Obstructing The Sidewalk
On This Wednesday
morning, I have returned from the courthouse, after walking the two miles there and the two miles back, in order to save $2.50 on busses.
I got there just a half hour late.
They wanted 15 dollars, as a "bond" fee, before I could talk to the DA.
This is a new thing, I found out. Since it is a new thing, they understood that I was unaware that I needed to bring 15 bucks with me. They "reset" it for next Wednesday, the 16th. I have no idea what they will do, if I just don't have 15 bucks on me, next Wednesday, but I suspect that they would set another date and then hold me in custody until then. The date would probably be set far enough into the future, so that they could get the same amount of money out of holding me, as they would if I was fined two or three hundred bucks. The state gives the county (or "parish" here) daily money for everyone being held in the local jail. It was 350 bucks in Alabama, out of which the county supplies the three meals, which probably cost them about two dollars each.
My backpack and guitar, I would hope, would be held in a property room for me. I would hope.
I didn't see Sue there.
Early Morning Rain
I woke up (the final time) at 6:45 at the Occupy New Orleans campsite (and clearinghouse for stolen bikes and camping equipment) and made some instant coffee with cold water.
I had moved to under the "overhang" of the pavillion roof when it had started raining at about 3 a.m.
This meant that I was around others, who were similarly unprepared for rain.
I lit a cigarette to go with the coffee and, as if the puffs of smoke I exhaled were signals in a Native American language which spelled out: "Hey, I've got cigarettes!," I was immediately converged upon.
They were the same people who were sitting in the pavillion when I had gone to get water for coffee.
I had asked nobody in particular "Is there any drinking water?" and was answered by silence and hollow, icy stares.
One of them just said "Yo," and made the international sign for "Give me a cigarette" (the peace sign held in front of the mouth, as if there is a cigarette between the fingers, and waved, as if the cigarette is being placed in and out of the mouth, to similate smoking).
After I refused him, saying something like "Oh, you can't say 'Good morning, or 'How are you today?', but you can ask for a cigarette?" he scowled and then slinked off.
A moment later, another young man came by and actually said a very friendly-(you guessed it)- "Good morning." Then, asked for a cigarette.
Are these people really stupid enough to think that I'm stupid enough to not see through them?
I poked through a box of 128 crayons which was onsite, for the purpose of making colorful protest signs as I sipped coffee, and learned that there are colors like "timberwolf,"  "macaroni and cheese" and "shamrock."
Fortified with this knowledge I took my trek to the courthouse, with less than 15 bucks on me.
Sue Sighting Drought Over
After the walk back from the courthouse, I spotted Sue, sitting near the library.
I don't know if she had seen me approaching, but, she sat still with her eyes closed behind her shades, perhaps hoping that I would walk past and not disturb her.
I disturbed her and told her about my trip to the courthouse, after trying to appologise again for yelling at her and receiving only the response "I don't really know you and didn't think that could be like that; and I don't like it."
As I tried to further appologise, while I rubbed her shoulders, didn't shrink away, but asked "Why are you doing this?," as if I might be trying to set her up to hurt her again.
She had been to the courthouse a few days earlier and learned, as I had around the same time, that the summons had not been "sent in" by the officer.
At that time, they told me that I still needed to come to court at the specified time, even if it never got sent in.
According to her, they had told her the same about it not having been sent in, but then told her not to "worry about it." They even stamped the back of her citation with words to the effect that it hadn't been sent in, and that "the defendant was told to leave until further notice." (They were probably assuming that they would have a way to get a "notice" to her.)
Well, Sue came back to the library a couple hours later and expressed her bafflement over the whole ordeal at great length, revisiting questions like "If he said it was just a warning, then why do we have to go in front of the judge?"
"I don't know, Sue"
I was asked to repeat several times, exactly what I had been told that morning, as if she was trying to catch me changing a word here or there.
"We'll just have to cross that bridge when we get to it, Sue"
I am going to have to try to have 15 bucks for her, also, next Wednesday. If one of us has to go to jail, it will have to be me; I'm more used to it...
She seems to be vacillating between thinking that she got me in trouble: "If you were there alone they probably wouldn't have even bothered you," and that I got her in trouble: "I was just sitting by you, and look what happened...are you going to help pay for my fine if they give me one?"
But, at least we are talking.
Bird Serves Its Purpose
Then, I showed her pictures of the bird. She is now waiting for me to get off this computer, so that I can take her to the spot where I last spotted the bird.
So, I guess the bird has served its purpose.