JUSTICE IS SERVED-FINALLY! Part 1

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I was told to report to the courthouse in Riverhead at 10:00 am. As I found a parking space and marched into the building, I could see all the hardy souls looking confused and clueless.

Following the signs I entered the appointed room for Jurors, and got on a line, was given a questionnaire and a card to fill out, told to place the card in a box when completed and keep the questionnaire. A rather simple task that doesn’t require much in the way of thinking, so of course the guy in front of me has questions, lots of questions and the lady working for the Supreme Court of Suffolk County, civil at first was starting to lose her patience, and frankly, so was I.

So started a long day, which was uncertain as to how it would end. I took a seat and waited for them to call my name for a jury selection process, and at 12:05 pm, just as my stomach and mind joined together to petition me for lunch, I was called with 19 others, and marched into room 107, was told to take a seat and the court person disappeared. Returning she told us that the liars, I mean lawyers weren’t ready fir us and to come back at 2:00 pm She then gave us all the options for lunch.

“You can eat in the cafeteria, we have pretty decent food”, (Tuna for $5.75, ham and cheese for $7.50 and peanut butter and jelly for $2.75. All that was so inspiring! She ten said we could go to Main Street in town and find a nice group of restaurants and if we did, show our Juror ID and we would get a discount.

Off I go and walk to Main Street and find this Chinese restaurant called Hy Ting. I enter and order lunch, and the waiter is a far eastern version of Lurch. The place is decorated in early 1960’s style Chinese, a place that looks like Mao Tse Tung would have eaten there if he weren’t busy purging his mother.

“I’ll have the General Tso’s shrimp, won-ton soup and fried rice.”

Looking into the far distance, in a trance he shakes his head once and takes back the menu. Coming back he ask me if I want tea. I say yes and he places it in front of me. I never had a waiter ask me if I wanted tea in a Chinese restaurant!

Returning he brings me my lunch and I see that there is no mustard, so I ask. I am sitting in a booth, one side is enclosed half way up on my left side. Two minutes later I happen to glance over my left shoulder and I am staring into a small dish of mustard.

“Here” as he reaches over my shoulder from outside the booth and over the half wall! I eat and the food was good and enough. The price was good too, $7.50 for lunch. Lurch returns and hands me the check, I read it and show him my jury badge.

Looking frightened, he asks me: “What dat???”

“Well they told me at the court house if I ate in town and showed my badge I would get a discount!”

“OOOHHHH! Lunch sooo cheap! We don’t don’t do that, sooo cheap!”

OK I know he is right, but still, I am sooo cheap! Sooo cheap!

Tomorrow: Part 2, I reach a verdict.