I was on Ashland, heading north. I stopped at the stop sign, glanced both ways, thought to myself, "Nah, I don't want to go up to La Grange Road, I have an opening, I am going to jump across Ogden."
Even though I am at that corner thousands of times a month, I have never really read - or at least it didn't register - the sign that indicates there is right turn only allowed at certain times of the day, 8:00 a.m. being within the time restraint.
As I glanced in my rear view, of course I saw a police car behind me, flashing his lights.
Uh-oh.
He calmly walked to my door and said, "I was hoping you were going to turn right. Right turn only is allowed at that intersection at this time of day."
He then asked for my license. In my trips where I just 'buzz' to the post office, I routinely leave the house without my purse.
Oh-oh.
"I don't have my license with me. I just ran out to get some mail trays, blah, blah."
"Hm," he says. "Can I see your insurance card?"
That I did have and proudly handed it over.
He said, "Just a moment." He went back to his car with the flashing lights.
He once again approached the driver's side and asked when my birthday was. I told him. He wrote it on his hand and once again walked back to his car.
When he came up to my car again, he had bad news.
"You have two moving violations: one for not adhering to the right turn restriction and the other for driving without your license. That carries a penalty of your having to come to the station with me and posting a $120 bond."
Oh, great, I think. How can you post a bond when you don't have your purse? Instead of speaking those thoughts out loud, I simply nod.
He then says, "I don't usually do this, but we have the same birthday, so I am going to let you go."
"WOW, thanks, I say - and we celebrate with ....."
"Michael Jordan," he says. So, I know he was telling the truth.
