"do you know what you did?"
those six words can still make my heart tremble in fear, even if they aren't directed at me. especially more so when they are directed at my husband. by a police officer.
of course we knew what he did. he obviously saw us laughing as my husband and i rolled through what we have affectionately deemed as the stupidest stop sign in small town USA. okay, we didn't roll. we didn't even slow down. i think tony may have hit the gas a little bit, just to spite the red octagon.
spite indeed.
to make matters worse, that piece of plastic that you should carry at all times while behind a wheel? forgotten at home. yup.
but, we did have the registration. i had that in my clammy hand.
"do you know what you did?"
twice the question was asked. i could picture my husband led away in handcuffs. i tried to calculate quickly in my head how much bail would be. then i realized i've never posted bail, so it was pointless trying to do the math.
with a guilty laugh tony responded "yup. i ran the stop sign. and honestly, i just live down the road..."
"i don't even care. just make sure you stop next time."
he could have just turned around and walked away, but instead, the officer stood there for a few extra moments and shared a laugh about it with tony. they laughed! and he wished us a pleasant sunday before heading back to his car.
we haven't been able to stop laughing. it's amazing how the tiniest amount grace, completely and totally undeserved, can make you giggle. in the face of blatant disregard of the rules, forgiveness finds you and you experiece the sweet release from guilt. and every day i experience that, but the joy...the release gets forgotten.
now, thanks to the stupidest stop sign in small town USA, i'm reminded to giggle...for more then one reason.
