Friday, August 21, 2009

THE COP AND THE LIGHT POLE

I really wish this were my story and was briefly tempted to claim it as my own but that is not my nature. This happened to a good friend and co-worker at a bank on Florida's east coast. Margie and I worked side by side on the teller line for about 3 years. Do this 8 hours a day, 5 days a week and pretty soon you are finishing each others sentences like an old married couple. We used to laugh that she had mind reading and message sending powers.

Margie was a freckle faced, red haired, very funny lady of Irish descent. One of her talents besides humor was that she could send and receive telepathic messages, honest. Margie would often mentally send her husband Jim messages to pick up needed items on his way home from work as he got off before we did.

Jim said he would be driving by a grocery store on his way home from work and have an overwhelming desire to pull into a grocery story and get bread, milk and hairspray. He said he could understand wanting to pick up bread and milk but hairspray?? He used to laughingly call her "the witch."

She could read my mind, often to my embarrassment. Once in particular, we both had customers. Mine was one of the lawyers who had an office over the bank and she had a nice little old lady. When we both finished, it got as quiet as only banks and libraries can. After a while Margie said out of the corner of her mouth, "You do know he is married don't you?" I don't think she saw anything in my manner as she had been busy herself, but I certainly was thinking he was one good looking guy when she caught me.

I really tried to learn her trick. Trial and error convinced me I probably couldn't receive messages but I was a terrific sender as my thoughts were so intense. Margie's super powers did not figure in this story, I just wanted you to get a feel for this special lady. Her mind reading and wonderful sense of humor made her an interesting and fun co-worker.

Margie had been attending one of the banking classes offered at night at a rival bank in a near by town. It was 9:00 PM and she was heading home from the class, anxious to get home to hubby and child. The streets were pretty quiet and she was going over the class lesson in her mind when she slid through a stop sign. The instant bark of the siren and the flashing blue lights startled her. Oddly, the nearest place to pull her car off the road, was our bank parking lot.

The officer got out and proceeded to inform her of her offense then started to give her a stern lecture on the number of accidents that are caused by failure to obey a stop sign. Trying to buy mercy, she told him she had slowed down but that there was nothing coming and she was careful. The fact that she hadn't seen the patrol car rather proved she wasn't that careful.

The officer then asked her that if he were hitting her on the arm and she asked him to stop, would she want him to just "slow down?" Stop meant STOP. Seeing the logic of his point, she wisely shut up and paid close attention to his lecture. He had a lot of accident statistics stored up and was thrilled at last to be able to impart them on someone. It had been a quiet night for him.


He was about 2 minutes into his lecture when a car blew through the same intersection at a very high rate of speed. Hurriedly, he told her to be careful in the future, jumped into his cruiser and threw it into reverse to get around her car. Stomping on the accelerator , he backed right into our bank's security light pole, almost laying it on the ground.

Totally embarrassed, he jumped out, checking the damage to the pole and his cruiser. He grinned sheepishly at Margie who was both stunned and choking on suppressed laughter. "You know, " he said," I really don't know the statistics for backing into light poles." With that, he jumped back into his cruiser and roared off into the night after the long gone speeder.

The city repaired our pole and the officer, who had an account with us, was forced to come in twice a month to cash his check which was fitting punishment. Even though he had long since learned to laugh about the incident, he would still get red faced every time he had to face Margie at the teller window. We sure enjoyed city paydays.

Last I heard, he had made chief of police. Guess it was safer to the public to get him off the road.

24 comments :

  1. Yeah I think public safety improved to elevate him to chief. However, in our town the chief has to take a turn patroling.

    I'm interested in your co-worker. I wish I had more intuitive skills. My mind is too scientifically fact-minded.

    My best girl friend can finish my sentences but I attribute it to our long friendship.

    BTW I thank Hubby for having the forethought for us to drive around and see the resorts for ourselves.

    I pity those who rely on brochures or the Internet.

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  2. I used to send out messages for my children when they were teens and no one had heard of cell phones.
    They'd call home every time!

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  3. that light pole just came out of no where and cut him off!!

    what a delightful story!!

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  4. Small town cops can be attracted to light poles in my experience.

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  5. What a cute story, Patti. Do you still hear from Margie???? She should still be able to 'read your mind' --and know that you are talking about her...

    Cute story about the policeman... Glad he could 'laugh' about his mistake, after the fact. Glad Margie didn't get that ticket!!

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  6. Cute Post....I bet Margie made going to work a fun experience. Sometimes I think my daughters and I have a mental connection. They always seem to know when they are driving me crazy! :)

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  7. Nitwit,
    Next time your husband is reading the paper, concentrate really hard that his nose is itching and pretty soon, he will scratch it. We used to do that to our teachers all the time. See if you can't get that scientific mind on another track.

    Carol,
    You know, cell phones have probably set us back telepathy wise years. Can you make them call today?

    Dianne,
    It sure did, I wonder if he flipped it off.

    Mia
    Ah, another 70 year old in the world. Wasn't so bad turning 70 was it?
    Hope you had a wonderful birthday.

    Brighid,
    It kind of brings out the Barney Fife in a fellow doesn't it.

    Betsy,
    Good idea. Haven't seen Margie in way too long(over 30 years). Think I will send her a message today and see if we can't reconnect. Don't even know where she is but a thought shouldn't need a GPS.

    olkhdan,
    That is too funny about your daughters. Good to know you still have that connection.

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  8. How embarrassing for him! LOL
    Sunny :)

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  9. Fun post, Patti! It would be great if we all had the gift of sending and receiving telepathic messages! I love that the cop had a good sense of humor about the incident.

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  10. Patti!!! You tell the funniest stories. I used to tell my co-worker that we spent more awake time with each other than we did we our spouses. It's a very cool thing to have had such an interesting connection with a co-worker. Great cop story too!

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  11. Sunny,
    He really had to be humiliated but showed his good nature with his comment. He actually turned out to be a good chief.

    Jewels,
    Ah, there you are. Have missed you but have seen you lurking. He really had to have a sense of humor for he had his face rubbed in it every two weeks on payday.They didn't have direct deposit in those days.

    Thanks robin. It is true about a co-worker, we do spend more awake time with them than a spouse. It can be a nightmare if they are bad news, but a real pleaure when they are cool and interesting.I have usually been very lucky.

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  12. Oh, how funny that was!! It was fortuitous for her that he saw something else to take his attention away.

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  13. Thanks Judy,
    The poor fellow had a bad night. Besides damages to our pole and to this cruiser, he missed writing two tickets though I am pretty surre Margie was due a warning.

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  14. Have you ever sat in a room with several other people. Tune out the conversation and just study other peoples body language? It is amazing what you can see going on. I read once only 7% of communication is verbal. I think your friend was an excellent student of reading non-verbals - as far as the grocery list? Not sure what to think about that. Kind creepy.
    On thing about that cop I liked - he could laugh at himself.

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  15. Grayquill,
    I totally agree with you on body language. Palm readers make a living observing body language and voice tone but I could never explain the odd items Jim was often compelled to buy. He was a believer.

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  16. Good for Maggie.

    I have the issue of "breast feeding" on my main blog today Pick a Peck of Pixels

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  17. What a GREAT Story! I love that she was Telepathic...!
    I once participated in a study to do with "senders" and "recievers"---back in the Mid 1960's...I was more of a Reciever, in that study....
    I love that the Policeman backed into that pole after his stern lecture. Of course he was right about how important Stoppping at a Stop Sign is...
    Fascinating that he eventually became the Chief!

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  18. Thanks Abe.

    OOLOH
    Thank you. I think that study must have been fun. I'm sure there is probably a lot the untouched 90%of our brain can do.
    The cops example of being hit on the arm and only slowing down when asked to stop, has really stuck with me though the years. I am pretty faithful at stop signs so his lecture hit more than one person.

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  19. Really this was a great and funny story! Thank you Patti! The way you tell this is very humorous.

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  20. Very amusing Post.... ! Crunch!

    Lovely to read and have a chuckle over breakfast (porridge is not by itself an amusing food as a rule!).

    Best Wishes, P.

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  21. Thank you reader but I had help from Margie on this one.

    You mean porridge isn't amusing Peter? If it is like our Oatmeal, I agree but it does the job.

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  22. hahaha ... i heard of a saying ....(....) happens....hahaha

    bit you enjoyed looking at Red Faced Men!!!

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  23. Bonnie,
    I am sure that is the cops favorite saying. He sure was redfaced.

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