10/06/2008

In A Police Car

It was a beautiful and warm night, well, as warm as a San Francisco night can get. I had just been to a wonderful event, and my friends and I were hanging out outside the venue in San Francisco’s Mission District, chatting, telling jokes, and laughing.
It was 11:30 and the event was winding down quickly. I asked my friends for directions to the freeway and said goodbye.
I was walking quickly and confidently, the way a woman has to walk alone late at night in an unknown area of a metropolitan city. There had been no parking spaces close to the venue when I had arrived, so I had ended up parking my little gold car, Nilgoon, on the next block. I got to the street and saw a gold car, but it wasn’t mine. I moved up the street and saw another gold car, not mine, then another, and this one wasn’t it either, darn it! What the heck?!! Where was my car?!!
As the panic started to hit home, I returned to the main street, walking down another long block, thinking maybe I had parked the car two blocks down and couldn’t remember it, walking faster and faster as the adrenaline started kicking in, but I already knew my car wouldn’t be on the next block because I knew I hadn’t walked this patch of the sidewalk before.
I thought of calling my friends whom I had left outside the venue when I left, but then I thought, nah, they didn’t offer to walk me to my car in the first place, so I shouldn’t trouble them with the process of looking for my car and waiting by my side for the police to arrive.
I turned on the next block and sure enough, my car wasn’t there, either. I pulled my cell phone out to call 911 when I saw a police car stop at the corner. Quickly, I walked over, waved at the officers, and explained to them that I couldn’t find my car and I wasn’t sure whether I should be reporting it as stolen. They were very nice. They asked me what make and color my car was and where I thought I had parked it. I must have sounded really distraught, because I could see the two of them taking pity on me, all the while talking to me, probably to ascertain whether I was drunk or not. Thank God I wasn’t! So they told me to get in the car and let them drive me around the few blocks to see if I could locate my car. I got in the back of the police car, you know, the criminals’ compartment, complete with that transparent (bullet proof?) divider in the middle! Heeh! That was a brand new experience!
We drove around for a while and finally found my little car on the street where I thought I had parked it, only one block over. I was ecstatic! The door handle in the back of a police car doesn’t work from the inside, did you know?!! Well, for obvious reasons, I guess (Duh!). The officers had to get out of the car to let me out into the balmy night.
I wonder if anyone has ever seen someone crawl out of the back seat of a police car, jump to her feet, hug and kiss the police officers and run away!

11 comments:

jeerjeerak said...

:)))
Your story reminded me of me and Baryamali's search for his car a late night in dark streets of Berkeley!;)

Tameshk said...

Nazy Joonam
I am glad it wasn't stolen; I have panicked before about Fandough's whereabouts, but It never happened with Khavar Sultan, I guess the small cars tend to hide themselves well :D
I am glad you find it though I know that panicky feeling!
Many Kisses,
Roja

Robert said...

:) Your story made me laugh. Glad your adventure had a happy ending! Drive safely and have a good week,
Rob

Anonymous said...

Why didn't you call me ? I live close by that area...
did u really hugged and kiss the police man??? ;-))

Helaleh said...

hahahaaaaaaa! Nazy joon I love your sense of humor! The last paragraph was hilarious! Just imagine that!
PS._ thanks to lack of public transportation in California, cars become a part of you, like a leg and a hand, I know exactly how that feels! you become really emotional about them :)...

Anonymous said...

Nazy jan,

That was so funny!

I used to have a tiny Toyota Tercel when I was a student and one day I offered a ride to a bunch of friends, went over to the street where my car was parked (across from a police station) and couldn't find it anywhere...after frantically searching up and down the street, I finally ran in the police station to report it stolen, and turns out they had towed it since I was parked under a sign that said "no parking from 4-6 pm)! Not only was I extremely embarrassed, but also had to pay $$ to get my poor car back :)

Esfand` said...

:D hehe, must have been exciting, scary but still fun

miss u Nazy Jooon!! :D
Have a wonderful week!!

Anonymous said...

Nazy joon,

it was a funny story :) specially the end. did you really hug the police?!
I am happy your car was not stolen. I can image how you were feeling when you could not find your car..

Nazy said...

Dear Beautiful Friends:

Heeh! Thanks for your kind remarks! That was quite an experience. I know this could happen to anyone, whether they admit it or not.

The catch of the story is that in my new phase of life, I have had to drive myself around, something I really dislike! I refuse to be limited by my dislike, so I go wherever I want to or have to go, but I don't like it, especially late at night and most especially in unknown territory and on strange routes. I think life is teaching me to get used to it!

For those of you who wanted to know, yes, I did kiss and hug the officers, first the female officer and then the male officer! I refuse to think I must have looked pathetic! Maybe I was just as much of a new experience to them as they were to me!

It's all good, it's all valuable experience. For all intents and purposes, for all the years that I have lived in the US, I have loved the police, for they have only brought comfort and peace to me. Even when one of them has stopped me to give me a driving violation ticket (twice in 30 years), I haven't resented or feared them.

Thanks again for your comments everyone! Love you all!

Daisy said...

I couldn't believe you kissed them. That was so funny.
if they were blogging, I 'm sure they would wrote about you and about this unforgettable professional experience :)

Nazy said...

Daisy Jan:

I miss you so much!

SFPD blogging officers...hmm, a series could be made out of that!

I bet they would have a lot to say about me. a) lost my car, b) didn't know my license plate, c) couldn't find my driver's license to show them to see the spelling of my name so they could look my license plate up, d) I asked them if it was possible that my car was stolen (DUH!!!), e) I had drawn a blank about the name of the theater I had just left, so, I must have sounded dodgy, but alas they believed me! f)I'm sure there were more things wrong with me that night, but kissing and hugging them was in keeping with the rest of my behavior!

All is well that ends well, Daisy Jan! Just a fabulously funny memory now! Have a good day my friend!