Well, we are back from Thanksgiving holiday. For the most part. I didn’t actually go to work today. I had a bit of a situation happen over the holiday. Which I will tell you about now.
When Thanksgiving Day started out, I never expected to be sitting in the back of a police car, hands cuffed behind my back. I also never expected to end up helping a woman give birth in the back of a taxi cab, saving a kid from drowning in a pool, or performing an emergency tracheotomy on someone with a ball point pen. Which is good. None of those things happened. Except for the cop car/ handcuff bit. As Dr. Stevil said to me, today via chat, I was cuffed and stuffed. And not in a good way.
Here’s what happened. I was coming down the hill from Snoqualmie Pass, into Issaquah. On the pass, the speed limit is 70, shortly before you round the curve into town, it reduces down to 60. Sometimes, I forget, and until I see Issaquah, I speed along. Thanksgiving night was one of those nights. But I slowed down before the curve, I swear. That’s why, I was confused when the Wa State Patrolman pulled me over. Did I know how fast I was driving… no it was more like 76… license and registration please… blah blah blah. You know how it works. He brought back the license and had me sign it, and I thought that would be it. But he asked me to step out of the vehicle.
Do you guys remember, back in September, when I got a speeding ticket for going 27 mph in a school zone? Well, I didn’t. In fact, I forgot to pay the ticket. It was only two months ago, but they suspended my license. So I was told by the WSP man, who had led me out to the back of my car. I thought he was going to show me something was wrong with my car. Or maybe even see if I was drunk. But no.
Cop: Did you know your license was suspended? Due to delinquent speeding ticket?
Jodi: Uh… no. What speeding ticket?
Cop: I don’t know which one. But it’s suspended, and I’m going to have to arrest you.
Jodi: What? Seriously?
Cop: Yes, please place your hands behind your back.
Jodi: No… really… seriously?
And he was. He put me in the back of his cop care, with my hands cuffed behind my back. He brought my purse and searched my purse. Then he searched my car.
Cop: You have a lot of stuff in your car.
Jodi: Yeah… I do.
Cop: Why is that?
Jodi: Why what?
Cop: Why do you have so much stuff in your car?
Jodi: Well…. because.
What a stupid question. If you are wondering how I am taking this whole thing, at this point, the hand cuffs, the searching, the imminent arrest, the answer is… fine. I was annoyed, mostly. A little bemused because he had to list the contents of my car on a form. Mostly, I was sorry I was going to have to call my mom out of bed to bail me out of jail. Actually, I never thought I would go to jail. Even if arrested. It simply did not occur to me to be worried.
to be continued…..