On Not Getting a Ticket....

I was all set to write on the WSJ article about which stars sell the most clothes, but that will have to wait until next week. The following encounter has trumped any fashion talk today...



I was headed out the door to take the kids to school today when The Husband reminded me that I needed to take his car. He had kindly offered to get a couple of new tires put on my car (This offer coming after I had a total tire blowout after he had assured me all was fine...nevertheless). I don't drive The Husband's cars very often. I'm not allowed to drive the porsche...and I do not hold this against him. I wouldn't allow me to drive it either. But today, the kids and I climbed into the Honda and took off. It was absolutely pouring down rain and still dark...it was Little One's day to pick "leaving time"...and she picks "crack of dawn".....So there we were at 7:20, driving and talking. We pulled off the backstreets into a merging lane, when all of a sudden, the state trooper behind me (I had seen him) flashes his lights. Well, crap.



I quickly pulled over and waited. "What did I do?" I asked The Boy. "No clue", he replied. Little One whispered "Are you going to jail?" ......The Boy laughed and said "Ooh, dad is really gonna yell at you!" Sadly, this was the exact thought going through my mind. However, I crossed my fingers and hoped I had a break light out or something. I rolled down my window, and the trooper trudged over in the rain with a really mean look on his face. "I WAS TRYING TO GET YOU TO PUT ON YOUR LIGHTS."......Ok, well you don't have to yell at me. "License please." I handed it over and murmured "really sorry".



Little One, who needs to learn to restrain her temper, started talking about how "dumb" he was. The Boy was strangely quiet, only mumbling "We're gonna be late." I sat there lecturing myself not to cry...though I felt like it. I was already planning my explanation to The Husband, yet I was also shallow enough to hope that no friends of neighbors were seeing this....although I was a bit comforted by the fact that I was in The Husband's car and it was still dark...giving me a bit of "disguise"...



A few minutes later, here came the trooper again. He walked up, took off his glasses and sighed. "Ok. I'm mad at you because you made me get wet. I had already made up my mind to give you a ticket....But...if you will promise to put your lights on.....I won't."........He didn't smile, but he looked like he might, so I said "Thank you so much", and flipped on my lights. Since we were at the worse possible place as far as trying to pull back on to the road, I hesitated until The Boy said "MOM GO...and be sure your lights are on!" ....Little One rambled on about how "dumb" the policeman was, and frankly, I was feeling the same way, so I refrained from my motherly duty of correcting her.



The thing is.....here it comes......I didn't even know you could get a ticket for not having your headlights on. I mean, I should have had them on, and it was still a little dark and rainy....but I was just wondering why he didn't stop me on the side roads and just tell me. As we pulled away, I said "No need to even mention this to dad.".....The Boy shook his head. "MOM, How come when I make a bad grade, and I beg you not to tell dad, you say you have to. I guess next time I make a bad grade, we don't have to tell him either."......Busted. And not only busted, but embarrassed.



All's well that ends well. We made it to school without further problems....and I did call and tell The Husband about it. "Did you tell them you weren't used to driving my car?" he asked. Well, no I didn't, because I did not know if that would hurt or help.....



Anyway, I feel very fortunate to have "gotten off"....kind of lifted my spirits on a gloomy Friday...SO



Until tomorrow....