(A very brief excerpt from Distance Memories)
On the drive home I noticed on
the car’s thermometer that the temperature was a robust 20 degrees, and the
wind was howling. I was glad to be
inside the car, with the heater blowing and maintaining a comfortable 74
degrees—very comfortable in a windbreaker.
As we drove through the tiny town
of Tyrone, a few miles north of our home in Peachtree City, Cindy reminded me
how the local police have a propensity for ticketing those who would dare drive
above the speed limit of 55 on the four-lane through their fair town. Seconds later I saw blue lights flashing up
ahead on the right side of the road. As
it was early on a Sunday morning, there wasn’t any traffic, but there was another police car sitting in the
median of the road to my left. As I
approached the flashing light on the right side of the road, I started to move
from the right-hand lane to the left-hand lane (state law: if there is an emergency vehicle on the side of any road
with more than one lane, you are required to move completely over to another
lane if you’re able).
As I was gradually moving over
one lane—away from the flashing blue lights, Cindy said something about a car
to my left. I thought she meant there
was a car rapidly approaching me from behind in the lane I was about to move
into, so I held my ground, essentially ‘straddling’ the white lane in the
middle of the two southbound lanes. She
was actually referring to the police vehicle sitting in the median off to the
left.
About 30 seconds later there was
another set of flashing blue lights—directly in my rear view mirror. Cindy noticed the blue lights as well, and
asked if I was doing the speed limit. I
looked at my dashboard—I was doing 54 miles an hour, it was 18 degrees outside,
and it was 1:28 a.m. in the morning. I
pulled off to the right side of the road, the police car pulling in right
behind me. The blue lights were still
flashing.
I rolled down my window. One of Tyrone’s finest asked for
my license, registration and insurance.
He also asked if I had been drinking.
I said I had the equivalent of one beer almost four hours ago. It went downhill from there.
Intrigued? I hope so. You know how to get the rest of the story!!!
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