Let It Be

Three nights a week, every week, Yumiko has a ballet class in Narberth, PA. Narberth is a good 25 minute drive from our house on a few heavily traveled roads. I drove her there tonight for her 4:00 class. After dropping her off, I turned around to make the trip back home. On my way home I got stuck behind a couple of school buses waiting to turn left onto big old Montgomery Drive. Sitting there behind the buses I got a little sleepy and decided it might be best to switch the radio channel from National Public Radio to a rock station. The Beatles were singing "Let It Be." I love that song and began to sing at the top of my lungs just to wake myself up and stop worrying about the buses. I finally got through the intersection following a bus and just "Let it Be." After a few blocks the bus I was following turned off to the right and I took a quick look in the rear view mirror. There to my surprise was a policeman. I was sure he wasn't following me, but I slowed down anyway. As I slowed down he came up right behind me with flashers rolling. Ugh... I turned down the radio, pulled over to the side and wondered, what the heck did I do?

A young policeman walked up to my window and said in a very authoritative voice, "Do you realize you just passed a stopped school bus with its light blinking and the stop sign on?" I just stammered and said "I'm sorry." I had no recollection of passing the school bus, in fact the school bus had just turned off in front of me. I hadn't passed it, but I couldn't say that to this young tough policeman. He asked me for my license, car registration and insurance card. I handed it to him and then he asked me to drive my car into a nearby parking area where we could discuss this further. He followed me to the parking area and then stayed in his car doing his police thing for what seemed like forever.

Finally he came back to my car and told me the fine for doing what I did was $400 and would be five points on my record - AND he had the ability to suspend my license. My eyes widened and then he said "But I'm going to give you a break and just say the bus you passed was blinking amber" whatever that means. What that means is a $100 fine and no points. He told me the bus was on the other side of the street. Montgomery Avenue is a very wide four lane highway. I was totally oblivious to the other side of the street - just following my bus and singing "Let It Be." I actually told him I never saw the other bus and was singing a Beatles song at the time I passed it. He softened up quite a bit and said it was O.K. - Lots of people get distracted, but try to be a little more careful in the future. I told him he had a tough job and appreciated he didn't give me the big bad ticket. We said good bye and I limped on home. When I got home I told my sad story to my dear Ken and asked if he could please go back and pick up Yumiko. I just stayed home and let it be.