I was on my way to my daughter’s house to make some Christmas goodies with a three generational group of ‘ladies’. I had the van loaded with peanut butter, oatmeal, corn syrup and chocolate chips. I was ready and the girls were waiting.
Normally I turn into the subdivision at the bottom of the hill, but for some reason I kept going and gave the old girl (Bertha, my van) some gas to get to the top. She made it, very energetically I must say, and the policeman hidden in the side road must have agreed as he motioned me over.
My last and first speeding ticket was at least thirty years ago. So long ago that my first thought on seeing the policeman in the middle of the road was “what is he doing?” LOL I mean if I’m going to get pulled over I want the true experience, the bleep of the siren and the flashing lights.
I pulled into the side street and parked, rolled my window down as he approached. For months I have watched the videos of drivers being pulled over by the cops and all of the resulting arguments and often violence. My policeman was very polite and immediately asked “did you know you were doing 71 in a 50?”. (This is Canadian kilometres not miles per hour).
I’ll admit I had no idea how fast I was going, but I wasn’t going to argue. When he asked for my driver’s license I removed it from my wallet and handed it over. Ownership and insurance? I’ve got that I thought, somewhere. Immediately I started searching through the glove compartment.
Owners manual, service receipts, old eyeglasses, and such, but not what I was seeking. I apologized repeatedly, and marvelled at his patience. Finally I found a little red case with the ownership and an old insurance card. Oops.
My concern as I drove had been on the four teas from Tim’s that were sitting on the passenger side floor. I offered him one but he politely declined. I was told to wait as he returned to his cruiser with my papers.
It seemed to take awhile considering I’ve led a quiet, crime free life, but then he was back. The speeding ticket was $110 and three points, the no proof of insurance another $65. Well, hell, I thought I just had a $700+ dentist bill and now this, and I haven’t finished my Christmas shopping.
“I do believe you have insurance so I’ll give you a pass on that one,”. I thanked him profusely. “And I’ll knock the speeding down to ten over so you don’t lose points. That makes it $40.” He then went on to explain how that could be paid, asked me if I understood, and I said yes, though I hadn’t heard a word after $40.
At my daughter’s I explained why I was late and they all laughed at me. Thought I was joking because they think I’m guilty of ‘granny driving’. That means slow driving.
There was one time I volunteered to drive my granddaughter to work, as I was leaving and her work was on my way. My granddaughter didn’t want me to drive her because she was already late and I “drive slow and don’t even take the highway”. Such teenage angst and poor planning.
I was saved that day as the ride she thought she’d missed was also running late and she took off. A few days later I was back at my daughter’s, leaving at the same time as the same granddaughter and a friend were leaving. This time my offer of a ride was accepted.
I pulled away from the curb ever so slowly, and stopped at the sign one house away. After many glances at the road to be sure it was clear I turned the corner and drove away at a snail’s pace.
“Has your friend heard of granny driving?” I asked. I refused to speed up, in spite of the apologies from my granddaughter. She was embarrassed, which was the point, and her friend and I thoroughly enjoyed the moment.
No more granny driving for me. I got a speeding ticket. So there!
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