The Laid-back Judge

It was afternoon in a municipal trial court in, well, a municipality (duh!) in Bukidnon. The two lawyers, one being the prosecutor and the other the lawyer for the defense, had been shouting themselves hoarse over a simple case of a peeping tom when they were suddenly interrupted by loud snoring. Turning their attention to the bench, their eyes came to rest on the judge.

The judge was young, only thirty. He was leaning back on his seat with his hands behind his head and his feet were on crossed and on the bench. Obviously, he was bored with this conversation which began as an opening argument and degenerated into a character assassination match with both lawyers questioning each other's personal backgrounds.

Judge Roderick F. Torres had been made a judge only last year. He was chosen to fill the post due to a lack of qualified members of the judiciary in EOGC territory. It was no surprise... He was, after all, a Bar topnotcher.

The two older lawyers looked intently at the judge and noticed that saliva was dribbling from the corner or his mouth.

How long has he been like that? they both thought.

Suddenly, the judge awoke. "Oh, uh, excuse me, gentlemen," he said, straightening up. "So what were we talking about?"

Both lawyers gaped in shock. He had been asleep the whole time while they were delivering their opening arguments.

"Your honor," demanded the prosecutor. "Does this mean, we have to go all the way back to the beginning? We've been doing this all day!"

"Well, yeah," said the judge. "All we've had all day are peeping tom and dead drunk cases all day. It's kinda boring."

"Boring?!" said both lawyers.

"Well, yeah," said the judge. "We've never had anything interesting going on in our little municipality. All I get to hear are brawls, drunks, perverts, and the occasional BP22. Nothing doing."

He stood up and walked down the bench as he continued, "besides, all I see everyday are your two faces. I wanna see something exciting for a change."

The two older lawyers grumbled.

"Hey, loosen up, will ya?" he said, turning to them. "It's not like the world's going to end."

He walked into his chamber and shut the door, leaving the two older men dumbfounded.

He took off his robe and draped it over his chair. He the flung open the door leading to the clerk's office and slung his coat over his shoulder. "Hey, it's Friday!" he said as he walked past everybody on the way out of the courthouse. "Make sure you finish everything early, 'kay?"

"Are you going to Cagayan, sir?" asked a girl who worked there as a stenography clerk. 

"Yeah, sure thing," said Torres with a smile. "If you like, I can let you come along."

"Maybe next time, sir," said the woman.

That said, Judge Roderick F. Torres waved a hand, walked out of the courthouse, put on his coat and loosened his tie. He then mounted his motorcycle and put on his helmet. "Well, the good thing about this boring job is that I don't have to get death threats," he said to himself.

That said, he drove off to Cagayan de Oro, which was only an hour's drive away. Friday night... He wouldn't  want to pass up the opportunity to hang out with his drinking buddy, Anselmo Sanchez.