Few days ago, Yaya and her friends decided to join the Race around Ekka film competition and was busy filming till night. I was supposed to pick her up from her friend’s place at 8, but they got delayed.
Meanwhile, I am hoping to run the Bridge to Brisbane and thought I will go for a cross country run around my neighbourhood. A friend of mine had drawn the course for me working out the distance, incline, decline etc..all in the hope of getting me in to shape. I had this image of me as well toned, fit and active woman. The truth is severely different. 10 minutes after my run, my legs chose not to move and every second after that was a struggle. I walked, ran a few cms, back to walk and ended up cursing my own delusions… I wished I had taken my phone, so at least I could have called a taxi back home.
By the time I got home I was exhausted.
I don’t know about others, but I feel very sleepy after a strenuous exercise. At 8 pm, I got a txt from my child telling me, they are running late and could I please pick her up at 10.15?.
I struggled to keep awake. At 9.40, I was feeling tired and drowsy, but still had to drive to Yaya’s friend’s place to pick her up. As I couldn’t leave the younger two at home alone, I had to take them with me. Baby was already sleeping and I had to drag/carry her to the car, wishing they all stayed young and small, so at least I could carry them.
Yaya’s friend lives in a very posh area of Brisbane with really snotty neighbours who write nasty letters to them for things like, if the mother hung clothes to dry on her clothes line on Christmas day. Apparently hanging your clothes to dry, that too on Christmas day bring down the value of the properties in the neighbourhood. ( in other words, you are really cheap to use the free sunshine and because it was your decision to live in a posh area and then the least you can do is to use the drier even if the temp outside is 37 degrees)
My car headlights are automatic and shuts off when I open the car door. I didn’t want them to get another letter because the light and engine was on while I was waiting for Yaya or that I was slamming the car door in the middle of the night, so I turned off the engine and manually switched off the light.
Yaya got in to the car, I drove back home, adding the odd numbers from 1 to 30, so I won’t sleep off. Baby was sitting in the front seat, snoring away to glory and her snoring was making me even more sleepy. It was then that I noticed the flashing lights behind my car. “Oh my god, Ambulance, how long has it been behind my car, oh my god, I didn’t give way and am now I am responsible for someone not getting the care they needed on time” I thought.
I quickly moved to the left lane. Few seconds later, the blinking blue and red lights were behind me again and this time there were more lights, like floodlights. I also noticed that this particular ambulance was not very big and there was no sound. It took me a few seconds to understand that it wasn’t an ambulance, but a cop and it was for me.
I am one more offence away from losing my license. My hands were shaking. I have never been pulled over in the past 20 years of driving. ( I only get love(ly) letters from the police with a photo of my beautiful car and the speed I was going when they lovingly and very kindly took that photo)
I got in to the side line and waited. I didn’t even know the protocol as to what to do when the cops pull you over. I frantically ( mentally) traced back my driving up to the time I got pulled over. I was sure I didn’t run the red light, go above the speed limit etc. By now all three of my kids were awake and they all looked at me accusingly
“What did you do mom?” Yaya asked.
“Shut up” I replied. How do I know what I did?
The cop got out of the patrol car, I could see the drivers that are driving by giving me the same dirty look I used to give those who got pulled over by cops.
“license please” he demanded. I carry my license in a little punch along with my car keys, so even if I change my handbag ( to match my clothes of course 🙂 ), I don’t have to worry about not taking my license. I tried to pull the car key out, but it was stuck. My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking and I was fumbling. The cop looked impatient and I also realized what an Impression I was giving the cop. Here I am, in my ( sexy) pyjamas ( I was planning to straight go to bed when I got back home and thought who is going to see me in the middle of the night), looking pretty dishevelled and fumbling with the car keys. Slowly realization came to me that in my hurry to pull over and park, I forgot to disengage the gear and until I do that, the keys stay in place. Slowly I disengaged the gear, got the key out and took out the license. The cop flipped my license back and forth and then very kindly told me “You have been pulled over for RBT ( random breath test) because you are driving without your lights on”
I could hear Yaya trying to control her laughter..of course, she can go and tell her friends the next day how her mom decided to drive in the middle of the night without headlights and got caught by the cop.
I never drink and drive, so the RBT was negative..Though only idiots drive without the lights at night time, it still isn’t an offence, so the cop let me go.
But the good thing was, I was wide awake the drive back home..and I know I will never drive without the lights on ever.
🙂 my first thought was how odd.. drying clothes on a line during Christmas and then realized that your part of the world experiences summer during X’mas!!
MS: Imagine Santa in swim shorts, wearing sun glasses and a totally cool Hawaiian floral shirt.. 🙂
i know right?! how would you make kids identify with the story that Christ was born on a cold night in a manger, when you celebrate X’mas on the beach!!
MS: I find it extremely difficult to cope with a Christmas in summer, even though I grew up in India and never had a winter Christmas. I can’t bring myself to serve cold prawns and salad for Christmas dinner.. After I finish all the baking, the house is stuffy and hot and I am crabby..Christmas in summer just doesn’t feel Christmassy to me
License in a little pouch is a cool idea! 🙂
Asha: I also keep a bit of money in the little pouch for emergency..
Been there! A week after I bought my car and my new found freedom, I was cruising down the streets at midnight. A police pulled me over and asked me very politely, “where are you headed without your lights, ma’m”. When I started the car and when I turned the lights on, I had accidentally hit the high beam on and I didn’t know how to turn off the high beam function, so I turned the dial one more time in the hope that I turned off the high beam (I knew I could get a ticket for driving with the high beam on and thought I was being smart). Back to the cop encounter, I told him that I had the lights on and the next question was “Have you been drinking tonight?”. I never had enough alcohol in my life to be incoherent. The young idiot that I was, I told him that pretty sternly. He was taken aback a little. After figuring out how to work the head lights without the high beam, he eventually let me off with a warning, ‘no ticket or points now, but if I ever do it again I would get a ticket’. The friend who was with me was as amused as Yaya was and he told this incident to the rest of the world (adding his own masala) and now 10 years later he still doesn’t let me live it down! I am glad you didn’t get a ticket or points.
KT: My friends are divided as to why I didn’t get a ticket. My partner thinks it was my BOD ( bosom on display), my best friend thinks that it was the negative RBT that made the cop really happy and I think it was because I was caught in a well lit area driving without the lights and there for not an offence..I am just thankful for not having to pay the fine. I am sure 10 years from now, my children will still talk about ” remember that day mom got caught by the cop and she was in her pyjamas?”