056.
So I decided that since it's Monday and I'm off work, snowed in with nothing else to do I'll go ahead and a more concise update on what's going on with my boyfriend. In case anyone cares, I think there's like two people who actually read my journal.
So last Tuesday Mark flew out of Dulles headed for Heathrow airport in London. Originally we had been told that he would be arrested immediately at the airport and then the morning Mark was leaving his solicitor (lawyer) told him he would have time to go to the hotel when they landed and change clothes before they met at Paddington Green Station @ 2 for him to turn himself in. Instead, the airport authorities were not informed of this arrival and the plane was stopped on the runway and Mark was escorted off the plane in handcuffs, like some terrorist or something. Totally ridiculous, it was a pub fight it's not like he killed somebody.
Mark met with a magistrate the next morning to set bail. Mark was attempting to receive a trial by jury because it will be more beneficial for him to be able to argue his case instead of the the people prosecuting him just thinking he's some American skinhead who beat up a UK Soldier. If Mark is granted the right to a trial by jury he will be waiting at least 10 months for his case to go to trial. Mark was moved at some point last week to Wandsworth HM Prison, which is the largest prison in London & one of the largest in western Europe. After a serious struggle with Wachovia over the last few days, which forced Mark to sit in jail much longer than necessary, his bail waa finally paid and he should be released sometime today. In about ten or so days Mark should be meeting with the court to see when his trial will be for his assault charge. He'll be staying with a couple who are friends of the family til then so hopefully I'll get to hear from him before too long. It's killing me to not be able to talk to him at all. Dealing just with his Mom is kind of driving me crazy since she pretty much never delivers anyone a straight answer and doesn't even seem to understand the questions I'm asking her most the time.
Basically the last two days, or pretty much this entire weekend I've been on the computer e-mailing the jail and the American Embassy trying to get Mark any help I can. He was supposed to call me upon release to get the phone numbers of the couple he was staying with and their address. I knew however that the jail wouldn't let him make an international call. They wouldn't even let Mark's dad leave him a physical piece of paper with the address on it, just a verbal message with a social worker at the prison. Bullshit. So my boyfriend is just supposed to wander around aimlessly once he's released, being completely by himself and with no idea where to go.
Luckily I woke up this morning to e-mails telling me that the information would get to Mark because a social worker had been sent out from the embassy not just from me but from Mark's dad and he would be given a transit pass from the jail to get to where he needed to go. This who thing has been so exhausting for me, writing e-mails to England, writing update e-mails and sending them out to all of Mark's friends, etc. And I don't even know when he'd going to be able to come yet. I hope it's not too much longer than a year, this is already so lame. And it's getting harder for me to keep it together.
Alright so that update barely told anyone anything, but I tried. Hope everyone had a good weekend. I was snowed in the entire time. On a lighter note, totally excited about the new season of RUPAUL'S DRAG RACE starting tonight. Best show everrr.