The longest quarter year in my life, Conclusion: The day of reckoning

Previously in the end of an era series: A wrong turn on a one-way street, coupled with my failure to renew my insurance policy in May 2008 unfurled a long series of events which made my life much more complicated than necessary. Two months after my Cook County court appearance, the Secretary of State placed a four-month suspension on my Jetta--of which I was not aware. Within a month, I was rolled twice by suburban cops, which made me really stop driving. After I made the two harrowing appearances in a suburban court, I was "let off" much easier than expected!

I served my suspension period (amid gnashing of teeth and long bus and train commutes) for three months (i.e "the longest quarter year of my life), feeling as though December 15th would never come.

But come it did. With a huge surprise.


And thus ends my life's most recent saga:



Part VII: The day of reckoning.


It was my judgment day. So I Twittered.

"Is this really it? Really the day i've been waiting for for four months? 11:45 AM Dec 10th from txt"

I really just wanted to say "for for four" in a sentence.

Since the judge in July told me to maintain my insurance and come back with the fine, I gathered my proof documents, transitchicago.com'd my trip, and headed out in the blustery cold to head to the Clark and Lake El stop near the Daley Center courthouses. As always, I left my house giving myself the least amount of time to get to the court by 1:30. If all went well, I'd get off the train at 1:23 and get through court security at 1:30 on the dot.

Except I was three stops away at the 18th stop when I realized I'd left my insurance papers on my bed in my haste to catch the 1:10 train. Damn it! Again I cursed myself. Can I seriously walk into court without those docs? Not only do I not have enough money to pay, but now I don't even have my proof insurance. Idiot. Now I'll probably have a continuance on my case to next month and delay being able to drive again...damn it! I considered going back home, but figured I may as well just go into court. Besides, the little white slip they'd given me only told me to return to court to pay. Right?

I didn't know, but there wasn't enough time to turn back.



Arriving on time, there were about 14 other people in the room. I went up to the clerk to sign in with her, letting her know I was there, and she waved me back to my seat, saying, "Oh, I already got you, you're fine, take a seat." What? Okay. She must have recognized me when I walked in from the photo on my driver's license. Oh, my license...I hadn't seen that in almost eight months.

The Honorable Chevere came out and explained what was going on. She talked about how lack of insurance penalties were the most expensive of all offenses, and so on. I instantly liked her.

The cases before me were so entertaining. A Mexican man ahead of me spoke no English and the "conversation" between the Judge, the man, and the court translator was hilarious.

"You were pulled over while driving for not renewing your license plate sticker. Do you have a current sticker?" Judge Chevere asked, as the translator spoke to the man simultaneously (I wondered why she didn't address him in Spanish since she was clearly Latina herself).

"I don't know why, but I got parking tickets for expired plates," he responded (via translator).

"Yes, you were ticketed while parked, but that has nothing to do with you being here. Do you have a sticker? Did you renew your registration?"

"Ah, someone stole the sticker off my car."

"But did you renew your registration?"

"Oh, well, I was cleaning my car with gasoline and the sticker wore off."

"You were cleaning your car with gasoline?!" It was like a case of the People's Court or something. Everyone in the room was cracking up, as was the seemingly clueless defendant. "Okay, but you did renew your plates?" Judge Chevere asked again.

And back and forth about five more times. Finally, "Oh, I have my plates here!" The man went back to the bench and showed the judge a license plate wrapped in a white cloth. It was completely worn out--you could barely read the letters and numbers on it. And there was a license plate sticker, but it also was rubbed off and you couldn't even tell what color it was.

"Ah, okay!" Judge Chevere exclaimed. "So you're saying you did renew your plates, but either someone stole the sticker or it disintegrated. Well, you're in luck--the Secretary of State is just down the hall, and our lovely translator will be your friend of the court and walk you down to their offices. If you did renew your registration, they will be able to give you proof that you did buy the sticker and you can come back and show me and it'll all be fine!"

"Oh, I can come back?" He asked in Spanish.

"No, not a continuance. Well yes, a continuance--to the next half hour! Go on now, we'll see you soon."

You had to be there.

Eventually, the Judge called me to the bench. "Okay, Charlotte...mandatory insurance...looks like you're just here to pay, right?" She looked over my ticket with the district attorney who was standing by as well. "All righty! Are you ready to pay today?" She asked. I told her yes. I wanted to ask how much it would be, but didn't want to risk sounding like an idiot since I'd clearly been informed of my fines. "Okay, Ms. Mutesha--just go around the corner to the cashier, wait for them to call your name, and you're all set!" She smiled. I seriously wanted to be her when I grow up.

"Thank you!" I told her, and left the courtroom. I literally had said one word--she didn't ask for proof of anything, which made sense since my slip had simply said to return to court with my fine--so I didn't have to worry about leaving my dumb insurance papers at home anyhow. It made me a little bitter, though, that I'd been making insurance payments on a non-drivable car--but obviously I had to send the SR-22 info to the Secretary of State in order to properly serve the suspension time. Oh, the catch-22 of SR-22s.

I briskly walked out of the court, smiling that my case had been so simple, but also wishing I could have seen the conclusion of the Mexican man's court case. I totally bet he didn't renew his sticker!

I sat on the bench and waited for the cashier to call me for about half an hour.

I Twittered.

"Wow court today was actually really entertaining! Spanish speaking ppl are the funniest. I think i love that judge lady i wanna be her! 1:57 PM Dec 10th from txt"

Ange asked me who the judge was.

"@AngeliqueK Judge Chevere at the Daley Center..she's hispanic and a bad ass! Too bad i'd never want to go to law school.. 2:04 PM Dec 10th from txt in reply to AngeliqueK"

As I watched the chick cops walk around, I thought about how I could be them too.

"I would totally be a cop if the pants weren't so ill-fitting on the women. I'd wanna look like Beyonce in 'If I Were a Boy' hot 2:16 PM Dec 10th from txt"

When I finally was called up to the window, the sweet Indian man smiled and asked me, "This is your license, right?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "Oh, my goodness, it's been so long since I've seen that!"

He laughed as he punched some buttons on his register. I prepared to tell him I only had five hundred odd dollars when he said, "Okay. One-ninety."

"One-ninety?"

"Yes. One-nine-oh. $190."


Again, my heart stopped for a moment. Or ten.


I wasn't sure that I heard him correctly and I handed him $195 in cash, I don't know why. Yay, tipped jobs. He counted it and gave me the five back. "$190."

I seriously thought I was hallucinating. One-hundred ninety bucks? Seriously. SERIOUSLY. SERIOUSLY?! My mind was going crazy.

He handed me my receipt and my precious, beloved, long-lost driver's license, smiling. "You're all set!"

"Amount still owed: $.00."

I could have danced out of the Daley Center, but I maintained my composure and freaked out in my head.

Do I seriously have angels intervening on my behalf or something? Archangel Michael? Or Alan, Sue's Angel of Investments?


I instantly Twittered:

"OMG STFU! I was told in june my fine was 625..the cashier had me pay 190! Omg that just made my LIFE! I haven't seen my license since 4.28! 2:31 PM Dec 10th from txt"

With my sudden extra cash, I decided I deserved a caramel macchiato at the Starbucks in the Daley Center. Walking back toward the Thompson Center at Clark and Lake, I stopped at the German Christmasfest which filled the square and admired the gigantic Christmas tree. I would have taken photos, but cameras aren't allowed in the courthouse for obvious reasons (crazy journo people like me would try to record incidences like Mexican man and blog about it later using that as a visual aid).

There are Secretary of State facilities in the Thompson Center, so I went down to the basement to see what I had to do to lift the suspension on my vehicle. I knew that there was a $100 fine required, and since I had the money I figured I'd pay it today in order to have everything cleared by the 15th.

The lady behind the desk punched in my license plate information when I asked if I could pay my fine to the State. "Charlotte Mutesha? What's your address?" I verified all the information. "Okay, let's see...did you have insurance on May 12?"

I thought for a moment. I know I'd got it in May, but I wasn't 100% sure of the date I'd purchased it. "I believe so," I told her.

"Okay, well, all I need is your proof of insurance on or before the 12th of May...or else you'll have to pay $100 to lift the suspension." Of course, since my insurance documents were at home, I couldn't definitively answer her question nor pay the fine. I thanked her and left.

As soon as I got home, I checked my papers.

Ba-ZING. I WIN AGAIN!

Proclaimed via Twitter:

"Can 2day get any better? Sec of State needs proof of ins for 5/12 to waive the $100fee. I got insurance on 5/9 so i dont have to pay it! 3:29 PM Dec 10th from txt"



If you've been following along and keeping a tally, this is how everything worked out financially.

$625 - fine for operating uninsured vehicle in Chicago--initial citation. Actual cost: $190.
$3000 - operating uninsured vehicle in suburbs, 1st time, + driving without license. Actual cost: $300.
$1000 - operating uninsured vehicle in suburbs, 2nd time. Actual cost: $100.
$100 - fine to lift suspension from license plates as per Secretary of State. Actual cost: $0.00.

$4725 vs. $590.

Clearly nobody wants to lost nearly $600, but when it's compared to over $4000...yes, I'll take it. I'd say I made out of the situation a very fortunate person.

The entire ordeal--losing possesion of my license, serving the suspension period, coughing up money I'd have rather spent elsewhere--was difficult. It made getting around much more trying and added plenty of complications what with the court dates, long work and school commutes, and seeing people I love.

However, it is safe to say that I've learned my lesson. It only takes one police search and a couple harrowing court incidences for me to learn that there are many ways that I could make my life easier, if only I'd just abide by the law. Sure, I'm an obsessed traveler and consider myself a citizen of the world. Of course I'd love to only live by intergalactic universal laws, but for now, I'm a Chicago, Illinois citizen and Lord knows I will never operate a car sans insurance again. Nor will I ever take the luxury of being able to drive for granted.

It is certainly the end of that era. If my story can convince you that all the complications are not worth it, then I will not have suffered in vain. And even if it doesn't, I'm just glad I survived to tell the tale without too much damage to my bank account and my freedom intact: all's well that ends well and I have proved to myself time and again that I can get through anything.

I can't apologize, though, for sounding cliche--I am a firm believer that circumstances always have the potential to work out, even when you absolutely can't see how. Even the most stressful, seemingly impossible situation--whether it be getting to a suburban court without a ride, coming up with $600 fast when you have a two-week break from your main job, trying to jump-start your dream career, overcoming any obstacle--can be rectified.

You just have to push yourself, persevere, work your ass off and most importantly, take responsibility for your actions. I know that when you do those things with a little faith and try to live virtuously, things will fall into place. And if you don't have faith in yourself, find someone who believes in you and gives you that reassurance and encouragement--it's important! I cannot tell you how many phone conversations, emails, texts, and generous actions have helped me through very difficult times and I am so thankful for all those people I can lean on.

You just have to trust that wherever you are in your life in the present is exactly where you need to be. Maybe school sucks, or your job sucks, your relationships suck or life in general sucks. But instead of looking at how horrible things are, zoom out and ask: what is this present situation here to teach me? What can I learn from going through this? And what can I actively do to make this better?

You can choose to believe it, or not (and if you don't believe me after hearing this story [and I have many more where this one came from], then I don't know what it'll take). But I am living proof that you can beat the odds, even when they're stacked.


And sometimes I think I mainly go through these things to tell the entertaining, ridiculous story of my life.



Thanks for reading. On to the next saga, infinity, and beyond...