Do I Need a Lawyer?

This morning Ibis and I were lamenting the fact that tourist season has arrived and downtown Zihua is once again overrun with people who are easily confused by our one way streets and traffic circles. Yesterday he was stuck in traffic and decided to sneak through a red light because, as he put it, "there was room and no one could get through anyways."

I was in the shower as he told this story and realization dawned on me as I rinsed my hair. I whipped open the curtain. "Did you get a ticket?"

He looked down."Well...I didn't see the cop standing there."

[Interlude: there are police officers spaced every block or so throughout downtown. He knows this because that's when he remembers to put on his seatbelt.]

I pulled the curtain closed and continued my shower. "So what happened?"

"The officer whistled for me to stop, but I moved ahead with traffic. Then I saw him pull out his radio to call the next officer and figured I may as well stop."

"Mmm-hmmm."

"He came over and introduced himself." Ibis motions them shaking hands through the window. Weird, but whatever. "Then he asked why I ran the red light. I told him I know I ran the light but the reason I did is because I was trying to give plenty of room to the motorcycle in front of me. I looked at him and asked 'If you were on a motorcycle, would you want someone right next to you?' "

The officer agreed that no, he wouldn't want that.

Ibis continued. "I told him that since I waited for the motorcycle to turn, I went through the light even though it was turning red. I saw that I wouldn't put anyone at risk of being hit and that's why I went."

And do you know what the officer said?

The officer leaned closer to the window and said, "You're a lawyer, aren't you?"

Excuse me while I pick myself up off the floor. That part gets me every time.

Ibis replied, "Actually, I'm still in law school." He was wearing dress slacks and a button down shirt - his work attire - so he could pass for a lawyer, but OH MY GOD.

They chatted for a few more minutes because, as Ibis commented, the police like to stay tight with the lawyers in town. The entire ordeal took longer than if he'd never run the light to begin with, but he was let go without a warning.

I'm so proud of my almost-lawyer husband. It feels like just yesterday he was graduating from high school. :)