I might be exaggerating about the elderly father thing a bit, my father acts younger than most men ten years younger than him, but I once saw my friend Sloan get out of a speeding ticket by pretending to cry in front of the officer. So, I know that the sympathy card works. Of course, that cop was a balding, older man of a certain age, and Sloan is a smoking hot twenty-something-year-old.
"Sorry about your father, but I'm afraid that we're going to have to charge you for driving with a suspended license."
"Really? Even though I admit that I forgot about the ticket, I honestly didn't know that my license was suspended because of it. They didn't send any notifications to my house about it."
"I'm sorry, but ignorance is not a defense."
Ugh.Maybe I would have been better off with a male cop.
"Okay, so how much is that ticket going to be then?"
I just want her to issue the ticket and get going at this point. I can tell that this woman is a stickler for the rules and only plays by the book. She's not going to budge. It's my own fault for forgetting about the ticket.
"You're being charged, Miss Carter. There is no ticket. Step out of the car please."
My stomach flip flops.
"Wait, why?"
"I'm going to have to take you into custody."
"What do you mean into custody? Are you saying that you're arresting me?"
My heart starts to palpitate with a mixture of fear, confusion and shock. I notice that all three officers now have their hands resting on their belts. Close to their weapons. I guess I shouldn't have raised my voice, but frankly I'm stunned.
"I'm afraid not, ma'am. Now I'm going to need you to step out of the car please."
"This is unbelievable," I protest. Still not moving to exit the car. "What's going to happen to my car?" I ask when actually that's the last thing I need to be worried about. Who gives a shit about a car? I'm about to be arrested.
"It will be impounded in the municipal lot. You can get it when you're released."
Oh my God. I cannot believe this. This is straight out of a movie. A freakin' horror film. I'm being arrested for the first time in my life. Like a criminal. For a freakin' traffic ticket?!
"I just don't understand," I mutter under my breath. Nervously stuffing my phone, my sunglasses, and my ChapStick back into my purse. "It was just a ticket."
"I need you to get out of the car, ma'am. If I have to tell you again, I'm going to add resisting arrest to your charges."
At this point, a group of bystanders have stopped along the sidewalk and are now watching the scene unfold. I suppose it's natural for people to be curious when someone's getting arrested, especially with the national spotlight on police departments across the country, but to say that I'm completely mortified right now would be an understatement. I just pray that nobody tapes this and throws it up on YouTube.
Again, nobody's fault but my own.
And our ass backward justice system.
Don't they have real criminals to go arrest? Like the one probably already sitting in my house.
Officer Robinson asks me to hold my hands in front of me as she clasps a pair of heavy silver cuffs on my wrists. "Hold your hands together please."
They're heavier than I imagined handcuffs would feel like and they're tight. I think she put these on and tightened them not taking in account that I'mbig bonedaka on the chubby side. Maybe it's because I moved a little too slowly for her liking. Maybe because I asked to many questions. Maybe she just doesn't like her own species.
"What about my phone and my purse?"
Still asking meaningless questions. Unfortunately, I don't have a significant other to call, and luckily, I don't have a shift at the hospital tonight, but I do have one important person to answer to and he's going to be looking for me soon.
My father.
* * *
