I graduated with my BEd from the University of Miami, but grew up near a small town in Ohio.
Miami attracted a lot of rich and powerful people, because it was a nice place to live. I didn’t know them. Just read about them. The following is fictional, but reflects the kinds of things that happened in Miami in the 60’s.
A powerful wealthy family from New York spent their winters in Miami. Their oldest daughter, Emy, was very beautiful and very spoiled. Anything she wanted, her father gave her. She got her law degree, paid for by Daddy, at the University of Miami. At the U of M, she met an undergraduate fellow, Antonio, and they started dating. Antonio’s family had a farm in Homestead and worked very hard to earn the money to send their son to college. Homestead is about 20 miles south of Miami.
Emy and Antonio fell in love and got married after graduation. Antonio, with a BA in Business
Administration opened a vegetable market business selling produce from his family’s farm and it was a success. He became a leader in Miami and was at one time the President of the Miami Chamber of Commerce. Emy and Antonio soon had three daughters.
But Emy liked to spend money and often had her credit cards “maxed out” This kept Antonio working very hard to pay off the credit cards. This went on for a number of years and, as is frequently the case in a marriage, there were many arguments over money. At one point during the marriage, Emy had tens of thousands in credit card charges. It was a bitter divorce with Emy swearing to “get even” with Antonio for divorcing her. In America, the custody of minor children is almost always awarded to the mother and so Emy got the custody of the three daughters. Their ages were two, four, and six at the time. The judge told Antonio that he must pay Emy $800 per month for each child as child support until the children were eighteen years old and he must pay his wife alimony of $800 per month until she remarried. The family was divided.
Emy went back to live with her parents and Antonio had to work even harder to provide alimony and child support for his children, but at least he didn’t have to worry about “maxed out” credit cards.
If any of my readers has ever been divorced as I have, it may remind them of the emotions shown by some ex-wives. Some ex-wives never stop hating their ex-husband and do their best to convince the minor children that their father was evil. Sometimes it works.
Emy was such an ex-wife and continually brainwashed her children with father-hatred. In the process, Emy’s oldest daughter revealed that her father touched her in an “inappropriate” way when the family was still together.. This was all Emy needed to file suit and begin her campaign to “get even” with Antonio.
To support her “child abuse” claims against Antonio, Emy needed corroboration from the daughter. The oldest daughter was now 21 and was living in Chicago. But, Emy had brainwashed her well. The daughter was called to testify in the case against her father, in Miami. Her travel expenses were paid by
Emy. She did exactly as her mother had hoped and Antonio was convicted and jailed.
The purpose of this fictional tale is an old man’s reminiscences. I regret that this story is how it happens on Saipan now, since we got Law and Order.
I can remember Saipan before it was over-populated with lawyers. Back then, problems of this type were solved in a much more civilized manner. The families of Emy and Antonio would simply get together and agree that the couple could no longer live together. They would split, husband living one place and wife living another. They frequently remained married for years. The children would often be reared by relatives, grandparents or an aunt and uncle. They were not taught to hate one parent or the other. No brainwashing. No Lawyers. No Courts. No Law, but plenty of Order. I remember on many occasions being introduced by former students and other local people to more than one set of parents, biological and the actual rearing parents, and both sets of parents were loved equally by all. Sometimes, the local way is a big improvement over American law and order. Too bad so many people nowadays want to solve problems like this the “American” way. Of course the lawyers love it.
I wonder? What is the ratio of lawyers to regular people on Saipan. maybe the highest in the nation? It seems as if I meet a lawyer new to Saipan at least once a week. Welcome to lawyers’ paradise. Do we really have that much crime? Do we really need so many lawyers? What do you think?
ROGER N. LUDWICK
Sadog Tasi, Saipan
