James has been Arrested
Monday, Sept. 15, 2003 6:41 pm
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James was arrested.

We went to our normal karaoke place, so James could do a show, (we really needed the money so he could buy his uniform for work... it only paid 45 dollars, but every bit helps) I didn't really want to go, because I was utterly exhausted. I didn't fall asleep until six o'clock that morning, and then I only slept until nine am. It is now 1:30 am. I was so tired I wanted to cry.

Right before it was time to go we noticed a cop circling the parking lot. He was soon joined by another. Now, I am an extremely paranoid person, so I automatically assumed it had something to do with us. I sat there, quietly hyperventilating, until they finally left.

So then it was time to go.

We got... maybe... a mile down the road, and then the blue lights flashed on behind us. I knew it, I knew something bad was going to happen! So we were pulled over. The cop swaggered on up to the car, one on either side of us. They asked James for his licence, which he didn't have, because he'd forgotten his wallet.

So I volunteered mine. They made me get out of the car, and shone their flashlights on me while I dug through my little purse. I thought it was a lost cause, I dumoed my purse out, and still nothing. Then I found it in the hidden pocket, Thank the Goddess. So they kept me standing there, while one of them ran James' and my information. Next thing I know, they asked him to step out of the car, and they were patting him down. The police officer who was standing with me, wouldn't explain what was going on.

Then they cuffed him, and that's where I began to freak out. I started shaking, and I was trying very hard not to cry. Its horrible to see your husband handcuffed, and being stuffed in the backseat of the cruiser. The one who was standing with me kept asking why I was so upset, because it was just a small thing. They ran our plates in the bar parking lot, and saw that our registration had been expired. Then when they ran James name, they saw he had a warrent.

He was just being picked up on a warrent for failure to appear in court. Well that may be a small thing to them, but to me its huge. This is happening two days before James was supposed to start his new job. I was finally relaxing, the ball of nervous-pain-stress-tension-ulcer-thing in my stomach was finally going away. And then this happened.

Then it started to rain.

So now, James is crammed into the back of a cruiser, and the three police officers pull out their slickers. I am only wearing a sleeveless, very thin, black shirt. And its pouring! They told me I could take what I needed from the car. I wanted to get the witchling's carseat. So I go to get it, and then the guy immediately tells me to get out!

They searched our car! they searched my purse, even though I had just spilled the contents out on the trunk. (The idiots never bothered to search the trunk though! Personally, that would be the first place I'd look for illegal type things. but that's just me)

Finally, it was time to go. And I had to ride in the back of the police car like a criminal! It was very uncomfortable, and I thought of James, and what it must feel like to be stuffed back there,and not even be able to sit properly because he was cuffed with his hands behind his back!

We get to the station, and I watch as James is led into the inner sanctum.

A few minutes later, they let me in. I couldn't even look at him. They had him handcuffed to the chair, they had taken his shoes, earring and wedding band. It was awful. I was so angry with him I couldn't talk.

(I realize now it wasn't really his fault, but at the time i was so tired/angry/confused that I wasnt really thinking straight.)

The sergeant informed us that to bail James out it would cost $420 dollars then, or he could spend the night in prison intake and it would be $220 the following morning. Or if we couldn't get together either, he wouls spend two nights in jail and be arrained on Monday morning.

Jesus Christ Bananas. Who the hell can I call to give me that kind of money, cash, at half past two in the morning? I drew a mental blank. I tried my mother, and she all but hung up the phone on me. I had Xander translating to my mom for me, and I could actually hear her signing... That must be the equivelant of shouting in the deaf community! I didn't know what else to do. James was worried about me finding a way home, so I called Matt to come get me. Then i left to wait in the outer office until Matt showed up.

James got the bright idea to call RAM, who does the karaoke, and he and his girlfriend came down to bail hime out.

I still can't believe they did that. I was so surprised when they actually showed up.

So Matt and I waited in the parking lot for James to be bailed out.

I was so very upset, I just sat there spewing, bitching at Matt. I was so tired, I couldn't think straight, and all that kept going through my head, was, what if the witchling had been in the car? What if she had seen daddy taken away in cuffs? What are we going to do now? How are we going to get the car out of the towyard? How is James going to get to work?

Whatarewegoingtodonow?whatarewegoingtodonow?whatarewegoingtodonow?

I flipped out. Had myself a lovely little panic attack, while my husband is fingerprinted and photographed inside.

When he was finally released, I couldn't even look at him. I just kept thinking, if the car had been ok, this wouldn't have happened. Its not fair, but that's what I was thinking.

I went to bed and didn't hardly say boo to him.

I slept until four o'clock Sunday afternoon. I've been sick ever since. We stayed up last night talking. I told him how angry and upset I was about this, and how scared I am about what is going to happen now. And he told me he was disappointed in my behavior, in the way I reacted.

I said that I was sorry, I couldn't help it because I was exhausted, over-tired, and upset. I wouldn't have reacted so badly if not for that.

Now we are scrambling to find some money, ANY money, to get the car out of the tow place. Tomorrow, it will cost 138 dollars to get it out, and another 24 dollars for every day it stays there on top of that, and then about 90 dollars for AAA to tow the car to our house. We can't drive it until registration is sorted out.

That's going to come to abot 200 dollars. Plus we need to get insurance before we can register.

So we are horribly screwed. We can't get our car, James can't get to work to make the money to get the car, (there aren't even any bus routes where we live now) and we are already in the hole almost 500 dollars to RAM.

And last week I thought things were going to be ok.

I need to lay down now.

Artwork © Jessica Galbreth