The trial is in full swing. The entire country seems to be crowded around the courtroom waiting to hear the latest scandals. I’m there with my laptop in case things move slowly. In any case I am supposed to be writing a review of the proceedings for my paper and e-mailing progress reports at 5 minute intervals. I hear that in the office they are betting on the contents of each message.

This morning I manage to find a seat in the fifth row, a plum position and one that I can probably sell if I decide to leave. The judge arrives and the proceedings get under way. The first witness is an old man with white hair. Cross examination begins and the lawyers of the accused attack the poor old guy who is clearly not used to this. The judge takes pity on him and calls for an adjournment. I refuse to stand up or move from my seat.

I send a quick email to the paper announcing the adjournment and log into an online casino where I quickly find a game of roulette. I spread $20 chips across the table and hit the ‘spin’ button. I look around the courtroom as the wheel starts spinning. Most of the spectators haven't moved. The seats are too precious. Among the reporters like myself, there seems to be a lot of action going on with their laptops and I guess that most of them are already inside an online casino, passing the time, hopefully profitably.

The spin stops and I can hear the clickety-click noise as the little ivory ball bounces over the brass keys before it drops – right into number 23, my birthday and one of my numbers. I leave my $700 win riding on number 23 and toss a few more chips onto the board, one for my wife’s birthday and another for luck. Now I hold my breath. The chances of 23 coming up again are very slim, but roulette is a gambling game and anything can happen.

This is my day. It happens! 23 again. A minor miracle and with it I win $24,000, not bad for an adjournment period in a trial to allow a witness to recover from tough questioning. The judge comes in, we all rise and things go back to normal madness. But I feel great. The witness? Well, his hair was white when he started.

Posted on: August 7, 2008

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