#34 / 2004 Tour 3: Angleton, Texas

COPS DON'T UNDERSTAND POETS

#34

Sabine Pass State Park in Texas was a draw for Joe because it was the southernmost Civil War battlefield. We burned up in New Orleans so the clouds and the rain were welcomed. But it was short-lived and that night we were eaten alive by mosquitoes. I was covered in two-day-old sweat and the vinegar which I had poured over my bites. I yearned for a bath.

So it was with great anticipation that we headed to Angleton to the home of our friend Mary. Last year Mary took us in just as I developed some stomach virus. We had only seen each other once before for a few hours, when I crawled into her guest room and remained for there for three days. She was an angel.

When we pulled up to the house I had a few misgivings because there were three newspapers in the front yard. Hmmm. We pulled into the driveway to wait it out. After a while we walked over to the library to check email. When we returned still no Mary.

By then we were pretty hungry so Joe checked the garage door. It was unlocked so we pulled up the big door and sat in the comfort of the shade to set up our little kitchen. Joe cooked my favorite meal – scrambled eggs wrapped in a tortilla with plenty of jalapeño peppers. Yum, yum. I grabbed one of the newspapers and started looking for the Sunday crossword puzzle. I was just settling in for a pleasant wait when a female officer walked up. We told her we were friends of Mary’s. She asked for ID. No problem for me, I have plenty. But Joe loves to flummox the cops by merely whipping out a passport. No address, no local information. I asked him specifically to keep his library card and voting registration from Rutherford County, but he tossed them to spite me. 

So, more questions ensued. I kept working on my puzzle until I looked up and here came another cop car and another. By the time it was all over there were three squad cars of cops standing in the garage, all the neighbors were standing out in their yards, dogs started barking.

"You mean you came without calling?"

"Well we wanted to surprise her."

"You mean you don’t have any ID to show where you came from?"

"All I carry is a passport."

"You don’t have a drivers license?"

"I don’t drive."

"How do you know Mary still lives here?"

"I just talked to her last week."

It was with great disappointment that the cops realized they weren’t gonna be slapping each other on the back for catching dangerous burglars. And it was with great disappointment that I realized I wouldn’t be getting that bath. We were summarily escorted off of Mary’s property. According to the neighbor that turned us in to the cops, Mary wouldn’t be home for two more days.

I was desperate, so desperate that I broke my own cardinal rule and rented a motel room, just to bath! The next night we slept at Wal-Mart, our favorite free accommodations. The next morning we found Mary at home.

I want to say something here about good people. When Joe and I left town we had this long conversation about good people. We’ve cut a lot of ties lately. And I have lost a lot of friends because they died. Since Mama’s death I have become so convinced of life after death because of the visitations I have had from her. I know I am going to see her again and all the other friends that I now mourn.

So I have come to the conclusion that I am not wasting my time with people that I don’t anticipate seeing on the other side. I have good friends like Mary, precious friends. I will not waste another minute of my life with empty, spirit-less people. From now on, I am only cultivating friendships that I intend to spend eternity with.

Beatlick Pamela