it’s a date

A court date, that is.  Tuesday made me one step closer to finishing out my dad’s affairs.  I went to probate court.

I’ve never even seen a real live courtroom before. And I have to tell you, it was pretty intimidating.  The building is old and has a lot of character.  I was instructed to wait on my lawyer on the benches outside the courtroom.  Wooden benches.  That looked distinctly like pews.  So I did. 

While waiting I had time to take in my surroundings… from the old moldings around the ceilings to the red granite or marble or something on the walls and everything in between.  I had to walk around a bit to find my courtroom, so I’d know which benches were 'mine’ and noticed every judge has rules posted outside his courtroom.  The room at the other end of the hall had ‘silence cell phones’ on a small wooden stand and that was IT.  But on MY end of the hallway in MY courtroom the list was much longer. No talking. No gum.  No shorts.  No mini skirts.  (and seems like there are a couple of things I’m forgetting) Aaaaaand silence your cell phones.

When she arrived looking all fresh and young and lawyer’y looking, we got down to business.  She reviewed the questions she would ask me and my answers and reminded me again about the gum and the no talking parts.  And then we made our way into the courtroom.

It was fascinating and equally as old and full of character as the hallway. The ceilings were very high and the light fixtures looked like they were from another era.  The bench… is that what they call it?… was big and old and wooden and very intimidating.  I sat there taking it all in.  The judge had not entered the courtroom yet and the bailiff was there working the room, giving out the same instructions I had read and been reminded of in the hallway.  No gum. No talking.  And he told us about having to escort a man out for wearing shorts before the judge actually saw him.  He was lighthearted and jovial and seemed to enjoy himself.  My lawyer told me she had never seen him talk so much.  You see she was allowed to talk since the judge had not entered the room yet.  So everyone whispered very reverently while we waited. 

The bailiff left the room only to pop back in a side door a couple of times as if to practice and make sure we were going to hush up when the time came.  One time he told us he would say something really clever like ‘all rise’ when the judge was actually coming in.  And soon he did.  And we did.  And we got the show on the road.

Thankfully there was a lady ahead of me.  I was glad I wasn’t first so I could watch and see how it all ‘goes’.  Yes, I am a big, nervous chicken in unfamiliar surroundings.  So anyway, I watched the older lady and her attorney approach the judge and watched her swear and answer the questions.  Different ones from the ones I’d be asked, but the same idea.  And then she signed some papers and that was it.  We were second. We did the same thing.  Only Mr. Judge threw me for a loop and asked me something else.  I turned to the lawyer because we had not practiced that part. Thankfully my lawyer was ready to chime in to answer anything I didn’t understand, but the judge sternly shut her down by saying “I’m asking her!”, so I stammered through a short answer. He seemed ok with my response and I got my ok on things and talked to the clerk.  I was so glad it was over quickly and I could get out of there. He made me nervous.

She instructed me to wait on the benches again and she went to another room to get the paperwork ready that I had come for and I was back out in the Texas heat in no time.

We waited six weeks on a date for this and we were in and out in 5 minutes and walking out in 30 minutes.  But it’s done.