Take Your Pen Out of Your Mouth

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I’ll probably get in trouble for writing this blog, but it’s so bizarre that i have to.

I’ve been going to courts frequently now. We’ve been covering almost 10 high-profile cases for our area and I’ve been the go-to reporter.

During the last year, I’ve never had a problem with the courts. Each time has gone well and I’ve had nothing to complain about.

This past week, I was in court again and things didn’t go as planned.

Let me start off by saying that I always have a pen in my mouth. I don’t care where I am or what I’m doing. If there is a pen in my possession, it’s in my mouth. It’s probably a nervous habit, but I do it so much that I can’t be that nervous.

Back to last week, I’m sitting in court with a pen in my mouth and, during the middle of what I think was an arraignment, the judge stops what’s going on.

In the middle of everything, the judge looks my way and tells someone, who would later turn out to be me, to get the pen out of their mouth.

I think nothing of it. I look behind me and try to find out who it is. I didn’t think for a second that it was me. That just never went through my head.

I turned back around to find the judge staring at me and then it hit me. With the pen in my mouth, I just sat there staring at the judge.

It took a judicial marshal to come over to tell me to take the pen out of my mouth, before I actually did it.

The marshal was nice about it. He looked just as surprised as I did. He asked me if I was being “seen” today, where I told him that I’m a reporter and that I didn’t mean to upset the judge. He didn’t say anything more than “don’t do it again.”

Not a minute after that did the judge call for  a recess.

I immediately shot out of my seat and found the marshal that had just spoke with me.

I asked him if he had ever seen someone get yelled for having a pen in their mouth before. I don’t really think I need to say what he said. I’ve had a pen in my mouth while in court for over a year now. Even at two different courthouses, that’s the first time that’s ever happened to me.

Even today, I can’t get my head around it. It doesn’t add up.

What do you think?

Jonathan