Thursday, December 8. 2005
I finally did it. I went to court today. It couldn't have gone better. As you may recall from an earlier post, a police officer "kicked my ace with citations". It was four to be exact, totalling $1269.00 and a point on my license if I didn't attempt to correct the citations. Well, I registered my car, came up with proof of insurance, and got a California license. I had been fearing the temptation to lie about my move to California. I had already stretched the truth by telling the DMV that I had offically became a resident of California in the beginning of July of this year. This was to avoid an extra $160 in registration fees, which I had already paid to the state of Iowa. Since my first real full time job in California didn't start until the middle of June, and I was ready to move back to Iowa until that point, I figured it wasnt too much of a stretch. Anyway, I didn't speak an unhonest word today, and what unfolded was an answer to prayer and a weight off my back...
Sitting in the court room for 40 minutes watching about 20 people present there case before me was a little nerve racking. My turn to present came and I approached the stand. I presented my registration, insurance, and license. I even explained to the judge that I had an Iowa drivers license when I was pulled over. He immediatly dismissed all of them, no questions asked. The final citation for making that right on red was than addressed. He explained to me that I could do traffic school for the same price of the citation ($150), and no points would be added to my license. I thanked him and began to walk out of the court room.
He stopped me to ask why I had moved to California. Mind you this was infront of about 15 anxious people waiting to present there cases, and the first personal conversation he had initiated since I had entered the court room some 40 minutes earlier. I said it was for weather and friends and that I would move back someday. He said he doubted that, citing that he had moved out and thought the same at one time. It was at this time that I heard a muffled voice behind me say something like "come on".
Perhaps it was the fact that we both had healthy beards, perhaps he had a special place in his heart for the midwest. All I know is that the blink of an eye my fine had decreased about 90%, nothing was going to be reflected on my record, we were chit chating, and I didn't speak an unhonest word. Praise God.
