So. So. Much.
I approached the passenger side of the car I had pulled over for running a stop sign.
“Morning, ma’am. I’m Officer Murphy. I pulled you over because you ran that stop sign back there.”
The older woman’s cheeks turned bright red. “I did! Oh lawrd. I don’t remember there being a stop sign there.”
“Is that right? Where are you heading?”
The woman screamed as my father popped up at the driver’s side window and asked, “Do you have your license and insurance, ma’am?”
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?” she said, covering her chest with her hand. I straightened and whistled, causing my father to look at me over the car roof.
I shook my head and asked, “What are you doing?”
“I’m assisting you with a traffic stop.”
“I don’t need your assistance. What I need is for you to go back to the car, get in it, and wait for me.”
My father shot me a dirty look but headed back to the patrol car.
L
eaning back down, I took the driver’s license from the older woman.
“Lawrd, that officer scared me.”
“He’s retired, but he doesn’t seem to understand what that means.”
She laughed. “Here is my insurance, son.”
I looked everything over before handing it back to her. “The stop sign hasn’t been up for very long. There were signs, though, to indicate you were approaching the intersection.”
“I hardly drive this way anymore.”
Tapping on the car lightly, I smiled. “I’m going to give you a warning this time. Pay close attention, ma’am. Things are changing the more Salem grows.”
“Oh, Officer Murphy, I will! I promise you I will. Thank you.”
“Drive safely.”
As I walked back to the patrol car, Luke Evans approached me from the doorway of his barbershop across the street.
“Officer Murphy! Why don’t you come on in and I’ll give you a quick trim?”
Luke was always trying to get me to come in for a haircut. It didn’t matter if I was working or not. He couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t let him cut my hair, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was because his hands shook so badly I was afraid he’d cut my neck open.
That was Dad’s cue to get out of the car and make his way over to us.