I went into small claims court thinking I understood what “proof” meant. I had text messages. I had photos. I had payment records. I had a clean timeline. I believed that if you could show what happened, the outcome would follow naturally. That assumption turned out to be wrong. The case itself was simple on the surface. A private sale involving antique historical ceramic vases. The seller originally had ten. I purchased two first. Later, we discussed the remaining eight. Bef