I didn’t get to blog before I left this morning.
Pato informed me at midnight last night that he volunteered me to drive Omar (Pato’s best friend since childhood) to court this morning. He had to be there at 8:30 to meet his lawyer first.
I got up at 6:15 because you can’t show up to court looking like a scrub…or at least I didn’t think you could. Did my make up, did my hair, put together my best “I am a business woman” look, which isn’t easy when you haven’t worked out of the house in 6 years, and took off. I stopped and got a cappuccino and hit the interstate. Big mistake. I sat in traffic at one exit for 15 minutes. (This is Iowa, not New York.) I called Pato and told him to turn on the news and see what was going on. He didn’t see anything. I said never mind and turned off my iPod and turned on 1040 WHO. Turns out there was an accident 4 exits down the road (maybe 5 – 7 miles?) that had traffic back up to me. I got off at the next exit that I literally could have walked faster to, and took another route.
No one told me that there was a detour on that road too. Accident on the interstate, people trying to get to work on time, and a detour do not lead to a pretty commute to pick up Omar. Omar called me and asked where I was. Too far away for comfort. I was starting to get stressed. Finally made it around the detour and hit EVERY.SINGLE.RED.LIGHT on the way to pick him up.
Somehow (my good planning, I’m sure), we were only 2 minutes late to meet his lawyer, and the lawyer actually wasn’t even there yet. YAY me!
So we sat and sat and sat and sat and watched people make the judge mad. (Never ever a good thing to have happen before you’re up!) If you follow me on Twitter, you know I was quite impressed with the range of court styles out there – even by the laywers. Some looked like they actually took the time to roll out of bed before coming to work.
WTH?
You go to court, you dress to impress, you don’t go in looking like a slob. At least brush your hair women, please? I spent all that time worrying about my appearance, and I wasn’t even there for me. I was worried about how my appearance would reflect on Omar, who Pato said wanted me there as a translator, but who I think really wanted moral support, and I’m better at that than Pato is. Believe me. I’ve lived with the man for 8 years. I’ve heard, what do you want ME to do about it? In response to a problem more times than I can count.
Omar’s there for driving without a license. He had plea bargained before guilty. After talking to a second lawyer about it, come to find out he would most likely be deported. The law is the law is the law. The new lawyer was making a motion to have his previous admission thrown out and the case retried because he hadn’t been informed of all the facts before he made his plea.
Oh the judge was not liking that. (Neither was his previous lawyer.) How do YOU know he wasn’t informed of all the facts. He told me your honor. But how do YOU KNOW? Well, that’s why I am asking for an extension on this so that I can research the case. I have only been on it since Friday.
She turned to Omar’s previous lawyer, do you feel he knew all of this before hand?
Lawyer – is attorney/client confidentiality waived in this case your honor?
Raised eye brows at the new lawyer.
New lawyer wanted to speak for old lawyer.
Sigh
They went off to the side where the new lawyer attempted to explain to the old lawyer that no, he was not incompetent, but that there had been a change to the law, and Omar had not been informed of this before hand.
On and on and on and on they went.
The judge came out. Are you gentlemen ready yet? Well, we are, but the translator left the building.
Banging my head on the pew in front of me
Raised eyebrows from the judge again.
She waited, and waited, and waited some more.
I kept checking my cell phone for the time. I was running low on the 2 hours I put in the parking meter (in 3 inch heels, I wasn’t relishing running back down to fill it – why do I have 3 inch heels?). I haven’t had a ticket in over 10 years and I’d rather not start today.
Finally she got tired of waiting for the translator and she gave the new lawyer an extension until October 11 to have the case completely ready.
Omar breathed a sigh of relief as we walked out and I passed him everything he had handed me “just in case” (wallet, house key, stack of money – that he wouldn’t let me keep – , book, cell phone, etc.). He was prepared to go to jail. He just didn’t want to be deported.
Dropped him off, boogied home. Pato took me out to the Olive Garden (that was a condition of making me attempt to put my contacts in my screaming eyes at 6:15 in the morning – my eyes don’t like that). Came home, put the baby to bed, attempted to take a nap, didn’t work. Got up and am now blogging to you all about my exciting day.
Let’s not do that again for awhile.
Then I came home and for some reason checked my Twitter followers. I always forget to do that. Found out that my apartment was following me. Blocked them. If they happen to come across this blog post, sorry about that. You all give me enough grief, I don’t need you receiving every tweet and blog update I make. It’s my personal life, thanks!
I’m not even sure how you found me? Did you search my email address on file at the office on Twitter?
And no, I won’t like you on Facebook either. I got the door hanger. I don’t really like you period anymore.
Thanks for asking though!
I have to end the Penguins of Madagascar giveaway tonight. I am so sorry! I just got an email that they need the winner by 9/30. I’ll update the post to reflect that.
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