My husband did his duty for his country
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
United States
June 29, 2016 7:51am CST
We thought the idea of potential jury duty was going to hang over us for a year...but now it's over. He was called by the courthouse last Friday and told to report Monday no later than 8:50 am for 9:00 roll call.
Since I assumed he wouldn't be selected I expected him home by 10:00! When he wasn't home by 11:00 I figured he was on a case. Since we don't use a cell phone he had no way to contact me.
When they broke for lunch the Judge announced that the bailiff would be escorting all of them to the luncheonette across the street. At that point my husband spotted a local police officer on his cell phone. He asked if he could call me and the officer had to place the call since my husband hasn't a clue how to use one! They wound up having lunch together.
They were told to order whatever they wanted. My husband was starved by that time so he ordered a double hamburger. Thank goodness he filled up since they didn't finish the case until well after 5:30 and he wan't home until almost 6:00. Considering we normally eat at 3:30 or so, we were both starved. We had, for us, a very late dinner.
We moved south 15 years ago in July and since then we have been together 24/7 every day, day in an day out. Sure, I get an hour or so here an there when he has a dental appointment or such, but normally we're attached at the hip. To have an entire day alone, without him, was very unusual and really threw me off my game!
But the one even more confused was poor Ruby - she just didn't understand why her pop wasn't there.
Now the case and his jury duty is history.
Photo: pixabay.com/en/law-world-legal-symbol-global-419057/
15 people like this
19 responses
@JudyEv (382330)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Jun 16
@Jeanniemaries Very sensible. I now miss breakfast and have dropped 10kg. Luckily I don't feel hungry in the morning. I have a light lunch and we eat around 6. Vince is Type 2 diabetic and I think he needs to eat more than twice a day. But we don't eat nearly as much as we once did.
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
29 Jun 16
It's surprising but if I eat at 3:30 or 4:00 I don't want any dinner. Two meals a day are enough for anyone over 60.
1 person likes this
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
29 Jun 16
@JudyEv Diabetics are different. We had a tough time with that, with me only wanting two meals a day and him needing three and several snack times.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
29 Jun 16
My husband has no need for a computer or GPS - he has me!
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45941)
• United States
29 Jun 16
I had to serve on jury duty and they had a tray of sandwiches from one of our local restaurants. They said they would order in dinner if we ran into the dinner our during our deliberations. I was happy that we came upon a decision before that.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
29 Jun 16
The funny thing is we only have two fast food restaurans and two 'casual' type places so I figured they would tell them 'go eat where you want but be back in an hour' ...turned out hey had 1 1/4 for lunch.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45941)
• United States
29 Jun 16
@AbbyGreenhill We ate while deliberating. Didn't get to go out.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
29 Jun 16
@ElusiveButterfly This case probably could have been over and done in an hour - but they drag these things out.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502653)
• Italy
29 Jun 16
None of us have ever been called for Jury duty and I can imagine I would miss my husband. We have been together like you, 24/7 every day since the day we got married more than 40 years ago. He was away from home only two times, when he had surgery in 2003 and 2013, every time only for 2 days.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502653)
• Italy
30 Jun 16
@AbbyGreenhill I do not drive, I do not even have a driver license. We have a bus that stops not far from our home, but it would be more difficult for me if one day I should be alone.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
29 Jun 16
I wouldn't mind so much if I had a car - but w/o one I am literally trapped here! then I worry what if something would happen to Ruby.
We've only been married 18 years so being together 24/7 since July of 2001 is most of our married life
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
29 Jun 16
I think he did enjoy some of it - but he didn't like sitting still for so long!
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
30 Jun 16
@paigea it was dragged out too long
1 person likes this
@paigea (36143)
• Canada
29 Jun 16
@AbbyGreenhill That would be hard. But seeing how it really works/ ,as opposed to TV, would be interesting.
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
29 Jun 16
I've always wanted to serve on a jury but never was called. We moved a lot in the earlier years and that may explain it, but I always registered to vote immediately in a new area and was aware they picked juries from registered voter lists. We lived in Huber Heights, OH for 30 years though and I was never called. Now that I'm settled here I kind of worry about it because I hear you can't take notes. So with a faultier memory than I used to have I wouldn't trust myself to remember all the details of a long case.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
29 Jun 16
@Jeanniemaries This case had nothing to do with cops - it was a neighbor dispute.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
29 Jun 16
They don't pick from registered voters, not in this state anyway. This is his second time being called - two different counties. I used to work for lawyers and one became a judge, so I knew I had an 'out' years ago, but was never called. Here names are picked from lists of people with driver's license.
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
29 Jun 16
@AbbyGreenhill Well, I've always had a drivers license too. My parents rarely served as we were a police family, several of my uncles were in the police force and so we as a family tend to side with the police.
@cmoneyspinner (9218)
• Austin, Texas
29 Jun 16
I have only served as a jurist once, although I've been called more than once. It was a civil case, not a criminal case. It's a worthwhile experience, but not something I really look forward to doing. I appreciate the American justice system. But if I can bow out of accepting jury duty, that's fine by me!
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
30 Jun 16
He had been on others years ago in nj
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
30 Jun 16
Where you ever called for the selection but not chosen?
@LeaPea2417 (40052)
• Toccoa, Georgia
29 Jun 16
I have served on two juries, one was a Grand Jury and the other was a case where we had to determine if a guy was guilty for bank robbery and rape. We determined he was guilty and he got put away for a nice long time. You should have seen the look on his face when we declared him guilty. He shot us all a bird!
@LeaPea2417 (40052)
• Toccoa, Georgia
1 Jul 16
@AbbyGreenhill Yes, but it was the end of the trial and we were getting ready to leave the court room.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
1 Jul 16
@LeaPea2417 Usually a judge would discipline someone for doing that!
1 person likes this
@PatZAnthony (14749)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
30 Jun 16
It would be difficult to be apart if it is not the normal routine.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
30 Jun 16
Even though he sometimes drives me nuts I missed him!
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
30 Jun 16
I rather like cells for such things. Back when we didnt use them much we literally got a couople of the straight talks from walmart, and put a five dollar card on it every couple of months, just enough we could text each other if we needed.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
30 Jun 16
I have one just don't use it. He would not know how to use it
@lilnana1111 (2305)
• United States
30 Jun 16
That was nice of the officer to call you and let you know what was going on.
@kellyr634 (416)
• United States
29 Jun 16
I have never been picked to serve on a jury, but I have always thought it would be interesting.
@boiboing (13147)
• Northampton, England
29 Jun 16
My husband is a prison officer and I am amazed that this doesn't exempt him from Jury Service. Personally I think he's more than done his bit for law and order and should be excused. He claims that if they ever call him, he'll say he wants to bring back hanging and hope that they exclude him (he doesn't, in case you wondered). If I'm called I'm going to tell them I have a pathologically low boredom threshold and won't be able to sit still and listen all day.
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
29 Jun 16
I hate being called to jury duty, I try to get out of it.
@AbbyGreenhill (45490)
• United States
29 Jun 16
Dispute between two neighbors Something very country-ish!
