The POLICE

Day 31

October 8, 2010

The Police

We’re often pulling over to the side of the road, into a pull out, or in the margin of a turn after we pull through an intersection.  I’m quite conservative and will drive miles further until I see a big, open, safe spot.  Jack’s more confident and will pull off in places I’d pass.  I knew we were getting closer to being synchronized yesterday when he pulled into a real parking space in Alton Village, New Hampshire.  We sit there a minute.  Jack’s lap is covered with two maps.  One is a genuine road map with green and orange highlighted routes that we’ve been traveling.  The other is a local tourist map, surrounded by ads from nearby vendors,  with colorful characters and whimsical icons pointing us to points of interest. The GPS is on.  My laptop sits on my lap and I’m getting a jumpstart on the day’s news for the blog.  I look out my window and Mike is standing there.  He’s about 6’2”, blonde crew cut, 195 pounds, wearing a blue polo short with his name on the left and a very intricate logo on the right.  I roll down the window; he asks if we need help.  I said, “What was your first clue?  The out of state plates?  The maps?  Our hovering over the GPS?”  There’s clutter everywhere and he just said, “You looked like you might need help with directions.”  We exchange stories about how the GPS can get a tourist lost in the northeastern states.  Jack assures him that we’re just fine and reprogramming our route.  Mike walks away.  Across the back of his shirt, in big, bold, black letters I read -  POLICE!   I now know what the intricate emblem was-a general police badge.  He enters the small building we’re parked in front of and I now see it is a City Services building.  I suspect he’s been following us for a while as we stumbled our way through intersections and slowed to a crawl to read road signs along the way.  Jack doubts I’m right.  A few minutes later Mike is coming out of the building towards us.  I roll down the window and once again he offers to help.  We decline.  He gets on his motorcycle.  We pull out.  He pulls out.  We’re safe for another day.