Friday, March 2, 2007

Jury Duty

We'll use the expository method of getting to know each other, shall we?

Let's just get to the meat and potatoes of the story:

I have the best sister in the whole world. We live together like members of a cult in a little cottage in a cute, but not-yet-fashionable section of downtown. I bring this up because we have lived like this since we were teenagers. In several cities between here and our native land of New Jersey.
As poor and or miserable as we got, as uneducated past the 12th grade as we are, we always felt it necessary to remain good citizens and register to vote. So we have been registered voters at the 10 or so addresses we've had over the past decade. From time-to-time, we have had roommates with the same address and general demographics as ourselves: twenty-thirty-somethings with respectable jobs, tax-payers, non-felons.
Sis and I started noticing an odd trend that we are now convinced is not just a random, isolated coincidence: we never get called for jury duty. Ever. Every other place we have lived, all of the other adults in the household get called for jury duty, but not us.
This recently became an issue of hot debate two weeks ago. My partner, who I will call Cat, got called for jury duty by Marion County. Congratulations.
The next day, an old roommate of ours who hasn't lived here (or in this state) for two years recieved his. Wtf?
Cat and I both legally changed our names to an amalgam of people who were important to us. Sis and I no longer share a common last name. And our last name was pretty common to boot.
PARANOIA time:
When we were both little girls (Sis and I), all dressed up like boys in Cinderella dresses, our papa did a really, really bad, bad thing. Maybe I will bring it up in another post, but for the sake of time, we'll just say this: it was a federal case. Being someone who worked for a federal agency, it was a pretty embarrasing. Think Robert Hanlon. That puts you in the ballpark. What they could actually convict him of of was actually less than what they suspected him of doing (and to be honest, was probably guilty of).
So do I call up Doris Sadler, clerk of the courts and demand to know why Sis and I don't get called for jury duty? Or do I just let sleeping dogs lie and keep this as one of those fun little mysteries to further add romance and texture to my very active daydreaming life?

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