Custody Battle
養育権

（原文）


The scene was a tiny mountain village in a remote section of West Virginia. An old mountaineer and his young wife were getting a divorce in the local court. But custody of the children was a problem.

The mother jumped to her feet and protested to the judge that since she had brought the children into this world, she should retain custody of them.

The old mountaineer also wanted custody of the children. The judge asked for his side of the story and, after a long moment of silence, the mountaineer slowly rose from his chair and said, "Judge, when I put a quarter in a candy machine and a candy bar comes out, does it belong to me or the machine?"

（試訳）

ウェストバージニアの片田舎の小さな山村での出来事だった。年老いた山男と若い妻が裁判所で離婚調停をしていた。しかし、子供達の養育権が問題になっていた。

母親は裁判官に対し、彼女が子供達をこの世に生んだのだから、自分にこそ養育権はある、と強く訴えた。

山男もまた、同じように子供達の養育権を求めた。裁判官が彼の理由を聞くと、長い沈黙の後、山男はゆっくりと椅子から立ち上がり、こう言った。「もし自動販売機にコインを入れてキャンディーが出てきたら、そのキャンディーは私のものかね、それとも自動販売機のものかね？」

〜おしまい〜

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