Deja Vu--Crime Rate Increases to Two

You are not going to believe this---and, this time, I don't have any pictures to prove it. I carry my little camera everywhere, but I downloaded pictures to my PC today and charged the camera for this weekend, so it wasn't with me. But I had a serious episode of deja vu about 30 minutes ago.

We're having overnight guests who should be arriving any minute (hence, the editing on this post is gonna stink!). I had to run out to Costco and Trader Joe's. I bought chicken for dinner and other perishables at Costco and ran over for a quick trip to TJ's. I sped through the store and got to the check out in record time. It was finally my turn, but as I approached the cashier, she started screaming, "Look! Look! Look!" and faced the parking lot.

I couldn't believe it. As I turned my gaze outside, I saw a deputy pull his gun out of its holster and command someone to get out of the car. You have got to be kidding me! I honestly thought it was a joke.

Even worse!! Three of the eight cruisers were parked directly behind my van. Snap! The cashier was freaking out, and all I can think is, "How am I going to get out and get my chicken into the fridge before it spoils?"

You know, if I'm trying to evade the cops, I wouldn't pull into a Trader Joe's parking lot. They are notoriously small. So, as the guy is sitting in his car, debating his exit strategy, he must have realized that he wasn't going anywhere. If he had just turned left instead of right, he would have been in the mall parking lot, with way more options for his getaway. He surrendered quickly and they had the cuffs on him in no time (of course, they got some practice just last week!).

I told the cashier that they will need to move so that I can get my chicken home. She said she'd give me five dollars if I walked up to a deputy and said, "Excuse me, you need to move your cars because I have chicken in my van." No problemo.

With the suspect under arrest and in the cruiser, I was hoping that they'd be pulling out as I approached. It just wasn't so. They were searching the perp's car. As I ran my basket through the maze of police cars on the way to my van, I didn't realize that they were arresting a women about five feet from my rear doors. So, I walked up the the group of deputies and said, "Excuse me, but I really have to go."

A very nice gentleman said that they'd move their cars in no time. I loaded up the van with my purchases and moved the basket out of the way. They hadn't budged. So, I walked back up to the group of officers and said, "Just let me know when you move your cars because I've got some perishable chicken and I have to get home." He told me to give them two more minutes, but they moved after about 30 seconds.

As I climbed into my van, I resisted the temptation to return to the store and collect my five bucks.