Confession of a Grandmother....(oh boy!)

Big night out on the town! Ross and I dropped by B. McNeil's for Nick's 'Going Away' party with the MTMC crowd so Ross could see everyone (or THEY could see HIM). We visited with everyone for a bit and when Nick and Erin thought it was time for us to head home, Nick walked us to the car, strapped Ross in his car seat and off we go. The one night my grandson and I are turned loose on Murfreesboro footloose and fancy free, what happens? Yes, granny gets stopped by the police..... I learned that night how much I DON'T know about getting 'pulled over'. (I'm sharing this life lesson with you so the same thing doesn't happen to you.)

I was driving along Highland in front the MTMC, traveling about 20 miles an hour due to the crosswalk in the front of the hospital. I see the crosswalk ahead and I notice a young lady standing well off the curb, pilfuring through a large tote. My thoughts - "she's not ready to cross yet, so I'll SLOWLY cruise through"...which I did. No sirens, but flashing lights I see in my rearview...and I think "crap". It takes me a minute to find a safe place to pull over because, of course, it's a BUSY FRIDAY NIGHT IN FRONT OF A HOSPITAL WHERE I KNOW EVERYONE IN THE FREAKING TOWN - AND THEY ALL WORK AT THE HOSPITAL! The officer comes around to my window and asks if I know why he stopped me. NO. "You didn't see the yellow flashing lights at the crosswalk?" WHAT YELLOW FLASHING LIGHTS!! Ross was being so good - oblivious tp my humiliation! While the officer's checking Nick and Erin's registration and my license (which is CLEAN), I'm praying that Ross remains oblivious to our situation. Then it happens. The fussing starts. I did what any grandmother does - I got out of the car, walked around the back so the guy could see me, opened the car door and stood ourside the car, soothing Ross, singing a jingle to him - off key, I'm sure. I'm certainly not a Jeanna Campbell! I'm figuring how much my ticket will be in my head, thinking about how I'll never confess this one to a soul, etc. The officer finishes and comes over to give me my ticket and lecture. "Mam, you do realize, don't you, that getting out of a vehicle that's been stopped by law enforcement gives that officer the right to pull his weapon on you." "Of course I didn't realize that! You mean you'd shoot me for trying to console my grandson so he's not in the middle of a screaming mee-mee while you're giving me my $500 ticket for running a crosswalk with yellow flashing lights I didn't even see - watching a girl standing way off the curb digging to China in her tote bag????" "No, mam, I wouldn't've shot you. I want to be sure you understand the repercussions of your actions." The repercussion involved a warning only as he walked away shaking his head and LAUGHING. The nerve of that kid! I get the severity of what could've happened - I'm not a moron!

Long and short of it is this - Ross and I are stayin' home on Friday nights from now on!!!