Court Date

So we went to court today. Except it was more like a meeting that just happened to take place in a court room. And with a large audience. And a lawyer. But other than that, it was just like a meeting. I am not entirely sure what I was expecting, but definitely something with a good deal more formality than what we got.

What we got was a guy probably about our age sitting in front of a laptop, vaguely bored, but good natured, asking us the same questions he had asked all the people in front of us. As well as asking interesting questions about what we both do for a living. He was understanding as well as extremely efficient. And I found myself utterly grateful for his humanity. Because I was terrified that we would get grilled about our spending habits and lectured about financial choices we had or had not made. I was sure I would start crying in the middle of the hearing and I was so worried about who we were going to have to come face to face with. Turns out, it was just this guy (and his assistant who was actually the cold one), doing his job, working his way through the massive roles of others in our same position for one reason or another.

I walked away from the whole thing with an overall feeling of relief. Except for the fact that they want to see our 2009 tax returns in case our tax refund can make a “considerable contribution” to offset our debt. What that means is that if they take our tax refund then our ability to shore back up our savings account will take a gigantic hit below the belt. So I will have to work to keep that worry from itching the back of my mind for the next several months and just take it all as it comes.

But mostly there is relief. Relief that we’ve done our court face time and are one step closer to having all of this behind us, so we can continue to focus on where we want to be, and more importantly, where we already are.