Time for crime

I got notice awhile ago that I would have jury duty this week. I checked in and found out that they wouldn’t be needing me Tuesday but to check back. Sure enough I was to report on Wednesday morning. So I checked in and went to the jury gathering room which holds over a hundred people, went to the back and sat on a hard wooden bench. There were plenty of soft chairs, but hey, this is law and order and justice and should be taken seriously.

I then spent the longest hour I ever experienced in my life. Around me people’s heads were bent forward as they stared at the screens of their smart phones and ebook readers. A couple of people were old-fashioned enough to have gone over to the magazine rack and grabbed something to read. I was stoic—I just observed. I made a joke or two to some nearby jurors-to-be, but mostly sat in silence and watched the parade of people going in and out of the room. Some of them had been chosen and were wearing their juror tags, green for some, orange for others, proclaiming their juror number. There was a 4, a 6, a couple of 9s and a 14! Must be an alternate. I didn’t get to see all the numbers, so I can’t say for sure if each juror covey was complete. I’ll let the judges judge for themselves.

We were told that this was an unusual situation. Seven of the courtrooms were busy, trying all kinds of cases. Normally it’s two or so cases a week, but today’s demand was high. Finally, after marching to two different courtrooms, we got to see a judge who said it was getting late and would we please come back tomorrow morning at 9:30. Odd, I thought since court normally starts around 8:30, but since tomorrow was going to be a heavy juror induction day, there was simply not enough room to get the newbies in while we veterans would be here at the same time. “Please, don’t arrive before 9:30. There isn’t enough room,” begged one of the juror handlers.

I have the feeling I’m going to be sitting on another murder trial. Yuck. I think I’ll wear my Barfo the Clown costume again tomorrow. They hadn’t seemed to have noticed that I wore it today, too, even when they confiscated my oogah horn at the entrance. They must be desperate to get butts in the jury boxes.