Run-Ins With The Law

Okay I decided to take a break from telling stories about my brother and I ( although the best ones involve him :o) - and tell a few about myself.

When I was growing up I had two interesting experiences with "the law". My first story actually involves a bunch of other kids, so it really isn't my sole experience. I think I was about 11 or 12-years-old when this took place. Me and some other neighborhood kids were outside 'bored' and someone came up with the idea to make slingshots (I don't remember what my brother was doing that day, but he wasn't with us and he wasn't really into 'crafts' anyway :o).

We went to the rental office - we would always go there for our supplies, drawing paper, paper clips, pencils etc... (don't ask why the people in the office would give us these things - maybe they just wanted us to hurry and leave them alone - who knows?). But we went to the office and asked for some hangers and rubber bands and they gave them to us. We took the hangers apart and bent them to break them and re-twisted to make out slingshot base then we tied on the rubber bands. We had to get some old material from one of the kid's houses - some jeans or something to make the little holder for our rocks.

We decided to go to the back of the apartment building, where there was a huge hill that faced the woods, to shoot our slingshots. As we stood on the hill shooting/slinging our rocks into the trees, of course, it turned into a competition. But because there were so many trees we could not really tell whose rock went the highest or farthest. So once again, someone came up with the idea for us to face the other way so we could sling our rocks over the apartment building. Of course, at that time, nothing sounded wrong with this idea, but as I now type this I realize all types of 'bad' things could have resulted :o(

So we began shooting/slinging our rocks high above the building noting the ones that landed on the roof or disappeared into the sky. Later that night, there was knock on our apartment door. My mother answered and it was the policeman who lived in our complex. He had several of the kids that I had been playing with earlier that day with him, and they did not look happy. He told my mother that some of the kids in the neighborhood thought it was a good idea to use slingshots to shoot rocks onto the roof of the building.

He proceeded to tell her that little did they know that these rocks did not just land on the roof of the building, but they flew over the building landing in the parking lot - of course, the lot was filled with cars. He even went on to say that as some people arrived home from work, they had to run to dodge rocks and some even thought it was hailing! Coincidentally, one of those falling rocks landed on and put a small scratch on his girlfriend's car window and he was collecting the names of all kids involved just in case the scratch turned into a crack.

After my mother listened to this story in horror, she shook her head from side to side in disbelief and automatically yelled over her shoulder for my brother to come to the door. Needless to say she was even more surprised to hear the police officer say, "No, ma'am, I am actually hear to get the name of your daughter." :o( I really didn't get in too much trouble for that and as far as I know the scratch never turned into a crack :o)

Earlier run-in with the law:

The very first incident I remember is when I was about 5 or 6-years-old. This story takes place in the grocery store. My mother and I went grocery shopping one day - by the way, I do not like grocery shopping at all I'd rather walk around a mall for hours and not pick up one thing than go to a grocery store :o( - Anyway, let me get back on topic. So we were in a grocery store shopping. I was following behind her while she was picking up things and putting them into the cart. As we walked around the store I noticed the Brach's candy display.

I knew not to ask for anything, but I really wanted some of that candy. It was a bulk candy display - the kind where you could bag your own individual pieces. There was sooo many types of colorful pieces and each one was calling my name. I just had to have one or maybe two pieces. Before I knew it, I looked up and my mother had moved on and was heading down the next grocery aisle. Hey, she didn't even notice that I was still standing there looking at that candy. Not once did she look back to see my hand reach up into that display, grabbing a handful of delicious pieces of candy. So after I had my stash hidden securely in my pocket, I hurried after her.

Once the shopping was done, and the groceries were packed nicely in the back seat with me. I began to eat my sweet treasures. I quietly, but quickly unwrapped a piece, tossed the evidence out of the window and popped it into my mouth. I did this routine for each piece of candy. As I was enjoying the sweet sugary goodness and bopping my head to the radio I was in a state of utter happiness, but all of a sudden my happiness turned to terror. That terror came in the form of a loud police car siren. I thought somehow the grocery store people knew I took their candy and they had called the police.

I swallowed what was my last piece of candy. My throat began to burn and my eyes began to fill with water as I thought about how mad my mother was going to be once she found out about the stolen candy, not to mention the fact that I was headed to jail. I don't remember my mother pulling the car over, I just remember the loud sound of my heart pounding, drowning out the sound of the radio and my mother mumbling (she was actually yelling) at the police officer saying something about trash coming from the car window. I vaguely remember her asking me if I was throwing paper out of the window as she started driving again - of course, I said no.

I'm sure she said some more words about the policeman pulling her over for 'nothing' - but I don't remember. All I do remember is that I was relieved that I did not get in trouble, and I never stole anything again! - At least I learned my lesson :o)