J is for Jury Duty

I was a big fan of Perry Mason back in the day.  Although that day was when Perry Mason reruns aired in the afternoon along with reruns of another favorite, The Big Valley.

Thanks to Perry courtrooms offered a bit of interest to me.  I was always interested in the battle between defense and prosecution as well as the reaction of the jury members. I wondered what it might be like to be on a jury, to be one of the people who work to find the right answer. 

It took some time but I eventually found myself on a jury. Unfortunately, it wasn't a big Perry Mason kind of case- it was traffic court.

One of the things the TV shows never told us was how much sitting around those jurors did before they sat in the courtroom. On the morning I reported for jury duty I sat in a room with about 50 other prospective jurors waiting to see if my number would be called.  There were a few cases going on that day and it was unclear how many people were needed. So I sat.  And sat.  And sat some more.
Finally, just about when I thought I may get excused for the day- meaning I could take my juror's pay and head out early (maybe a matinee?)- I was called to sit on a jury.

Suddenly any old images of Perry Mason, his secretary Della, or his investigator Paul went right out the window. I was sitting on the jury of a case involving a driver and a bee in his car. I was attentive but bored as the lawyers asked questions of the jury.

I'm glad I was attentive because it may have been easy to miss the defense attorney ask the jury if anyone was allergic to bees or knew someone who was.

I raised my hand and explained that my older brother was allergic to bees.  I was dismissed a short time later- not quite in time for the matinee movie but in time to enjoy a little time to myself on a sunny afternoon.

Life Lesson- TV- it's not always realistic.