The courthouse lines were short.
The Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach is a majestic building with cable-supported glass walls. Those of us who come to this courthouse often don’t have a chance to marvel at the beauty of this gorgeous structure because usually we’re coming here to deal with some uncomfortable, unhappy matter.
In my case, this is where my now-ex-husband and I submitted our divorce paperwork. Sure, a divorce isn’t exactly a cheery time for most people. Shockingly, though, it wasn’t half bad to get divorced at this courthouse during the pandemic.
Actually it was pretty pleasant.
One reason for this was because my ex and I had been separated for quite some time — much before the onset of the coronavirus outbreak. All we had to do was finalize our divorce, which we did at the tail end of the pandemic.
The reason it was so easy to do this during the pandemic was because the courthouse was almost deserted.
The first time we went to the Governor George Deukmejian Courthouse in Long Beach together, to turn in our initial paperwork — before the pandemic—the courthouse was crowded. We had to wait in long lines.
But during the pandemic, that wasn't the case. In the almost-empty courthouse, finalizing our divorce was much easier.
To turn in our various documents, we showed up at the courthouse and were told by a guard to call to book an appointment. We waited about fifteen minutes and went in to drop off our documents.
Finished.
We even had a celebratory lunch in one of the restaurants housed in the courthouse. We ate outside on the patio in front of the building.
I was finally able to marvel at what an incredible structure this building is.
The takeaway.
Had our divorce not been amicable, I can see how it would still be difficult to split up, even during the pandemic. But in our case, since we were divorcing in a friendly way, I’d say it was easier to finalize our divorce, even during a world health crisis.
Now we’re a happily divorced couple. Yes, there really is such a thing.
If you’re planning to get a divorce, you may just want to do it before the courthouse lines start getting long again.
You’ll be happy you took my advice.