Bad Luck

I’m such a criminal.
I have been called to court and am to be appearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Hamilton tomorrow.
It all started in February with my accident. I was given a ticket( for which –whether under shock or not, it’s hard to say – I said ‘thank you’). I paid it the following week, sad to see our money go, but understanding the justice of it. And then, several weeks later – happiness! – I received a cheque in the mail from the City of Hamilton, reimbursing our bank account, saying that the officer hadn’t filed the ticket in time. End of story.
Except, not really.
My mom called one Monday about a month ago. “So you got some mail this weekend,” she said.
“Mail? Since when does mail get delivered on the weekend?” I asked.
“Well, not so much mail. We got a knock on the door on Saturday morning and a police officer handed us a summons to court for you.”
Oh.
I called the number (conveniently, not provided on the summons) of the Ontario Court. She explained that while an officer has 7 days to file/service a ticket, they have 6 months to “reservice” said ticket. I asked if there was anything I could do to avoid showing up in court, explaining my situation and the distance it was for me. I asked if I could somehow plead guilty over the phone to avoid the hassle. Negative on both accounts.
“So, you mean to tell me that I have to drive three hours, show up in court just so that a Justice of the Peace can sign another ticket for me, and drive three hours back?”
“Yes.”
But, she was very kind and offered to give me a number of someone who could possibly help me. Grasping at any possible straw, I called. A week and a half later, he returned my call, and I was told that because it is a summons to court, I legally need to show up. If not, a trial will be called.
And so, because I wish to avoid trials, lawyers (nothing personal), and a criminal record, I am going on a wee little trip to Hamilton tomorrow. Wish me well.