My son’s school is a few miles from our house, on the outskirts of an undeveloped chunk of land.
When I drive away from there in the morning, I am frequently the only vehicle in the area.
Today, there was another car. And it was black and white.
I know I put my foot on the brake when I turned right at the corner, but the cop said I never came to a full stop.
Probably true, but you know my car issues with the boy. I’m conditioned to keep moving.
And on a basically deserted street, surrounded by open fields and unfinished roads?
Yeah, I’m probably going to take the corner, if no one protests.
When I was pulled over, I had my headset on and was talking to my friend’s husband on the phone.
Oddly enough, he was telling me about his own strange experience on the road today.
I had to cut him short.
Note to Joel: I still need the end of that story.
The worst part about this was the embarrassment of trying to find my paperwork in the cavernous pit I call a purse.
I apologized for that about seven times. I don’t think the cop was too impressed with me.
Note to self: clean out the freaking purse. And the car too, for that matter. I felt those police eyes on the half eaten HoHos in my son’s drink holder.
He gave me the ticket and walked back to his cruiser.
I sat and contemplated whether or not I had my thoughts collected enough to drive off without further incident.
I did and I left.
I called my friend and gave her the details her husband didn’t have.
She was just as mortified as I when I told her about the fine, a whopping $450 dollars. Right before Christmas. Ugh.
Note to everyone: don’t roll through right turns in California unless you’re sure the light is green, because you can’t afford it.
After we hung up, I got a little teary and started down the self-loathing-I’m-such-a-loser spiral.
I haven’t been pulled over in maybe ten years. (Not legitimately anyway, but that’s another annoying story.)
Husband wouldn’t answer his work number for a few more minutes, so I called another friend and tried to reach my brother too.
Neither were available to hear my woes.
Left with no vent, I pulled myself back from the whole thing a bit and tried to figure out what about it made me feel so stupid.
I concluded it was the state of my purse and car much more than my failure to stop at the light.
Maybe that’s a self-indulgent concern, but it’s the truth.
I was embarrassed by my portable chaos, in much the same way I am embarrassed for anyone to see the daily state of my home.
I’ll be tidying up for the holidays, of course, but now I’ve got $450 reasons to change my habits for good.
Do you think it’s a coincidence that one of my son’s vocabulary words this week is “slob?”
Don’t answer that.
♥
Now, get a load of Jack.
Day Ten 2010 Pumpkin Demise
Happy Wednesday!
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bockychoy 