Massachusetts Page

Yesterday, in a blinding snowstorm I trekked to the courthouse to get my hearing postponed.

"Hey Marge, do we do that?" yelled out the Junior Assistant Court Clerk behind the counter.

"I don't know..." said Marge. "Do we postpone civil appeals?"

"I don't know..."

"Let me see that," finally said another bureaucrat. By his tired expression and slow movements you could tell he was a Senior Assistant Court Clerk.

"We don't do that," he finally answered after studying the barely legible, million times photocopied form I was holding.

"I'm going on a business trip. How do I get my hearing postponed?"

"You'll just have to pay the fine," said the old basset-hound-face.

"But I wanna have a hearing!" I pleaded.

"We can't change the date just like that! Don't you realize the officer is all set to come to court?"

"But I can't be there..."

"Well, the only thing you can do is to ask the officer to change the date. Or just pay the fine. There is nothing we can do."

I guess I'm going to court next week...