A Friend, A Red Light & A Bad Guy With My Name In LA.

After work last night I stopped at the Kangarro gas station near work to meet my friend Dean.

We parked close to the entrance to the store; He bought some Gatorade and I got me a four pack of Buds.

He drank one of his and I one of mine.

And we talked in the parking lot for a while, about the new joy in his life.

Dean became a father a month ago, Jaime his wife of a year, gave him a son.

They name him Zane.

And I kid him about it, and he say's that he hopes the "In", never gets attached to the kid.

We said good night to each other and promised to keep in touch, and maybe to have lunch once a week now that he works close by.

On the way home my cell-phone rang, it was my sister; At the crossing of University and Atlantic the familiar lights of a police cruiser lights, those beautiful flashing light that I like so much, got behind me, and I closed the phone; My sister would have to wait.

The officer told me I had run past a red light, and I told him the light was yellow when crossed.

He asked for ID's, and went to the cruiser to check them.

Deep Purple was playing on my CD, and the officer came back to my window and asked if I would mind rolling the sleeve of my clothing in my right arm, and to turn it this way and the other way, so he could look over it.

He thank me for the cooperation and went back to his police car.

And then another police car came, with the lights flashing too, and it parked next to the other one.

Crossing a light, two police cars? Something was up.

From the other car a police woman came to my car and asked me if I had been or lived in LA? And I told her no.

She asked me if I had been drinking, and I told her, I had a beer with a friend about an hour back and the rest of them were in the back seat.

She left and I waited.

The music changed to Cat Stevens.

She asked about the bag near me, and I told her it was a burger for my wife, who was waiting for me, and probably very hungry.

And then the policeman came, with two tickets.

He told me that there was no fault on the light; And there would be no penalty for that.

As for the beer in the car, he gave me a ticket, and advise for the future, if I happen be stopped again, let that officer know that, there is another person in LA with my name.

That guy is bad news.

When I signed the ticket the officer said, "You have an interesting signature, Mr Rodriguez"

I hope that guy in LA doesn't do it the same, I told him.

 Before he left me be free again.

After that I drove home, tired.

A long day made longer by another light.

Mikki got her burger later when I got home.

She ate it as soon as she saw it.

I did not tell her, and, she doesn't know why she waited so long.

One thing I know.

The guy in LA don't know her.