I glanced at the clock glowing green from the dashboard, it was 10:45. After promising the munchkins I would take them somewhere to get a snack while we waited for Mom & Dad's plane to arrive, I quickly scanned the area.
"Do you remember where that McDonalds was?" I asked my cousin in the passenger seat, referring to the one and only stop we had made nearly two weeks ago before we dropped our parents off at the Airport.
He looked at me, his glasses flashing the reflection of the stoplight ahead of us. "Um, lemme see ... ok, you're gonna want to go left up here. It'll be further down though, remember?"
I nodded and took the next left, every intention of getting them a quick little snack and seeing my parent's plane brighten the sky with it's flashing lights and warm welcome. The kids were in the backseat, attentively watching Anne of Avonlea. Ah, how many times had I watched that movie? Memorized parts and even now, could see in my mind's eye what was happening as I listened to it from the driver's seat.
"Well, I think that either this is the wrong way or we're not going to have enough time to get back to the Airport in time. So why don't we get something when we meet Momma & Daddy, okay?" I spoke up a few minutes later. We were still on the same road but it was taking us further and further from the airport, and I have this horrid thing about being late.
It had been 11 days, food was the last thing on their minds just now. In fact, they barely ackowledged me as Anne began shouting at Gilbert in the middle of their walk down the lane scene. I settled back into the seat and kept an eye out for a good spot to turn around. It was the highway, not a tiny small town road after all, if you weren't authorized you weren't about to turn around.
Finally after several minutes, we came up on a railroad crossing and just before that, a side road. "What about here? Do you think it's okay?" Nathan agreed with me that it should be. So I looked for a sign posting for Authorized vehicles only ... When I didn't see any, I put my left signal on and crossed the road.
It was then that Nathan spoke up from the passenger seat, looking down outside the window. "Gravel. Uh oh, that's gravel."
"Authorized Vehicles only!" Kenna said in horror, craning her neck and pointing at a small sign turned at the most illogical angle to me.
Ugh. In my head I was hoping, praying ... How dumb?! Well, maybe I could be an authorized vehicle this time? I didn't want a ticket! I haven't had one up to this point, and I wanted to keep my record clean. About that time, I glanced in my rearview mirror ... a set of headlights snapped on and my heart sank. Wouldn't that be bad if that was a cop? I thought to myself.
Blue Lights flashed, a spot light lit up the inside of our car -- I had no idea that happened. My heart stopped beating momentarily. I sucked in a breath air. "Oh no. Everybody stay calm and be quiet PLEASE."
Mckenna slammed the dvd player back into the ceiling and repeated what I'd said.
I pulled over, Nathan apologizing several times in a matter of seconds. He had come along to help me and I suppose he felt guilty for not seeing the sign too. I didn't see how it was his fault, in the slightest. Mckenna pushed my wallet between Nathan and myself, so I could pull my license.
Do you know the horrible feeling it is to watch from your side mirror as a young police officer walks up in the grass alongside your mini-van with his flash light in hand, knowing he holds the power of writing you a ticket? Oh my lanta, never. "Excuse me, do you know why I pulled you over, Ma'am?"
The fact I smile when I'm nervous makes me ridiculously unhappy, also the fact that my eyes water incessently makes me despise emotion every once and awhile. "Yes Sir. It's probably because I drove through an authorized vehicle zone back there." We talked for a while, he asked me what I was doing so I explained that we had to head back to the airport to pick up our parents etc. He went back to his car, after I fumbled with my stupid wallet to withdraw my license for him. Looking like an idiot, yes.
At some point, Nathan had leaned across me and said, "I'm sorry, Officer. I told her to, it was my fault." So when the officer came back, he handed me my license and said, "I was gonna give you a ticket but you did what he told you to. Next time, make sure you know what's going on okay? Especially in an area you're not familiar with. I assume you're the father?" he asked, looking in at Nathan.
I had some strange sudden urge to laugh but I didn't. "Oh no! He's our cousin, he came along to pick up our parents at the Airport." I wonder if he had known this before going off with my license, I might've ended up with a ticket?
I must've thanked that guy half a dozen times from the bottom of my stinkin' Southern Heart. He helped direct us back to the Airport and said he hoped our parents made it in safe, to have a great night. Needless to say, the conversation in the car was an interesting variation after that.
Whew! What a night, but thankfully Momma and Daddy made it in okay and somehow found the story quite humorous -- I suppose on account of my NOT getting a ticket, hmm? * winks *
"Do you remember where that McDonalds was?" I asked my cousin in the passenger seat, referring to the one and only stop we had made nearly two weeks ago before we dropped our parents off at the Airport.
He looked at me, his glasses flashing the reflection of the stoplight ahead of us. "Um, lemme see ... ok, you're gonna want to go left up here. It'll be further down though, remember?"
I nodded and took the next left, every intention of getting them a quick little snack and seeing my parent's plane brighten the sky with it's flashing lights and warm welcome. The kids were in the backseat, attentively watching Anne of Avonlea. Ah, how many times had I watched that movie? Memorized parts and even now, could see in my mind's eye what was happening as I listened to it from the driver's seat.
"Well, I think that either this is the wrong way or we're not going to have enough time to get back to the Airport in time. So why don't we get something when we meet Momma & Daddy, okay?" I spoke up a few minutes later. We were still on the same road but it was taking us further and further from the airport, and I have this horrid thing about being late.
It had been 11 days, food was the last thing on their minds just now. In fact, they barely ackowledged me as Anne began shouting at Gilbert in the middle of their walk down the lane scene. I settled back into the seat and kept an eye out for a good spot to turn around. It was the highway, not a tiny small town road after all, if you weren't authorized you weren't about to turn around.
Finally after several minutes, we came up on a railroad crossing and just before that, a side road. "What about here? Do you think it's okay?" Nathan agreed with me that it should be. So I looked for a sign posting for Authorized vehicles only ... When I didn't see any, I put my left signal on and crossed the road.
It was then that Nathan spoke up from the passenger seat, looking down outside the window. "Gravel. Uh oh, that's gravel."
"Authorized Vehicles only!" Kenna said in horror, craning her neck and pointing at a small sign turned at the most illogical angle to me.
Ugh. In my head I was hoping, praying ... How dumb?! Well, maybe I could be an authorized vehicle this time? I didn't want a ticket! I haven't had one up to this point, and I wanted to keep my record clean. About that time, I glanced in my rearview mirror ... a set of headlights snapped on and my heart sank. Wouldn't that be bad if that was a cop? I thought to myself.
Blue Lights flashed, a spot light lit up the inside of our car -- I had no idea that happened. My heart stopped beating momentarily. I sucked in a breath air. "Oh no. Everybody stay calm and be quiet PLEASE."
Mckenna slammed the dvd player back into the ceiling and repeated what I'd said.
I pulled over, Nathan apologizing several times in a matter of seconds. He had come along to help me and I suppose he felt guilty for not seeing the sign too. I didn't see how it was his fault, in the slightest. Mckenna pushed my wallet between Nathan and myself, so I could pull my license.
Do you know the horrible feeling it is to watch from your side mirror as a young police officer walks up in the grass alongside your mini-van with his flash light in hand, knowing he holds the power of writing you a ticket? Oh my lanta, never. "Excuse me, do you know why I pulled you over, Ma'am?"
The fact I smile when I'm nervous makes me ridiculously unhappy, also the fact that my eyes water incessently makes me despise emotion every once and awhile. "Yes Sir. It's probably because I drove through an authorized vehicle zone back there." We talked for a while, he asked me what I was doing so I explained that we had to head back to the airport to pick up our parents etc. He went back to his car, after I fumbled with my stupid wallet to withdraw my license for him. Looking like an idiot, yes.
At some point, Nathan had leaned across me and said, "I'm sorry, Officer. I told her to, it was my fault." So when the officer came back, he handed me my license and said, "I was gonna give you a ticket but you did what he told you to. Next time, make sure you know what's going on okay? Especially in an area you're not familiar with. I assume you're the father?" he asked, looking in at Nathan.
I had some strange sudden urge to laugh but I didn't. "Oh no! He's our cousin, he came along to pick up our parents at the Airport." I wonder if he had known this before going off with my license, I might've ended up with a ticket?
I must've thanked that guy half a dozen times from the bottom of my stinkin' Southern Heart. He helped direct us back to the Airport and said he hoped our parents made it in safe, to have a great night. Needless to say, the conversation in the car was an interesting variation after that.
Whew! What a night, but thankfully Momma and Daddy made it in okay and somehow found the story quite humorous -- I suppose on account of my NOT getting a ticket, hmm? * winks *
Posts
1 comments :
Ha ha, even I couldn't remebet it all that great. But you got it down right. This is too funny.... I love you ;)
-Nathaniel (aka the cuz)
Post a Comment