Subject: Chapter XIV !!!
Author: Marta I (198.232.250.51)
Date: 09-09-1999 13:02
Trial begins. Everyone and their ____ who is someone in Martinique
is there.
Important people, French celebrities, politicians, doctors, lawyers,
businessmen,
everyone wants to nose in on the spicy scandal involving the
island's biggest,
wealthiest name (Renato's family). Everyone is gossipping but they
all stop cold
when Juan walks in. Then everyone is very quiet.
'Juan ha sonreido con su sonrisa amarga... Todos los ojos estan
fijos en el...
y de repente siente que es un simbolo de su vida... !el Mundo contra
EL y EL contra todo!'
...
'No me ha oido, acusado? Su nombre, su apellido, su edad, su
profesion...
-Excuse su Excelencia si me tome un momento para pensar. En
realidad, no es facil dar respuesta a sus cuatro preguntas. No creo
que nadie se haya tomado el trabajo de bautizarme: no tengo nombre.
Ningun hombre reconocio jamas ser mi padre: no tengo apellido. Que
yo sepa, no existe ningun testigo de mi nacimiento: la fecha es
indeterminada: no tengo edad. Mi profesion? Cada uno la llama como
le conviene llamarla... soy Juan del Diablo, el contrabandista, el
pirata...
-Su respuesta es absolutamente insolente, acusado! No le ayudara esa
actitud frente a este tribunal.
-Ninguna actitud que yo tome ha de ayudarme...
(Juan keeps this me against the world attitude throughout most of
the trial...)
(Guess what!! Juan is taller than Renato in the book... Metro
ochenta vs metro setenta!!)
The charges that Renato has raised against Juan are 'abuso de
confianza', deudas y cohecho. which boils down to Renato getting the
excuse of wanting his bail money back from Juan from when he bailed
him out. He also mentions that Juan has wounded a man and left him
crippled, kidnapped a boy known as Colibri, and
commited other felonies line contraband, robbery, assault and
illegal transport of passengers. Renato has demanded that the Luzbel
be taken from Juan, and Juan be sentenced to jail time as required
by the law for the felonies he has committed.
After the officer is done reading the claims, Juan looks around the
room again, stopping at the sight of Renato and his glance changes
to one of anger and sarcasm, even disgust.
Renato begins speaking by noting that his reason for bringing Juan
to court is not money, but his responsibility as a citizen and as
head of a family. He admits publicly that Juan is his brother in
order to avoid rumors and gossip. Renato says that Juan is an
undesirable individual to society. He is violent, disrespectful for
any law, incapable of submitting to any rules and regulation, and
overall lacking in moral quality.
Aimee arrives with Ana outside the courtroom. Aimee is desperately
looking for someone to bribe so that they will not hurt Juan's
chances with their testimony. She walks into Charles Britton, the
second officer of the ship that Juan saved from the storm. The
officer tells Aimee that he cannot give her any details of his
testimony, but that he has nothing bad to say and his words will, if
anything, help Juan in the trial.
Aimee has to work her influencing skills out but she manages to get
Britton to take some money to the man Juan had stabbed in the hand
during that gambling ramble. She also writes a love/encouragement
note for Juan and asks Britton to give it to Juan when he has a
chance. Britton is captivated by Aimee's beauty.
SHe tells him to think of her as someone 'who will give her blood
for Juan'.