Assignment; Short story on man attacking a police officer while his vehicle is being towed.
When Alex woke the day began like many previous mornings;
hitting snooze once then grabbing his bag and heading to the gym. After a quick
shower and coffee he jumped into his truck just as the skies opened and biting
rain drove hard against his wind-shield. “Well, no matter”, thought Alex, “it
is a fitting way to begin November”.
He flipped to his favorite radio station and backed out of
the driveway.
‘looks like the rain is here to stay today’ said a jaunty
voice, so let’s hear you call in with some of your favorite rainy day songs’
then, as they filled in with a commercial, Alex flipped to the local news
station. Simultaneously he felt, heard and saw something hit the side of his
truck. Coming to a screeching stop he jammed the truck into park and jumped
out.
A Mennonite woman, eyes wild with fear was trying to calm
her spooked horse.
“Whoa there, easy there”, she cried, and the horse reared
again while she pulled back with all her might.
“Take it easy now” Alex approached the horse, noting there
were no visible injuries. He still wasn’t sure what happened but the horse
slowly was settling down a little, sensing that whatever startled him seemed to
be over.
‘Hello’, Alex turned to the woman dressed in traditional
Mennonite dark coat. She was drenched and her teeth were chattering as she
tried to answer.
“Are you okay?” asked Alex.
“I think so”, she nodded.
“Your truck mirror hit the side of my buggy. There’s no shoulder on this
road and I couldn’t get off to the side any farther without running off the
road.”
“The rain was coming down so hard that I never saw you at
all”, said Alex. The sound of sirens caught their attention. Obviously someone
had already notified the police. Two cruisers topped the hill, slowing suddenly
at the sight of them. Turning on their flashers they pulled over.
Both officers, Alex noticed immediately, were young enough
to be his sons. With chests puffed out they strutted over with the authority
that only a uniform and gun could boast.
Approaching Alex first they asked what happened and Alex
told them all he could remember. “May I see your driver’s license and
registration please?” something about his cockiness rubbed Alex the wrong way
but the more he co-operated the sooner he would be less late for work. He
handed it over and one officer returned to his car to run them through the
system. The other officer was speaking to the lady. Alex sat in his truck
feeling sorry for the woman, thankful that no one was hurt, but at the same
time feeling his frustration level escalate as he realized this was taking much
too long. The officer tapped on his window.
Sir, he said, I need you to step into my car for a little
bit”.
“I don’t understand” said Alex. The young cop replied, “That’s
okay, you just do what I say and there will be no trouble” Now this guy was
really getting on his nerves! “I hate to tell you that I’ve called a tow-truck”
the officer continued, “but there are some unpaid parking fines and you do not
have your ownership signed. Also, your sticker on your plate is not valid
though a quick check confirms you have paid for them.
So, what’s the real problem?” asked Alex.
“The real problem, mister, is that you almost killed a horse
and a woman!”(a horse and women that had proceeded on their way some time ago)
This young whipper-snapper cop really irritated him, especially the faint smirk
as if he was sort of bored and looking to see how far he could push him under the
guise of Professional Manners’.
Alex wasn’t sure if it was the way he emphasized Mister or
if it was his two-bit strut but something suddenly seized him and he grabbed
the officer by the scruff of his uniform. The officer, taken completely
off-guard scrambled to grab his gun but Alex’s years at the gym were no match
for Young Whipper-Snapper. Suddenly Whipper-Snapper’s training kicked in as
well as his partner and the next thing Alex knew he was looking at the ground
from beneath one officer’s knee while the other officer cuffed him and read him
his rights. He turned his head in time to see the wheels of his truck go by as
the tow truck pulled away…
He was definitely going to be late for work.
© Janet Martin
