去吗?

迪克汉姆:很高兴看到你接受挑战。

汉克:我也喜欢你,但是我觉得这很无聊。

迪克汉姆:我现在知道杀人动机了!是预谋,我会把你父亲描述成假仁假义的混蛋,非得要看到他心中的正义得到伸张才罢休。

汉克:我父亲就是个假仁假义的混蛋,非得要看到他心中的正义得到伸张才罢休。所以开庭那天你肯定挺清闲的。

迪克汉姆:你真逗。我想我不能怪你不记得我是谁了。我是起诉方的第二律师。你曾替密尔沃基啤酒大亨的孩子辩护,那个在加里市探访平民窟的孩子。银行里有4000万存款,一个死掉的妓女。天啊,你太厉害了,花钱能买到想要的审判。

汉克:人人都想成为阿提克斯·芬奇这样的律师(Atticus Finch是小说《杀死一只知更鸟》的一名律师),直到在浴缸里发现了那个妓女的尸体。

迪克汉姆:这就是你车上保险杠的贴纸口号吧。

汉克:那么,总而言之,你跟着我到这儿来就是为了报复我吗?

迪克汉姆:哦,天啊。不。我跟着你到这儿来是因为我知道,如果我不这么做的话,很可能真正的杀人凶手又要逍遥法外了。

汉克:我父亲做人很差劲,但是他不是杀人犯。

迪克汉姆:但他是个骗子。我们已经证实了那一点。一位认为自己可以把法律玩弄于股掌之间的骗子,就像他的儿子一样。你没什么本事,帕尔默先生,充其量不过是一个满脑子花招的恶棍。但是和你不同,我有一个简单的信仰,那就是只有法律能让人人平等。你可能会认为马克·布莱克韦尔是一个白人渣滓,他还活着的时候的确如此,但是在这个国家看来,他的性命至关重要。我会让你的客户背上一级谋杀的罪名,你就等着瞧好了。

Palmer法官突然想起了事故当晚发生的事,在法庭上承认了自己的犯罪事实。Hank无法接受,再次为父亲辩护,试图以他的病情博得陪审团的同情。在问询中,他终于明白了父亲为什么一直以来如此严苛地对待自己,也明白了父子俩为何渐行渐远。

汉克:我再问你一次,你是在接受药物治疗吗?是,还是不是?

帕尔默法官:在接受化疗。

汉克:多长时间了?

帕尔默法官:6个月了。

汉克:化疗?那是癌症吗?

帕尔默法官:是的。

汉克:诊断结果是?

帕尔默法官:是晚期。

汉克:你的医生是否提醒过你化疗潜在的副作用?

帕尔默法官:是的,他说过。

汉克:有哪些呢?

帕尔默法官:恶心,疲惫,食欲不振……

汉克:产生错觉,容易动怒?

帕尔默法官:是的。

汉克:抑郁,记忆丧失?

帕尔默法官:不,那些症状没发生在我身上。

汉克:真的吗?如果化疗会使你的精神状态出现衰弱,那么这对你过去6个月所审理的案件有何影响呢?

迪克汉姆:反对!辩方律师一直试图使评审团形成偏见。

法官:反对无效。

汉克:所有那些审判,都会被宣布错判,不是吗?

帕尔默法官:有可能,是的。

汉克:这是你名誉上的一大污点。你会尽力避免那样的情况发生,是吗?

帕尔默法官:不,不,不!不,不……

汉克:那你为什么不记得那晚看到布莱克韦尔了?

帕尔默法官:我记得他,我只是回忆不起来,呃……我撞过他。

汉克:你记得什么?

帕尔默法官:我记得他,呃,张开那张恶心的嘴。

汉克:他大概说了些什么?

马克·布莱克韦尔:嘿,法官。关于你妻子的事,请节哀。你知道吧。看到她葬在离霍普不到15英尺远的地方。我就用不着走太远到两个墓上撒尿了。

C.P.:他想起来了。

汉克:不,这不合情理。我不相信。这不可能是第一次有人侮辱你。这是你的工作。你第一次为什么对他如此轻判?你是印第安纳州所有法官中最严厉的法官之一。你判了他30天。他恐吓她,在她的住所开枪。应该是6个月,或一年的刑期,这很容易判决,你的理由是什么?肯定应判180天,或许他就能冷静下来,或许他不会杀了霍普,或许我们也就不会在这里了。这么多年来,你坐在那个位置上,所有的人站在你面前,仁慈、谅解导致了你对马克·布莱克韦尔的宽大为怀?你如何解释你的判断失误呢?

帕尔默法官:我看着他,想到了你。一样叛逆,一样轻率。我看着他,想到了我第二个儿子,我的小儿子,我的好孩子。我看着他在那儿哭。我想伸出双臂拥抱他,告诉他事情本不该如此。我希望有人能帮助他,就像我希望有人能帮助我的孩子一样。如果他迷失了自我,我有可能成为那个帮助他的人,那很过分吗?我不觉得,我不觉得。

汉克:我还记得我们之间的回忆,你和我,然后没有了,怎么会这样,为什么?

帕尔默法官:为什么?为什么?我看着你,就想到了他。

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