Sanguine Tenacious Tidings

Brush With The Law?

Blog Prompt for Day 1 - You've been keeping this from us, up until now, tell us about a time when you had a brush with the law.

Brush and Law

The tent was hugh. I sat among the crowd looking around at the tent poles and noticing the lighting. The tent must have held a couple hundred people or more. There was sand poured on the ground for footing. The seats were hundreds of fold out chairs set up in long lines with three aisles running down the length of the seating. Well five if you counted the aisles on each end of the seats.

If I was ever alone tonight was it. The elder announced the evangelical meeting in the morning church service. What struck me to attend? When I arrived at the field where the service was being held I parked on the end of a line, so I could leave quickly if I wanted. There were already cars in tight packed rows empty of their drivers and passengers. I was conscious of being a women alone as I walked toward the tent.

Once inside I wanted to sit near the back but wound up closer toward the center of the seating. Most of the back was filled all ready. Other people getting ready to live in a hurry, I thought.

The makeshift stage held several people. There was also an organ setup on the stage. I noticed the pastors of several local churches sitting there. About 30 minutes later one of the men stood up and walked to the pulpit. The tent was pretty full by now. The meeting was starting on time.

We sang hymns which is always fun. With that many people, the tent rang loudly with the music. Then, the visiting evangelist began his sermon. He droned on and on. I don't really even remember the message. What I do remember is getting more and more irritated as it began to get darker and darker outside. I'm not used to being out after dark. My mind insisted on thinking about moving the car out of the lot in the dark, driving through the unfamiliar roads back into town, picking up my children from the church nursery and then getting on home, all in the dark.

Sorry to say it, but I have always been afraid of the dark. Now, I simply dismiss the fear and go where I please at any time, but back then, with the added pressure of the children in mind, I was figidity to say the least.

Finally, when the call to go to the front for salvation came. I moved out into the aisle and left the tent. The sky was clear, as any southern sky can be in the middle of a hot summer day. The stars were out and it did not seem as dark outside the tent as it had inside. I found my car easily enough. Once out on the road I was able to retrace my way back into town and began to feel confident again. I was going to pick up the children and get home. Still, it was later than I thought the meeting would be held.

There is a through street with a stop sign. At the stop, a right turn takes you across the railroad tracks out of town. A block After the stop sign a left turn takes you to the church.

I guess I noticed a car off to my right parked by the railroad tracks, but it did not register. I did a stop and go at the sign probably not a full stop since it was late and there was literally no one on the streets at all, not pedestrians or automobiles. It's a small town and not very lively after 10 o'clock.

I barely got passed the stop sign when the siren on the police car let out a wail. It made me jump, but I made the left turn toward the church and pulled the car over to park at the curb. The police car pulled in front of me and left its light bar flashing red and blue. "Get Out of the Car," He yelled. I exited the car. I really could not see the officer at first because of the lights flashing. "You drove right through that stop sign," he stated forcefully. By, now I was shading my eyes from the lights on his car.

"I'm sorry, I was in a hurry and No one was around." I answered.

So, I stood there for numerous minutes listening to the well meaning lecture about always no matter what come to a full stop at a stop sign or I could be killed. All the time the lights flashing in my eyes. "Where are you going."

"I'm going to the Baptist church to pick up my children from the nursery."

"Where have you been?"

"I just returned from the evangelical tent meeting. Could you turn off your lights they are blinding me?"

There was a rather strange attitude change. He said, "well I'll just give you a warning but, remember what I said about stop signs."

He got in his car, turned off the lights. I got in my car, traversed the couple blocks to the church and went in. The nursery was a steady day and night affair. The women who lived next door to the church was a kindly elderly lady who had raise a few children and was paid to always be on call for congregation members. I told her my story. As a young mother I was a bit upset about my own part in the situation. But, she assured me the policeman should have known better than to make a scene.

Her kind words were appreciated. But, to this day, I stop at all stop signs and count one thousand, two thousand, three thousand, four thousand, five thousand, before moving again. In spite of honking horns behind me.

THE END