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Authors: Sheri Cobb South
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your explanations for the chief, kid. ” The policeman jerked his thumb in the direction of his squad car. “ We’re going to the station. You too, miss, ” he added.
Gary and I were silent during the short drive to the police station. The only sound was the occasional squawk of the two-way radio. Gary sat beside me in the backseat, staring glo omily out the window, his shoul ders slumped. All the confidence he’d gained over the past few weeks seemed to have melted away. I was pretty sure he was think ing of Colette, and although I’m not usually a vindictive person, at that moment I found myself hating her.
I gave a little sigh of pure helplessness, and Gary tur ned at the sound, giving me a slightly forced smile as he reached for my hand. He gave it a quick squeeze, and didn't release it until we arrived at the police station.
Once inside, we were each allowed to make one phone call. Fortunately, we were both able to get through to our parents this time. I hadn’t realized just how awkward it would be until I heard Dad’s voice on the other end of the line. How do you break the news that your parents have to come and pick you up at the police station?
Somehow I managed a brief explanation, and when I hung up, our arresting officer led us to the desk sergeant on duty.
“ Names, please? ” the sergeant asked with out looking up from the paperwork on his desk.
“ Gary Hadley, ” Gary said.
“ Molly McKenzie, ” I said.
“ All right, what happened? ” the desk ser geant asked.
“ Well, you see— ” Gary began, but the sergeant put up a hand to silence him.
“Y ou’ll get your turn in a minute. ” He turned to the policeman who had brought us in. “ What’s the story, Cummings? ”
“ At nine twenty-five I got a call from the night manager at Randolph Drugs, ” Officer Cummings droned. “ Earlier this evening, he’d noti ced a 1985 Toyota parked in the lot Randolph Drugs sha res with the Lamp lighter restaurant. Said he noticed it because the parking spaces at that end are designated one-hour parking only. When he closed up, the car was still there. I went to check it out , and while I was writing up the ticket, these two came out of the restaurant. Hadley here admits the car is his, but when I asked for a driver’s license, he said he didn’t have it with him. ”
“ But I can explain— ” Gary began again. This time a new voice interrupted him.
“ They ought to make that parking lot bigger! ”
We turned and saw a seedy-looking middle- aged man who had apparently been listening to Officer Cummings’s endless report.
“ Yes, sir, they ought to make it much bigger! ” he said, standing up. “ I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. First thing in the morning, I’m going to go to Randolph Drugs. I’m going to hand Mr. Randolph a check, and I'm going to tell him to make that parking lot bigger! ”
“ What are you doing here, Wilson? ” the sergeant asked wearily. “ Have you been writing bad checks again? ”
“ No! ” Mr. Wilson said indignantly. “ I never wrote a bad check in my life! It’s those computers they use at the bank, that's what it is. ”
“ Never mind the computers! You sit there and be quiet while I hear Hadley's explanation. ”
Mr. Wil son sat down again, and the ser geant turned back to Gary. “ All right, Hadley, you were saying? ”
“ Well, it’s sort of a long story, ” Gary said.
“ We've got all night, ” the sergeant told him. Somehow that didn't sound very reassuring.
“ Well, sir, we—Molly and me—we went to dinner at the Lamplighter, and we parked in a one-hour space because we didn't think it would take that long, but when we got ready to leave, I found out I'd left my wallet at home in my other pants, and I didn’t have any money and neither did Molly, so we had to wash dishes to pay for our meal because my folks weren't at home, and Molly’s phone was out of order, and— ”
“ Aw, come on, Sarge, have a heart!
Gary and I were silent during the short drive to the police station. The only sound was the occasional squawk of the two-way radio. Gary sat beside me in the backseat, staring glo omily out the window, his shoul ders slumped. All the confidence he’d gained over the past few weeks seemed to have melted away. I was pretty sure he was think ing of Colette, and although I’m not usually a vindictive person, at that moment I found myself hating her.
I gave a little sigh of pure helplessness, and Gary tur ned at the sound, giving me a slightly forced smile as he reached for my hand. He gave it a quick squeeze, and didn't release it until we arrived at the police station.
Once inside, we were each allowed to make one phone call. Fortunately, we were both able to get through to our parents this time. I hadn’t realized just how awkward it would be until I heard Dad’s voice on the other end of the line. How do you break the news that your parents have to come and pick you up at the police station?
Somehow I managed a brief explanation, and when I hung up, our arresting officer led us to the desk sergeant on duty.
“ Names, please? ” the sergeant asked with out looking up from the paperwork on his desk.
“ Gary Hadley, ” Gary said.
“ Molly McKenzie, ” I said.
“ All right, what happened? ” the desk ser geant asked.
“ Well, you see— ” Gary began, but the sergeant put up a hand to silence him.
“Y ou’ll get your turn in a minute. ” He turned to the policeman who had brought us in. “ What’s the story, Cummings? ”
“ At nine twenty-five I got a call from the night manager at Randolph Drugs, ” Officer Cummings droned. “ Earlier this evening, he’d noti ced a 1985 Toyota parked in the lot Randolph Drugs sha res with the Lamp lighter restaurant. Said he noticed it because the parking spaces at that end are designated one-hour parking only. When he closed up, the car was still there. I went to check it out , and while I was writing up the ticket, these two came out of the restaurant. Hadley here admits the car is his, but when I asked for a driver’s license, he said he didn’t have it with him. ”
“ But I can explain— ” Gary began again. This time a new voice interrupted him.
“ They ought to make that parking lot bigger! ”
We turned and saw a seedy-looking middle- aged man who had apparently been listening to Officer Cummings’s endless report.
“ Yes, sir, they ought to make it much bigger! ” he said, standing up. “ I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. First thing in the morning, I’m going to go to Randolph Drugs. I’m going to hand Mr. Randolph a check, and I'm going to tell him to make that parking lot bigger! ”
“ What are you doing here, Wilson? ” the sergeant asked wearily. “ Have you been writing bad checks again? ”
“ No! ” Mr. Wilson said indignantly. “ I never wrote a bad check in my life! It’s those computers they use at the bank, that's what it is. ”
“ Never mind the computers! You sit there and be quiet while I hear Hadley's explanation. ”
Mr. Wil son sat down again, and the ser geant turned back to Gary. “ All right, Hadley, you were saying? ”
“ Well, it’s sort of a long story, ” Gary said.
“ We've got all night, ” the sergeant told him. Somehow that didn't sound very reassuring.
“ Well, sir, we—Molly and me—we went to dinner at the Lamplighter, and we parked in a one-hour space because we didn't think it would take that long, but when we got ready to leave, I found out I'd left my wallet at home in my other pants, and I didn’t have any money and neither did Molly, so we had to wash dishes to pay for our meal because my folks weren't at home, and Molly’s phone was out of order, and— ”
“ Aw, come on, Sarge, have a heart!
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