Norman Arkawy

“ There was certainly no reason to object to him any more than to any other man. Less, perhaps. He had a gentleness about him that Sar decided was rather attractive. But she appreciated the humor in being tested for competence by a man whose own competence might be questioned.
Justice Klyutch was a middle-aged widower whose first-wife had died three years ago—from boredom, some people said. He belonged to the small sect who called themselves monogamists and had no second-wives, and, since his wife's death, he had been living a monastic life. ”

“ Wisson," he said, emphasizing the title that only a first-wife is entitled to, "do you understand the charge made against you? Do you know what sexual incompetence is?"
"I do."
"To the best of your knowledge, are you incompetent?"
"I am not!"
"Object!" shouted Merl's attorney. "Her competence or incompetence is something which she is not in a position to judge. Naturally, she believes herself to be...."
Justice Klyutch, the presiding officer of the court, waved the attorney to silence. "Overruled," he said. "The woman has a right to speak in her own defense. ”

“ They knew that she could bring forth no witnesses in her defense. That was what made the challenge so cruel. They knew that she had had no lovers since before her first child was born, nineteen years ago. She had been a virtuous wife, a faithful wife. And now they were turning her very virtue against her!
"Do you have such a witness?" Justice Klyutch asked her attorney.
"I ask the court's permission to confer privately with my client," the lawyer replied, rising hastily from his seat.
"Granted."
"No," Sar said abruptly. ”

“ Sar explained. "If I'm divorced now, what chance do you suppose I'll have to become a first-wife again? It's hard enough getting a man when you're young. And I have no intention of becoming a second-wife. The first-wife pension is too good to give up! ”

“ Live? Yes, she would live. She would live to cater to the men who utilized the Government's public sexological stations. So many men—coarse, rough, unmateable men! The thought sickened her.
The warning light on the judges' rostrum flashed on, and the noise in the room gradually subsided. Order was restored. Justice Klyutch cautioned Sar not to disturb the decorum of the court again.
After Sar's lawyer had made a formal apology for his client's unusual conduct, his opponent pursued the argument he had begun before the outburst.
"We maintain that Sar Wisson is incompetent," he repeated. ”

“ Chief justice Klyutch cleared his throat importantly.
"Mrs. Wisson," he said, "the court finds it impossible to properly evaluate all the evidence presented in this case. It is our judgment that the only way to determine your competence is to have an impartial reliable person test you. ”

“ Living in the 'publics' would be hell-on-earth. Her rations would be reduced to class C, and she would be assigned living space in a twelve-quarter dorm. She'd be given a four hour job and be required to put in four hours more in the service. But she would still be a woman. Unneutralized, she would live. ”

“ The world of 2136, when seen through the eyes of a woman unjustly accused and fighting to remain an individual in her own right can take on somber overtones of high tragedy. Norman Arkawy has a rare talent for looking ahead and interpreting the future in realistically compelling terms.
Geneva, Dec. 11 (SP) —The first contested suit for divorce in eighty-three years was brought to trial today before the Terran High Court in this city. Justices Schluss, Jones and Klyutch presided at the unprecedented proceeding in which Merl Wisson petitioned for a divorce from his first-wife, Sar. ”