On Christmas Day, the author finds that her duty as a church Organist is in conflict with her duty as a court interpreter.

Dear Madam,

I am writing to tell you that I won’t be able to attend the Christmas Mass although I am supposed to provide organ accompaniment.

I have been sick in bed for a week. This is why I didn’t show up at the last Sunday Mass despite my turn to play.

I have a chronic disease with my bronchus (bronchiectasis) and because of that, I am very quick to catch a cold, that easily develops into pneumonia within a very short time -- even without a particular symptom such as a high fever. So, I was warned by my doctor to be very careful about contracting a cold, and in case I do, to immediately take rest with medication. And she added, “Don’t push yourself too hard in your work.” I followed her advice, but this time I failed.

I work as a court interpreter whenever needed. Since there are only a few interpreters of my language, I am sometimes called by regional courts located in places where it takes more than three hours to reach. Last week, I had work in one of the branches of a regional court, located in a small island unreachable by air. After moving by train and a long-distance bus to get there, I had to stay overnight. This trip was arranged a month before, and I had prepared and organized my schedule accordingly.

But all of sudden, several days before I went to the island, I was called by a family court of a neighboring prefecture to interpret the conversation between an adolescent boy and an investigator. It was a juvenile case. He was going to reach majority age within a month, so they were in a hurry to deal with this case. Otherwise, he would have to sit in judgement under the criminal law, and that would make the case more complicated. However, if all legal proceedings would be over before his birthday, he would be protected by juvenile law as a minor.

There were very few days available when every party involved can convene for this matter. A court clerk helped adjust everybody’s schedule and informed me that the date was finally fixed. It was Tuesday. On Wednesday, I had to make a trip to the island for another case.

I’d already crammed last week with other works. So, I felt like staying home for a few days to rest before a trip. Of course, I could have declined the request to avoid overwork, but I had already accepted because I knew that it is very difficult to find another interpreter promptly. Aside from that, the family court is located next to the city where I reside, although it takes one and a half hours by train from my house.

So, I was slightly worried about my health, but I still went. On the day, the minor was accompanied by his college principal as his guardian and swore that he would never commit transgression again. Thanks to our efforts, and his own repentant attitude and honest statements to the investigator, we were in time for his case, which was decided without further hearing and decision. The case was done.

The next day, I left home in the morning for the island and stayed at a hotel. It was hard to sleep soundly in an unfamiliar bed with a pillow provided by the hotel. I am quite nervous about new and unexpected circumstances in the bedroom, so I can’t sleep very well at a hotel. Worse, I was tired that day and felt a chill at night. I had a gut feeling that I might fall sick, but it was too late. All I could do was ensure that I did not lose my voice.

I appeared in court next morning. Unlike the juvenile case of the family court, it was a criminal case committed by a 27-year-old man. So, it wasn’t an investigation but a trial.

On that day, the court proceedings were supposed to be completed up to the last statement by his lawyer following the prosecutor’s closing argument. Only the sentencing was left for another day. That means I had to return to the island once again.

The judge fixed the next date on the spot by considering the respective schedules of the prosecutor and the lawyer, and mine along with his own. That was a week before Christmas.

I could fulfill my duties without any problems, but I was so exhausted. Another tiring homeward journey was waiting for me. In the evening, as soon as I arrived home, I started coughing.

I knew I shouldn’t have worked on the day I showed up in court. But the date of the court hearing was already fixed a month before. I didn’t want to cancel it at the last moment. If I had canceled it, I would have inconvenienced many people: the judge, the prosecutor, the lawyer and the court clerk. There was also the accused whose detention period would have been extended, and the staff of the detention center, who would’ve had to adjust to the new development that they didn’t expect. And cancelling an appointment is what I hate most. First of all, I shouldn’t have accepted the work for the juvenile case. I should’ve prioritized my own health. Anyway, it was too late.

Now, all that I have to do is recover from the illness as fast as possible, and then keep myself healthy enough for the next visit to the island. I asked the regional court to reschedule sentencing. (Ah, yes! After all, I still did what I hate most.) They postponed the date to the next week, but it fell on Christmas Day.

Finally, you are affected, too, by my erratic scheduling management, because now you have to look for another organist for accompaniment on December 25th, and it’s urgent. Therefore, I truly apologize to you.

Sincerely,

Dear Madam,

Thank you very much for your kind response to my apology.

Your reaction surprised me.

You mentioned that you would have done the same thing as I did if you were in my shoes, otherwise you would have forever been haunted by a sense of guilt. You said,

“I could have saved a boy from criminalizing his eligibility, but I didn’t!? Oh, my God!’ I’d have this kind of inner feeling because it would have affected his entire life. I don’t want to die feeling guilty.”

When I told you that I was still suffering from a persistent cough with chest pain, and couldn’t sleep well, you just smiled and said, “I commiserate with you.” I felt that I was blessed by you.

I will be staying at the island on Christmas and spend the day by myself.

Merry Christmas to you.