reenactment in a gangster film.
So many thoughts went through my head in a flash.
âGet out of the fucking car with your hands up!â screamed the officer with the gun pointed directly at me.
I was in shock. All I could focus on were the guns. They kept yelling at us to get out of the car with our hands up in what sounded like a cadence. I had no clue how to get out of a car with my hands still up. This could not be my life. I had no idea where I was, let alone what type of illegal activities Mel was into. As far as I was concerned, we were all fucked.
The officer on Devâs side yanked her door open. She hesitated initially, then decided that she better go ahead and cooperate. They had already snatched Mel out of the truck, and his face was pressed up against the steaming hot hood of the car, and they were handcuffing him.
Dev, Que, and I were instructed to go to the rear of the truck and put our hands on the back window. It was freezing outside, but the truck was still running so luckily, we could feel warmth on the windows.
We watched as they tore through the glove box, side-door panels, seats and everything else. Melâs Mercedes was a wreck. They searched every inch of it. I watched fearfully. I had no idea what they were looking for or what they might find.
I asked the officer closest to me why they stopped us, and he said that Mel failed to stop when an officer signaled him to pull over. I found that hard to believe. Out of four people in a car, not one of us realized that there were lights flashing behind us and that we were being signaled to pull over by the police. I called bullshit. I looked toward the front of the car, and Mel was still in handcuffs.
âWhat the hell did we get ourselves into?â Dev whispered tome with a shaky voice that was likely a combination of fear and the chills from the frigid temperature outside.
âYou tell me. Thatâs yoâ boy and they got his ass handcuffed. This was no accident or coincidence,â I said through clenched teeth. I could see the white fog from my breath disappearing into the night sky every time that I spoke.
âYeah,â Dev said. She was confused, angry, and scared. That made two of us.
For a moment it seemed as though Que had lost his mind. He adjusted his slightly sagging pants under his belly and made a hasty move toward the front of the truck. I froze in fear thinking for sure that I would hear a shot ring out. I heard a commotion and I realized why he had made a move. They were about to put Mel into the back of a marked police car. With a hand on his gun, an officer near us yelled for Que to stop moving and stay back. Que didnât stop. He threatened to arrest Que if he did not stay right where he was.
For a split-second you could tell that Que had every intention of going to Melâs rescue.
Dev and I sprang into action and grabbed Que on either side to try to calm him down. He resisted, but we managed to pull him back.
âThereâs nothing you can do!â I screamed. âDo you want to get shot over nothing?â
I didnât know if Que was aware or even cared, but I definitely noticed that the officer had his hand on his gun, and although Mel wasnât resisting arrest, it took what looked like four cops to rustle him into the back of the police car. For the short amount of time that Iâd been in New York, Iâd heard too many news reports where cops were using excessive force or killing innocentpeople over their reckless mistakes. I didnât want to end up on the nightly news over some bullshit that had nothing to do with me.
After things calmed down, one of the arresting officers came over and told us that they were taking Mel into custody. He wouldnât tell us why or what the charge was. He informed us that we were free to go, and he handed Que the keys to the Mercedes.
I walked a few feet away and immediately called Kari. It was 1:00 a.m. and I knew that things could
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