Good Cop?

I tuned the volume down on the radio as the blue and red lights chased 

from behind. Simultaneously I lobbed my head forward and shrieked “damn! How will I pay for a speeding ticket? Shoot, this is my brother's car.” I pulled into a parking lot, put the car in neutral then took the keys out of the ignition. 

“I wonder where he keeps the registration?”

I looked underneath a newspaper in the passenger seat; then it dawned on 

me: it must be n the glove compartment. Knowing that he kept it locked I would have to unlock it. I took the key that was in between my thighs and put it back into the ignition and re-started the car. Immediately realizing my mistake I turned the car off, again, and opened the glove compartment.

“I hope the cop didn’t think I was about to take off.” 

He walked alongside the car and asked for my license and registration. Without 

thinking I lied. “My mama needs the vehicle; I wasn't speeding out of sheer joy, sir.” The officer disregarded my banter and returned to the patrol car.

The minutes seemed never ending, as I thought about how I would explain this to 

my brother, who would defy any excuse. “Damn. Damn. Damn. Damn.” I said, as the officer's car door slammed. The officer handed me the license and registration and stated that he was not going to ticket me.

I wanted to shout halleluiah as the officer said, "I like to help the brothers 

out. Since you don't have any priors, I'm gonna let you go.”  The officer rambled on and on about being a conscious driver as I wondered what would have happened if I'd not been an African American, or as the officer put it, a “brother.”

 “Would I be ticketed?”

 A police officer can't do this; this is not cool!” I reckoned I would ask the officer 

if he would have done the same for a white guy or a "non-brother." Then I thought, "What will I do if he says, ‘I only ticket white people?’ Will I take a stand and confront him? Tell him he’s backward? That's what it comes down to. If I’m not willing to call him on this then why should I say anything?

 What if he's offended? 

I'll probably get a ticket, that's what will happen? 

The officer completed his lecture, and I had finished my internal soliloquy. 

“Do you understand, Mr. Bandy?” asked the officer. 

“Yes brother, I meant, officer.” I then rolled the window up and left the crime scene.