Have you ever just wanted to sit and eat a bucket of ice cream and cry? Last week, I had that exact feeling come over me.

The whole event started the night before; I was at a football game for my high school. My sister, a college freshman, graciously agreed to drive to and from the game. As we were leaving the game, my sister and a couple of her friends decided it would be a good time if we went into downtown and got coffee. One of our friends, Alex, decided it would be even more fun if we chalked Old Town Square chalking is drawing and writing inspiration pictures and quotes on a sidewalk to lift people’s spirits. So the plan was set, first to the Alley Cat, a 24 hour coffee shop, then to Old Town Square. As our chalking experience came to a close, it was close to midnight and we all headed home.

When we pulled into our garage, we noticed something was different. There was a little, red Mazda sitting in the spot where our dad’s truck usually sat. It was the same car that we test drove a couple of weeks earlier as a potential car to buy. My excitement began to grow as I climbed the steps into our house; when I got inside my parents smiled at me and asked me if I saw something unusual in the garage. It was such a shock that I had no words to describe my thrill about finally getting a car.

On Saturday night, I was going to dinner with some friends and by the time we finished it was around 8 p.m. Seeing that it was the first time I had ever driven my car, I was a little apprehensive about driving in the dark because, I hadn’t really gotten the feel for how my car operated and drove.

As I got into my car, I asked myself if my lights were on all of my family’s car have automatic lights, and I just naturally assumed that this car did as well. The street that I was pulling onto was a well-lit, busy street and I couldn’t really tell if my lights were on or not. When I hit the stop light where I had to turn, I saw a police car sitting to my right. As the light turned green and I began to move, the policeman turned on their lights and merged into the turn lane behind me. Following the rules of the law I moved off of the road to the right, expecting him to go around me. Instead, he stayed right behind me as I came to a stop. My heart was pounding and my head started to spin-it was the first day I had had this car and I had already gotten pulled over by a policeman.

When he walked up to my window he informed me that my lights weren’t on. Sincerely shocked I explained the situation: I had gotten my car not even 24 hours before and I was still learning everything about my car. Unmoved by my story he asked for my license and insurance. With shaking hands I easily found my license and reached into the glove box to find the packet my mom had told me was in there. As I thumbed through the pages in the small envelope I couldn’t find the insurance card-and now I was panicked. (I learned later that the card had never been placed in my car.) Again, I apologized for not having it, when he replied with a curt, “Make sure that you have your insurance where you can find it easily.”

As he walked away with my license, I began to sob. Sob isn’t even the right word; I began to sob in the way that rocks the body back and forth. After a couple of minutes he walked back up to my window. When he looked down at me he asked me, “Are you crying?” When I replied with a shaky yes, he forcefully replied, “There is no reason for you to be crying.” With a shake of his head, he continued to tell me that I got off with just a warning, but to remember to turn my lights on. He handed me back my license and without another word turned around and walked away.

As I pulled away, I started to laugh. My lights weren’t on. Really, I know that it can be a serious thing, but considering my circumstances I think that it was a little harsh. Thank you, Mr. Policeman for a.) scaring the living daylights out of me, and b.) for doing your job in the most thorough way possible.