He must have been sitting there with a radar gun just after a blind turn off the 2 freeway.
I was already late for Thanksgiving Dinner. But Mom never made the traditional turkey dinner. It was always canned ham with pineapples, a Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket and her home-made applesauce topped with Red Hots.
I was working on my excuses to my parents about having to help Everett finish moving because it was his only day off work from the security guard company we both worked for: All Star Security Guard Service & Patrol. I had only worked for the company as a security guard for a summer job, but for Everett, it was a life-line for him and his father. What a life; working full time for minimum wage. Not that security work was like brain surgery. Still, I pitied my Thanksgiving alibi.
The truth was I spent the day over at Sandy’s, but my family thought we had broken up and they were so pleased with the fact, that I couldn’t tell them we were just on a break. See how much I had on my mind when I saw those flashing lights go off?!?! I freaked out a bit. “What’s the problem, officer?†He checked my license and registration. “Do you know how fast you were going?†he asked with a heavy Spanish accent. “I was going 35mph, officer.†“No you were going 52mph in a 30mph zone. I could swear I wasn’t going over 35, officer, but sometimes the speedometer sticks. As soon as I get my next pay check, I’m getting the speedometer fixed on this hand-me-down Chevy from my uncle.â€
Let me back up a block and come around again right at 30 and you can tell me how fast I was really going. Come on. It’s Thanksgiving. Give me a break.†“Ok†Officer Hernadez agreed. So I back up down the street with my hazard lights on. The I waved at Hernadez and gave a thumbs-up sign. I started out fine and then floored it as I flew past him. As I checked my rear view mirror, he was just standing there outside his car laughing.
I guess I did have a turkey for Thanksgiving after all.
Band members shouldn’t date each other. When the relationship goes wrong, the band is over. I was the last to be told and it came as quite a blow. The lights were flashing. I was totally blind-sided by the news.
To be fair there were only three of us in the band, so that was that. I was thinking how much time we had spent together playing our guitars and hanging out on the weekends. Getting together after school on weekdays and now it was all over. I was angry. I wanted to get away from there as fast as possible….maybe a little too fast. Wait a minute! Was that a police car I just passed? 50 in a 35 mph zone.
Slow down, slow down! Maybe he wasn’t looking. Oh no! He pulled out and is driving down the street. Maybe it’s for something else. I’ll just pull down a side street. Oh no! He did, too! Lights flashing….this is it. I’m being pulled over. Genuinely scared, I take out my license. “Where are you coming from?†The officer asks casually. I was just coming from church. That should make a good impression as I started to pray. “The one up the street?†he asked as he pointed east. “Yes, sir!†I say loudly and clearly with a smile.
“I know a Roger Baker that goes there,†he pals up to me. Roger worked for the city of Burbank. “Yes. Yes. He works with the youth group at church. He’s a great guy!†I nod enthusiastically. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know that counts. Right?.....Wrong…..
“Well you were speeding. Be more careful next time,†the officer warned in his worn out routine voice. My first ticket! From anger about the band, to fear of being pulled over, now to anger about a ticket…..emotions suck!
Later I saw Roger at church and told him what happened. He asked, “The police officer knew me and he still gave you a ticket?†I said, “You better check your list of “friendsâ€. Maybe he gave me the ticket instead of a warning BECAUSE I said we were friends.â€
I was late to my own prom. It wasn’t a big deal that I didn’t have a date to take. My friends and I weren’t caught up in all the hype and traditions. We didn’t take a lot of things seriously back then. Teachers were so legalistic and really seemed liked left-overs from the black and white tv generations.
If these teachers hate kids so much, why were they teaching? It probably something to do with pensions and being tenured, so what do you expect to happen when you get two groups of people a generation apart; mix in the to-die-for California weather. (them –the teachers who can’t be fired) and us –the students that want to be anywhere else but in class. I’ll tell you what you get. A lot of days of teachers “calling in sick†up to their allowed sick days, and a lot of students basically dropping in and out of school to “check messages†and find out what’s going on outside of school.
So that’s why this dinosaur of a fossil teacher threw me off my game so badly. I’ve seen plenty of power and authority abuse in my 4 years in high school, but Mr. B. was the icing on the cake. Everyone knows the time between the prom and graduation day is a floater time for seniors. We don’t even have to show up the last days of school. That’s the perk for being seniors, but here comes Mr. B to my house on the night of the prom telling me I wasted a total of 3 hours of his class time in American Government class during the semester.
He said I had to read the material from the text book for the whole time to make it up, or he would put incomplete on my transcripts; which would me no diploma and having to get my GED…..more tests to take and the hassle. Well I did my time and showed up late. Nothing really exciting actually happens at the prom. It’s more like a pre-party meeting place PARTY-ON!!!
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