A rough day in the world of Tiffany, dear readers.
I not only experienced being pulled over for the first time, I received my first speeding ticket.
This morning, on the way to daycare, I became suddenly aware of police lights behind me. I pulled over, as I have hundreds of times, to allow the fuzz to speed past me, while I took a relieved breath that it wasn't me.
But this time, in the pit of my stomach, I knew. I knew he wouldn't be passing me.
It was just like I imagined it. Like I've seen depicted hundreds of times in movies:
"License, registration, and proof of insurance, please."
I fumbled with my glove box, CDs and suckers embarrassingly spilling out onto the floor. I identified the requested items, and handed them over, saying, "You're not going to believe this, but I've never been pulled over before."
And then came the wait. Sitting in the car, while others drove and walked past my public display of naughtiness. Binta repeatedly asking questions about what was taking place. By the time her stuffed monkey started asking me questions, I snapped, saying, "Can we just leave it alone, please?"
Binta, slightly taken aback, responded, "That was my monkey, not me."
"Well, Monkey, Binta knows all about what is going on, so just ask her."
But the worst part. The worst part...
No, not the fact that I had been caught speeding through a School Zone. (God! A school zone, of all places!)
No, not the fact that my unblemished driving record was now tarnished with the ridiculous shame of driving carelessly.
The worst part was when the officer's wrist moved to reveal the sum of the ticket. What I thought must have been a portion of my insurance policy number actually revealed the $239.00 that I now owe "City/Town of Black Diamond."
Today, while walking around underneath a greenish-brownish cloud of misery, I shared my devastation with my family, friends, and colleagues (who offered a satisfying balance of both empathy and interest with the fact that my infraction could be regarded as "reckless driving").
I'm taking donations, readers.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
When I first moved here I was told that Black Diamond is funded by their speeding tickets. I recommend cruise control. J
fight it in court, tiff! explain how you've driven that stretch of road thousands of times, and that morning you were thinking of all the ways you teach and inspire young children and mistakenly forgot to slow down for the school zone. good luck!
Post a Comment