Paying for the Trespassing III citation brought up an interesting
scenario. My parents approached me about this citation and the upcoming court
appearance, subsequently offering to pay for the ridiculous four-hundred and
something dollar ticket. Not having a dime to my name, literally, I was
somewhat forced into this generous offering, knowing at the same time
that it was only going to toss more and more eggshells in my path. It did.
On the day of the hearing, I dressed up in clothing that mom and dad
had purchased for me and prepared for the worst. Entering any courtroom is
always a pleasant experience so I was already sweating like a whore in church
by the time the judge walked into the courtroom and the famous words were
spoken: All Rise.
As the proceedings began, alphabetically of course, I could feel my heart
pounding. I just knew I was just about due for another hammering over the damn
child support thing and the way the system is all linked together, I figured I
was headed from the courthouse to the jail – I have been there and done that.
Surprisingly, when my turn came up, my so-called attorney, whom I had
never met, told me to not say a thing until spoken to by the judge. When it
came down to the nuts and bolts of the case, the judge asked if I was working.
My attorney said, “Mr. Toncray is not working due to a disability and awaiting
results from an appeal from Social Security.”
The judge looked at the District Attorney, who in turn was looking at
me, and then he spun his head and focused on my posture and eye contact. He
then asked me, “Do you have an attorney for your Social Security Appeal?”
“No, your honor, I do not.” The wavering words slipped from my
trembling lips.
“To be successful with an appeal with Social Security, you will need an
attorney. Nine out of ten cases will be turned down without an attorney,” the
judge informed me.
My eyes must have been as big as golf balls. I was absolutely
astonished at the sincerity of the judge and his advice. He was actually
helping me with a totally unrelated issue instead of hammering me with the
citation. Feeling uncomfortable is an understatement. Judges are supposed to mean, uncaring assholes who only want to
screw up your life even more, not help you, I thought.
I left the courthouse unscathed and more educated on methods to win a
case with The Social Security Administration. Accepted my parents’ check, paid my trespassing fine in full, and went online to find a suitable attorney. Upon
a diligent search, I found a firm based in Utah ant responded to my email in a
timely fashion with utmost professionalism so I chose them for my case.
Attempting to complete Behind the Signs was challenging and I was
becoming more and more frustrated with my living circumstances. I needed to
speak with Beth about the final chapters and what actually happened. At the
same time, assist my attorneys any way I could. Ultimately, this gave me an
open door to hop on the bus and head for the employment office where there are
computers with high-speed internet. My dad was saving a few bucks by retaining
his old dial-up internet service and nobody could persuade him otherwise. When
there are important issues on the line, waiting for dial-up internet service is
not the way to go. It’s like trying to sink a boat using pea gravel. You will
eventually get it done, but plan on spending some time doing it. I utilized
this time to contact Beth and make notes on the final chapters and send and
receive documents from my attorneys.
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