The Plea

Monty went to the courthouse on Monday to officially enter his guilty plea. He told me little about it, saying that exactly what it means was still sinking in. What it means is that the barred cell is imminent.

He did say that his lawyer made sure it was on record that he completely complied with the conditions of his earlier arrangement: keeping his doctor appointments, staying in the house at all other times, that kind of thing.

His sentencing date is September 25th. As far as I know, that's the day when he will learn how long he will be in prison, to which facility he will go, and when it will begin. The beginning may very well be that day. He's asked me to be there.

I want to be there for him. His last act before becoming a convicted felon will be walking into that courthouse. It won't be a trial, the act of officially entering his guilty plea on Monday waves his right to a trial by jury. This means I'm not going to hear the evidence against him, I'm not going to get any of the details that I'm currently lacking. I'm perfectly fine with this. Besides, he already told me he would answer if I asked. I will likely hear the specific charges that were brought against him, just as a matter of course for the record, as well as the important part - how long he will be gone.

I have already requested and been granted that day off of work. I will be there. This is part of my not knowing what to expect, but I will learn.

There are moments when September, about four months from now, seems pretty far away. There are moments when it seems like no time at all. The reality, that four months left reality, hasn't quite sunk in. When I talked to Monty on the phone, he said it hadn't yet done so for him either. It's hard to say when it will, if it will ever.

Monty also wants to have a going away party. I may not be able to attend that, depending on when it is. He told me the house will be full of people I don't know and some I don't entirely get along with (i.e. ex-wife number 2). He knows I don't like crowds very much. In this instance, I really don't. Maybe I'm being selfish, knowing that the time that we do have to spend together watching scary movies and trading unbelievably rotten puns is very limited. I just feel like I show him support better when I'm not just another one of the crowd. Of course, he's not sure exactly how much of a crowd it will be, depending on who will actually come. I told him I couldn't promise the entirety of the party, but I would do my best to be there. I will try.