C-Boy goes to court

First & foremost I have Conner’s full permission (& even major encouragement) to tell this story. And the pic included are of Conner helping Beach skate in the big bowl at the skate park a few months back.

So back in May C-Boy was in the park with his buddies. This particular group is never mistaken for choir boys… however they aren’t bad kids just limit pushers.  

The limit they were pushing that particular day was tobacco.  Along came Jonny-Law writing tickets.  And despite the fact that Conner wasn’t smoking and wasn’t in possession of smoking things the officer was generous (must not have wanted him to feel left out) and gave him a ticket too!!! It read: possession of tobacco by a minor.  But he meant to write: guilt by association.

Now when you have to go to court to defend your honor you should pick wisely.  His choices were Conspiracy Wise Step Dad, Clint Eastwood Hang ‘Em High Dad, or Cries Her Way through Traffic Court Mom, and that is who he picked; Mom.

Mom you have just won a morning in Court with your hansom son wearing a smashing suit but you will not be able to take pic’s for your blog because that would inappropriate, can you say inappropriate?

Well aside from my fear of the law, of men dressed in dark clothing carrying guns, and public situations with strangers that begin with everybody removing their belt, I thought we should do something challenging you know work on personal growth a bit.  Let’s add I still have some form of the stomach flu or sugar issue to the mix. 

The whole drive to court I rehearsed the defense of why I get crackers and a water bottle just in case the Bailiff got any ideas that rules of no food and drink in court were going to apply to me.  “Look buddy I brought my purse so I would have something to throw up in.”

But being the consultant on the paper work with a nervous kid kept me from remembering too much about vomit or the nice Bailiff who openly announced water bottles were fine and smiled sweetly at me across the court room.  

We plotted what to do & say, how to do it, what would happen, who will talk to him, how to answer, who was good and who was bad, including some of our fellow defendants.  I prepared that kid for every possible scenario…except this one:

Judge: Do you understand the charges against you?

Conner: Yes I do your Honor

[Plea offered by the Prosecutor]

Judge: Why is that 90 dollars higher than what the maximum fine calls for?

Prosecutor: Because I have only been working 7 days and I am not yet fully familiar with the standards of the court.

Judge:  Then I am enter a plea of not guilt and assigning you a public defender to have this charge dropped.  You may go.

The look back from C-Boy over his shoulder to me was a priceless “wtf?!” I smiled and nodded to let him know that was good thing, a very good thing.

I explained what had happened to him as we left court, “Son, let this be a life lesson to you when someone makes an error like the police officer ticketing you unfairly (well, unfairly is sort of a stretch of karma) and someone else does a poor job, well sort of, in this matter two wrongs made a right.” 

I wonder does Hallmark make a card for that?