Redheaded Jill

Once upon there was an amateur writer who went by Redheaded Jill and she had a problem. Her left taillight was broken. Well, the plastic lens was, the light itself was fine. (She got into a fight with a tree and lost, ok?)

For about a month Jill drove around with nary a concern. Sure, she was looking into getting a part to replace it, but with house insurance payments coming up and a busy work schedule she kept putting it off.

One Wednesday evening after Bible class a friend commented on the state of her taillight. So that night Jill contacted a friend who had a recommendation on how to get the parts needed. The following Friday Jill was driving through a small Kansas town. Here’s what happened.

Jill: *Driving*

Police car: *Pulling out behind Jill*

Jill: Hm… I haven’t been pulled over in a while. I’m not speeding. But I have a bad feeling. (Usually when I have been pulled over it’s due to a burnt out tail light or I forgot to put my new car tags on.)

Police car: *Flashes lights*

Jill: Uh oh… *Pulls into a parking space* Gets out license.

Policeman: Hi! Do you know why we stopped you? You have a broken taillight.

Jill: Oh! Yes, I know.

Policeman: Have you been pulled over for this before?

Jill: No, I know it’s broken. I am actively looking for a part to replace it though. A couple weeks ago I stupidly backed into a tree…

Policeman: Hey, just say you fought a tree and lost. It happens to the best of us. The problem is you can’t drive with white light showing from the taillight so you need to cover it with tape. Can I see your license and proof of insurance?

Jill: *Hands policeman items* Ok!

Policeman: Ok, just try to take care of this soon! You should be able to find red tape at any auto store. Just cover the light with tape and make sure it’s red.

Jill: I will! Thank you so much! *Jill immediately goes to autozone, buys red tape, and covers the taillight in the parking lot.*

The interaction wasn’t an important one, but it showed me a few things.

1. Therapy is working, because while an encounter with a cop (EVEN when I haven’t done anything wrong) used to give me the jitters. I would get so nervous and have a pit in my stomach. That did NOT happen this day.
2. I learned about car tape, didn’t know that was a thing. I also didn’t know it wasn’t legal to drive with a broken taillight.
3. My insurance card is on my phone, but I didn’t have a printed copy. While he was very understanding and allowed me to show him my phone it’s important to have hard copies of important documents.

I have only had one nasty encounter with law enforcement in my entire driving life, so I don’t know why seeing a policeman used to give me anxiety. My friend said it’s like when you set off the alarm in a store. You know you haven’t stolen anything, but you think to yourself, “Did I somehow steal a large screen TV and forget?”