Of WE DID IT!!!!!!!!~~~~~~~~

Dear Darklings,

WE GOT IT!!!!!!!!!    

We got the Restraining Order against Crazy Son!!!!!!!!!!   

We were up early Friday morning like at 6 a.m. no coffee, just shower dress, let the dogs out and then took them over to my sister’s house Brian said he’s baby sit them and then we left a bit after 7 a.m. before any traffic back ups Oh it was cold!  We had to be in court by 9 a.m. to have the mediation done.

Doyle wanted to park on the Street and use the Handicap parking placard that I have because of my back so our parking would be free, I was a bit worried but Doyle put the break lock in place to prevent theft.  And we walked 2 blocks to the court house, we were there before the building opened, since we were in the sun we waited and slowly people started showing up, all with cases.

Finally at 7:45 they let us in, and we got coffee in the snack bar then went to the 3rd floor near Dept. 5 and waited some more.   I won’t go into all the other folks and their problems but needless to say there were some strange ones.   It was 9 a.m. Dept 5 opened its door but No Crazy Son, I thought for a bit we might be home free but as the various clerks and lawyers were checking in at about 9:20 Crazy Son showed up with a skanky “friend” in tow---DAMN!  I thought.   I was wishing for a no contest but he wanted to put up a fight.

We did not have our previous Judge he was out ill, instead we had a woman Judge with dyed blond hair, a pasty white face bright red lipstick and that looked like she had seen Hell and  took a whizz in it just for fun, she looked to be in her 60’s and with a no-nonsense look to her face, with the first two cases I realize she was a “Judge Judy” type, I thought maybe our “goose was cooked” but then I began formulating a plan depending upon the outcome of the mediation.

Well the mediation was interesting as it was one woman acting as mediator, and she had us at one corner and she put Crazy Son and “friend” down a hall where he couldn’t see us and we couldn’t see him.   She talked to us first and told us that the Judge would like to see if there was a way in which mediation would work instead of going to court, I explained to the mediator that would be impossible with Crazy Son’s mental outlook and explained that to her, she understood and said she would talk to him, well we couldn’t see him but we could hear him and from the sound of it he wanted his day in court to prove what liars we were and that he was the victim. 

The mediator came back to us and asked if we would still be interested in mediation or take a chance on getting a restraining order, intimating that my request might be rejected.   I advised the mediator that other people including the Police Dept. have tried to mediate with Crazy Son to no avail.   That he’ll behave for a day or two and then go right back.   I told the mediator that the Restraining Order is what will be needed to keep him behaving and explained how he got arrested some time ago and was put on probation because his Dad got a lawyer.  The Father doesn’t want his crazy son arrested and neither does Crazy Son, he is cognizant enough to know that and he’s in fear of being in Jail.

So to court we went.    We had to wait a bit for a few cases,  when we went back in there was no place to sit except for one empty seat next to Crazy , I looked at him and gave him a laser stare and he quickly got up and instead with his “friend” stood in the back,  while Doyle and I sat. 

Finally we were called and sworn in, the Judge asked a few questions from me and I clarified them, she then asked if what I have written in my statement (all 13 pages) is true and correct and I said Yes it is your Honor.  (No one else in the court addressed her as “Your Honor” but Doyle and I did)  I caught a slight smile on her face when I addressed her as such.

She then skimmed over the pages and then asked me who were so and so and I said the son’s parents, ages 85 and 80 respectively.   She asked me if I was concerned about safety and I said yes, that during the last altercation that we had we also became concerned not only for our safety but for the parents safety as well when their son turned on them aggressively and we called the police.

The Judge then asked Crazy Son’s response and he said that he’s the victim, that we had harmed him and his family, and that we were telling lies about him and we didn’t belong on the block and he admitted to using foul language and that he shouts real loud but that he’s doing it to make his case to the entire neighborhood that Doyle and I don’t belong there and that everything in my statement 90 percent of it is lies made up by us.    He claimed to have proof that I didn’t own the house and had murdered my Great Aunt but he didn’t have it with him but he has it but needs to find it and wants more time to prove his case.

The Judge said “O.K. I’ve heard enough” and then she asked me again “Do you stand by your statements and declare it to be the truth”   and I said “Yes I do, Your Honor”.  It was hard projecting self-confidence, my hands were clammy and sweaty. But I sat at the table with my hands folded in front of me intently listening to the Judge and not looking left or right but focused on her.  Doyle did the same, either looking at his hands folded at the table or at the Judge.

She then said “I’m granting a 3 year Restraining Order, issued today….” And she included everything I wanted with two minor exceptions because we live across the street from each other the distance is 40 yards, not 100, and she was only issuing it for 3 years, although I did ask for 5, when she said “I’m only going to do it for 3 years but you can renew it on Nov 6, 2018”   I said “Thank you your Honor.”   As far as I was concerned VICTORY!!!!!!!!

She didn’t want me commenting, so I was careful.   I had to remember “Judge Judy” to not respond to Crazy Son, to not shake my head in denial, to not elaborate except to answer the Judge’s questions.

Then she said that we are to wait in the court room for our papers and to not leave, we were dismissed I said “Thank you, your Honor” and got up and put my paperwork away.   Crazy Son just sat there and said “What??!!  Are We done??!!  I have proof!!”  The judge said “You don’t have it with you, the Order is so issued, remain in the court to receive your papers from the clerk.”

Crazy Son was pissed!!!!!   Really Pissed!!!   Doyle and I sat down in the next available seat and this Middle Eastern fellow that was next to me looked at me, smiled and whispered “congratulations” and I smiled and whispered back “thank you” then pointed to the Bailiff and put my finger to my lips and he understood.

By this time my bladder was demanding relief, the Judge heard one more case and then called a 5 minute recess and I said (because now we can talk) “Thank goodness my teeth are floating” and the Middle Eastern fellow agreed.  So I quickly dashed to the bathroom and so did Doyle.   

 I came out and the clerk was looking for me, he had papers in his hand and was looking around and I said “I’m So and So, is that for me?”   He smiled and said yes and walked me to the foyer of the court room and explained a few things to me, I asked if I had to have Crazy Son’s copy served on him and the clerk said no if he can grab Crazy Son before he leaves, well Crazy Son was dashing out the door of the court room, but the clerk grabbed him and I quickly went into the court room as a safe place,  I could see and hear though the glass panel that Crazy Son was still pissed, but his “friend” was trying to calm him down before he got too loud.

He didn’t want the paperwork, he was refusing it,  but I heard  the clerk say to him “I’m serving this on you, if you refuse then you are in contempt of court and could be arrested, you follow what the Judge has ordered”  Crazy Son took the paperwork angrily and left. I was still in the court room but the Judge still had not come back so people could still talk.  Doyle was no where to be found so I assumed that he was still in the Men's Room.

The Middle Eastern fellow and two African-American ladies said that I handled myself real well up there, how did I do it?  And I said that it took me two weeks to properly fill out the paperwork I had to make sure that it was all correct and the only way to do it was to make copies of the original forms and write my responses in pencil and then walk away for a day from it and then go back to it with fresh eyes,  I said that my statements totaled 13 pages and it was all time dated and if police were called or not and I had all my police I.R. reports as well as photographs, I was ready. 

I said that what really did Crazy Son in was that my initial cause for the Restraining Order showed that he used “Racial Hate Speech” and threatened not only myself and Doyle  but also he was threatening his parents and that the first thing the police officer did was a welfare check on the parents.    

 The ladies asked me what kind of “hate speech” and the Middle Eastern fellow listened in and I apologized for what I was going to repeat and told them.   They were all shocked and I apologized again saying that I knew the language was extremely offensive.  But they were of an age that they understood that this language also offended me, and should never be said in public-----now exceptions can be made if it’s in a novel or a film to show a type of character or if it was written in a time period where such speech was common.   But Never in Public like that.

They asked me why did Crazy Son want me and Doyle out of the house and I said that he wants my deceased Great Aunt back so he can continue to put up magical charms against her, but insists that I killed her and buried her body in the back yard.  The Middle Eastern mans’ eyes got wide and the women did their best to not burst out laughing.    They all said to me You did good, God Bless you!!  And I said God bless all of you”

Then Doyle showed up, he said he couldn't go into the Lobby because Crazy Son was talking to the Bailiff, then the Bailiff acted as a barrier between him and Crazy Son.  I said we could leave I had the paperwork, so we went out into the foyer but the court clerk held us back and said that Crazy Son and his skanky “friend” was still in the lobby and for us to wait just out of sight and he kept checking, then he said that they finally moved to the elevator and got in it and the doors were closed, I said that we would wait in the Lobby for a few minutes to make sure that they have left the building and the clerk said that would be good.

Then he asked me if I ever worked in a law office and I said No, and told him where I did work and am now semi-retired  His eyebrows went up and he told us “I read your statement, you had him boxed up, you might have missed your calling.”  I said “Not really, I preferred the more quiet aspect of my life.”     He smiled at that, then he had to go into the court room but wished us a great holiday time, and we wished him the same.

Doyle and I waiting for 5 minutes in the lobby before taking the elevator down,  he had earlier come out of the bathroom and had seen Crazy Son talking to the Bailiff, but stayed way back out of the way and then came into the court room looking for me, as we came out the Bailiff was still in the lobby and Doyle asked him what was Crazy Son  asking him about and the Bailiff said that he was asking if he, Crazy Son,  could appeal and the Bailiff said to him “No, you didn’t have your proof, you screwed yourself, there is no appeal, no modification.” 

The Bailiff said we had done all the right things, even better than a lawyer,  I said “Well I saw how the Judge was handling the cases, the first one was a quick learning experience, so I knew what I had to do.”  The Bailiff looked at me, smiled and said “Very Smart!”   Then the down elevator came and we said our good byes and he gave us a tiny salute as the doors closed.

Oh I wanted so much Leap into the Air and say “WE DID IT!!!!!”   but we were decorous.   Not until we got into our car, our stomachs growling, our heads aching, our bladders asking again to be let free, did we cheer ourselves, I said to Doyle “all I want to do is drink coffee and hug our dogs!!”

Well not quite in that order, bathroom, aspirin, hug dogs after we let them out for their potty break. 

We got home just before Crazy Son, Doyle and I went into the house and did what we had to do, Doyle looked out the front parlor room window while Crazy Son was pulling his parents recycling bins in, but Crazy Son paused and gave the house “the finger”.   Doyle laughed.  I knew Crazy Son couldn’t see Doyle but I said for him to get away from the window.

I was having a bout of nerves  unable to make lunch, and calm down after all this, so Doyle packed the dogs in their little doggie carriers and we went to a Chinese restaurant that would allow our little doggie companions as long as they remained in their carriers and put the words “Service dogs” on them.

 I had noticed that before we left Crazy Son had rode off on his bike after complaining to his sister who was visiting and checking on the parents, she  just laughed at him and said  “serves you right!”  and went into the house as Crazy Son rode off pissed as hell, most likely to complain to his druggie buddies and Frankly as Rhett said to Scarlet, I don’t give a damn!

We went to bed early that night, exhausted, we can now get on with our lives, I have things to do, and a graveyard to pack.  And planning to take a good friend to Lunch to celebrate a birthday.

Either way it had been a busy day and a tiring day but in its own way a fruitful day and that is one I’m going to take to the Bank.  It has been two nights now, and I don’t care if the rain is coming or has arrived or whatever it plans to do, it doesn’t matter, we can relax and be at peace.  

It has turned cold here, like a light switch it turned from mild to cold, now it has the feeling of London of Sherlock Holmes or Charles Dickens, of an Agatha Christie novel, of fog, of tea and mystery.   And I’m loving it and as the Nina Simone song goes Feelin' Good!

Later Darklings 

Doyle and I live such exciting lives, a little dueling does wonders!