One night, when I was driving a hoopty ('86 Lincoln Town Car), I was heading home at about 4:30 am on a Monday. There was a cop car following me all through town (Palo Alto, home of Stanford University, rich heart of Silicon Valley). I knew he was there. I kept my speed down and made sure to signal and be the perfect driver. He followed me onto the freeway onramp, then pulled me over just before I actually got on the freeway.
He approached on the right side and I put down the electric window. He looks in the car, sees me, a 40ish white female, dressed in a t-shirt and long skirt, and he face just falls. Almost implodes.
He asks me what I'm doing out so late. I reply that I'm on my way home from work. He then says, "From which street corner?"
I looked him full in the eyes and said, "I work for a law firm." He face fell farther.
He finally ended up giving me a fix-it ticket for a headlight.
I told the story to a CHP officer I knew. He asked me why I didn't say, "Oh, the corner across from your wife." I told him that I wanted to get home that night.
Basically, the cop thought he had spotted a homey from East Palo Alto, maybe returning from a drug delivery, and thought he'd get a nice little bust and get to hassle somebody. I harshed his buzz.
He approached on the right side and I put down the electric window. He looks in the car, sees me, a 40ish white female, dressed in a t-shirt and long skirt, and he face just falls. Almost implodes.
He asks me what I'm doing out so late. I reply that I'm on my way home from work. He then says, "From which street corner?"
I looked him full in the eyes and said, "I work for a law firm." He face fell farther.
He finally ended up giving me a fix-it ticket for a headlight.
I told the story to a CHP officer I knew. He asked me why I didn't say, "Oh, the corner across from your wife." I told him that I wanted to get home that night.
Basically, the cop thought he had spotted a homey from East Palo Alto, maybe returning from a drug delivery, and thought he'd get a nice little bust and get to hassle somebody. I harshed his buzz.
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