Good Cop / Good Cop

I got pulled over by a cop yesterday!

I was on one of those main residential roads, which I thought was a 40, as it turns out it is a 45 mph zone-- well regardless, I was going about 60! [Accidentally, I swear!]  I saw the police car headed in the other direction and as soon as he passed me he put on a blinker to cross into my direction of traffic and I knew I was going to be pulled over. Ugh. I thought about just pulling over right then and there to do him the favor of not having to light me up, but I waited to see the red and blue on the off chance that he would just follow me for a bit to see if I continued over the speed... no luck. 

He pulled me over and sent in my plate number before coming to my window and as he got to my window and said, "Hello," I burst into tears! No joke. And I was not playing to get out of the ticket. He was right to pull me over and I deserved a ticket. I was having a really rough day though [and it was only noon!] and I just broke down and cried/vented and tried to explain to him... 

See, I was only out and about because I was headed out to work to shoot a news interview to promote our new restaurant. Yes, I was doing a favor for my boss, who had called me only the day before asking for my help-- while I am on Maternity Leave-- which he is not even paying me for, mind you-- yet is calling in favors... which I all too quickly oblige. 

So that is problem number one in my rant.
Number two is that obviously getting up early to be able to get hair and makeup done and get dressed, camera-ready before 11 and my newborn is just not having it! H napped long enough for me to curl half my hair, but then was a screaming tyrant even though he had been fed and changed and didn't even want to be held-- apparently he just wanted to scream.

The officer asked how old he was and I rolled down the back window, like a proud mama, to show him his [now sleeping and angelic] little face as I told him he's 6 weeks and has definitely been a handful! He told me he is a father of 3 and knows what I mean. 

Sympathy points-- score! 

I then continued crying and ranting in a non-sequitur fashion about how I had only recently bought the car; so it's new to me and I simply didn't notice I was going 60 [truth] because the ride is so much smoother than my old car [major truth!] As soon as I saw him in the other lane I checked my speed and realized I was going way too fast and slowed, but he was already pulling me over at that point.

I just kept apologizing because I knew I had broken the law, regardless of intent and I admitted I was speeding and told him I fully understood that he had to ticket me. I even said, "I'm not trying to be that person. That girl who cries to get out of a ticket... it's just been a really hectic and frantic morning and it was a honest to goodness mistake." 

When he took my license to run it I really could not guess whether he was going to ticket me or not. He came back he said, "I am not going to write you a citation today because if I went home tonight  and told my wife what happened today, she'd probably leave me!" 

I cried more and thanked him! I was truly thankful and honestly could not have controlled my emotions when he pulled me over. I really was not acting to get out of it and I am so thankful for his empathetic understanding of my situation. 

...so today I am going to bake him cookies and bring them down to the police station.
Don't worry-- if any of the other cops ask why, I wont get him in trouble by saying he let me out of a ticket, I'll just say he helped me on the side of the road yesterday!