Me, Lawbreaker

Yesterday, during my drive home, a cop asked me to break the law. This was a first for me since, while I'm no stranger to ignoring legal boundaries when they stand between me and something I want or feel like doing, no one sworn to uphold the law had ever before asked me to break it.

So, I did, and I have to admit it was a little thrilling. Not as exciting as breaking it on my own, but not as boring as following it mindlessly, either. Then again, it was only a traffic law, so it's not as if I was asked to assassinate some foreign dignitary or head of state or commit mayhem.

What happened is this:

I was minding my own business waiting patiently at a red light and reflecting on how cool I am or something when a siren in the distance grew increasingly louder. I was sitting on a two lane street with a left turn lane that was separated from oncoming traffic by a traffic island, and there were two cars alongside me, one who hoped to turn left and someone in the lane nearer the sidewalk. I, of course, was in the fast lane because that's how I roll.

There were only the three of us sitting there, waiting for the light to change, when this cop pulls up behind me with his siren blaring and all his lights flashing. While he may have been in hot pursuit of some crime, it can't be ruled out that he was heading back to the station because his shift was over or maybe he was just hungry. In any case, after appraising the situation as only a highly trained law enforcement person is capable of doing, he must have realized that he was stuck and that his girlfriend waiting at the motel for him was becoming increasingly impatient.

He switched off his siren, which pleased me, got on his loudspeaker, and said, "Pull over to the right." Well, of course, I couldn't do that, not without moving, and he was blocking me from behind, so I had no choice but to drive forward, through a red light, disregarding my personal safety and the laws under which we operate, all for the greater good. The woman next to me, in the slow lane, broke the law the same as I did, and the two of us drove through the intersection without incident and actually began easing over toward the curb when the cop took advantage of the opening we created and turned left.

Nothing for me to do but proceed, which I did with not a small smile on my face.

Lest you think I make a practice of this behavior, I wish to let you know that I'm among those who normally, actually, pull over when a siren approaches. I like to do it, mostly because it pisses off the other drivers, who all have to admit that I'm doing the right thing. Still, unless my car is moving, I can't do that, but this is the first time I've had this particular situation.

The good news is it wasn't a trap. The cop didn't ask us to move through the red light only to give us a ticket, so I have to give him credit for that. I also don't know what became of the cop, the woman, or the guy in the left turn lane who stood his ground, but I hope they all had a pleasant evening after the afternoon's excitement.

I know I did.