Crossing The Thin, Blue Line

Visiting the Pumpkin House on Monday cost me $10.

There was no admission, or any charge to take a gander at the punkins. Nope, The Griffiths keep it free. The $10 was was in the form of a parking ticket.

I parked the Film Geek Family Mini-Van a block or so away from the house, and our clan hiked across the rail-road tracks that separate Ceredo from Kenova to enjoy the spectacle. After an hour or so (we love us some pumpkins!) we trekked back to the van, only to find a Ceredo policeman putting a ticket on my window.

"Can I help you?" I asked.

"Oh, you're back. I'll just hand this to you." he said. And he said it with a smile, and with a whole bunch of smarm. He walked around the van, and handed me a ticket. Apparently I--and the whole line of cars that were parked in front of me and behind me--had parked our vehicles with our tires a couple of feet off the small side-road, on a woman's property.

And she was pissed.

I apologized to the woman for parking on her yard. Even if it was only a couple of feet, it wasn't my intention to have my tires on private property. I--and apparently all those who parked around me--thought we were parking on a public portion of the small access road.

Then, the following occurred:

Me: "I understand why you're giving me a ticket, but you don't have to be so enthusiastic about it."

Cop: "Enthusiastic? I'm not being enthusiastic."

Me: "Yes. Yes you were. You seem way too happy to be giving me a ticket. Man, that's just not necessary."

My wife, the daughter of a police officer, realized things were going horribly wrong. She knows me too well, and understands what makes the average cop tick. So, Mrs. Film Geek recognized fully the train wreck that was about to happen. She knew I'm not capable of stopping my little tirade, and she knew the cop was gonna eventually get to the point where he had to put his foot down. Hard, and on me.

Mrs.Film Geek: "Honey, take the ticket and let's go."

Me: "But, I'm not finished talking to the officer."

Mrs. Film Geek: "Yes you are. It's time to go."

So I did.

But, I'm going back tomorrow night, and guess where I'm parking!