I got pulled over by a cop. I was pretty dumbfounded about what I could have possibly done wrong. The truck is fully legal and in working order. I had been stopped at a red light and made a right turn on the green light, turning into the correct lane. I’d only driven a block before I had to stop at another red light and there was a ton of traffic, so I certainly wasn’t speeding.

I had, in fact, seen the cop car. He’d been stopped at the cross light when I made my turn, and at the next light he pulled up in the lane beside me, beating me to the light. Then he cut in behind me and pulled me over.

He asked me for my “papers”, and before I started getting them out, I asked him what I had been pulled over for. Driving suspiciously. I’m sure what he meant was I had done something to give him reasonable cause to feel I needed to be checked out, because I know that driving suspiciously isn’t a crime I have ever heard of before. I didn’t hand over my papers right away, but I asked him what that meant.

I hadn’t pulled up beside him when we stopped at the light. My response, and I quote:

Well, you had your right blinker on and your front wheels were turned to the right. I figured you had some important cop business to get to, and I was deferring to you, leaving you enough room to either pull into my lane or to pull across my lane into the right turn lane. I didn’t want to get into trouble for blocking you in if there was somewhere you really needed to be. So instead, I get in trouble for being nice. No wonder people in this town drive like assholes. Doesn’t pay to be nice.

He took my license, ran it and probably my plates, came back to the truck and wished me a good afternoon. End of encounter. Not even an “I’m sorry” or anything. Considering some of the encounters I have had with the police in this town, I can settle for that. Still pissed me off. I’m already in a bad enough mood, thank you very much.

Anyway, errands are done. I’m going to do the dishes and prep the roast, and then I have to go kill the wasps and patrol my backyard. Then, hopefully, a video game for a few hours. I really need some escapism today.