Jury Duty is a Rewarding Experience Part Two

The second day of jury went a little ( un poquito ) easier.


8:30- Arrive earlier this time to get a seat early. This way I don't have to sit in between two people I wouldn't sit next to on a train. Turns out that that the turn up is less than half of the previous day. Huh.


9:30- Haven't been called yet. This time I was smart and took a book with me. I start what is the beginning of reading over 100 pages. I haven't read this much in years. At one point, my head lolls down to my chest and I jerk awake. Wonder how many people saw that. So I pretend I was only cracking and stretching my neck.


10:30- A movie. One of my friends had this "rewarding experience" last month and told me they turned on the movie " Hitch ". Let's see what they have for us today. It's "Hitch". Usually I would watch a Will Smith movie, but I won't because any minute now I'll be called to do my civic duty and I'll hate missing the rest of the movie. Any minute now they will call me. Any minute.

11:00- Any minute.


11:15- Hey! I've been called! A group of twenty five is being led to a room by the judges' chambers and the court. We're assigned numbers and the mood lightens up as we all realize we may finally be out of there. ( I meant doing our civic duty soon, Mister Judge! )

11:30- We're led into the courtroom. Lawyers, defendant, victim, prosecutor, and the lady that types at 100 miles an hour is there. Stomachs are growling at this point. It echos in this huge courtroom. I ask my tapeworm to shush.

Noon- Lunch Break! As I walk near to a Dunkin Donuts, I walk by a lady that was in the jury pool with us but did not get called. She tells me that everyone else was released after we were picked. Dammit to hell! I say "good for you" and pray that this case is resolved in one day.

1:30- Now lots of joking and levity between all us prospective jurors. In fact, we joked that when the deputy would come by to pick us up from our little waiting room to head into the courtroom, we would hide and all of a sudden yell "Surprise". That was pretty funny.

1:45- We're led back into court. We have to be interviewed by the lawyers. This way they whittle down the jurors by telling us what the trial is about and if we have dealt with anything similar, they need to know about it. Turns out it's an assault and battery case between a father and daughter. Damn, I really don't want to be part of something that breaks up a family so much.

2:00- They ask if anyone has been a witness or victim to a fight, especially between a man and a woman. Now...I'm Puertorican. What Puertorican hasn't seen a male-female fight? Seriously. One of my best friends did with his woman way back when. It took three of us,all strong dudes to separate that ugly scene. Especially when he began to dominate her. So I did well. I told the truth, while also knowing that when the judge, lawyers, and the defendant walked into the judges' chambers, I would probably be dismissed. I hold back a smile. Heh.


2:30- Numbers are called. They stand up. I'm not one of them. Oh no. But then..." the ones sitting down are dismissed". We all did an imitation of the "walk of shame" out of the courtroom. But believe me, if the deputy wasn't with us, when we walked out we would have all high fived, hugged, even kissed! I only did a Tiger Woods fist pump.

3:00- Done. What a rewarding experience. Yeah right. "See you all in four years!". That was the motto there afterwards when they told us we could go.


Now don't get me wrong. If I was chosen and had to stay an extra day, I would of been the most impartial juror ever. BUT, since I wasn't...I could now go get me that chinese food that my tapeworm was growling at me for.