The Tale of Two Husbands

Life can get busy.  Everyone in a family has "duties" which enable the family to run smoothly.  Unfortunately, things happen, sometimes a stone gets thrown under the wheels of day to day living and everything is turned topsy turvy.  Although these situations are not funny when they are occurring,  they are the fiber when woven through a lifetime make up our memories.   We retell the stories with drama and humor...it is not only the reality of how we live and it is how we survive.

A few weeks ago Roger was going through papers on his desk and his to do list in preparation to leave town on a business trip.  We had been juggling schedules to meet the contractor, the plasterer and the painter for a few days; a few things were beginning to fall through the cracks.

I was sitting on the sofa, with Willie curled up about as close as he could possibly be, reading.  Roger came in with an envelope in his hand and announced my license plate tags were expired.  He said the notice must have come in while we were in Ireland.   I told him it was impossible because my car is not yet a year old.  (I am sure you remember a buck hit me this time last year totaling my Volvo.)  He continued to explain he had transferred the old tags, so yes, they were in fact expired. 

I ask him to put all the papers in my bag and I would go to the tax office the next day after school to renew the tags.  Placing the envelope in my purse, he said, " I am sorry, this was my job".  I assured him, although it was not how I had planned to use my free afternoon, it really was no big deal.

 The next morning a friend called to ask if I would be working that afternoon.   I said no, "I get to go sit and wait in line to renew my overdue car tags.  Not the way I had hoped to spend the day." 

She said, "Oh let me tell you what happened to me."

While running her children to their respective after-school activities and trying to get errands completed in-between the taking and the picking up she was stopped by the police.  She said she knew she was not speeding and had no clue why she was pulled over.

When the Officer approached her window he ask her if she knew her license plate had expired.  She responded, "No it isn't.  My husband took care of that."

"Ma'am, not only is your license plate expired, it has been expired for two years."

She continued to argue, telling him he was dead wrong.  She ask if she could call her husband.

"Ma'am this is your car, you are responsible for the tags"

"No, I am not.  It is my husband's job, and I know he did it.  I put the notice on his desk.  I'm calling my husband right now."  Which she did.

She explained to her husband she had been pulled over and the Officer was telling her the license plate tags were two years overdue.  "I told him you wouldn't let that happen.  You had just renewed my license."

I suspect there might have been a bit of silence on the other end of the line, although it was not part of her story.  

"No, that was my tags I renewed."

"You didn't renew my tags?"

"The notice must have come in when we were out of the country."

She replied, "We were not out of the country for two years.  We will talk about this later"and hung up.

Turning her attention back to the policeman, she tried to explain.  The Officer told her because the tags were two years over due he would have to ticket her and tow her car.  He ask if there was someone who could come to get her.

Understandably, a tad upset, she explained her husband and her parents were out of town.  "You can't tow my car, this is not my fault.  It is my husband's job."

"Ma'am it is your car, you are responsible."

"No, I am not.  We each have our jobs.  This is not mine."

"Ma'am  I am going to have to ticket you and tow your car."

At this point I am desperately trying not to drop the phone for laughing.  I was not laughing at her, but because this is something I could see happening to me.

The policeman goes back to his car and makes a phone call and returns,

"Ma'am it is the law I have to ticket you and have the car towed.  I have called it in.  If I ticket you my boss will see it;  if I don't have the car towed I will get in trouble."

She told me she was resolved and just wanted him to write the ticket and get it over with; he stepped back and stood looking at her as she sat in the car.

"Ma'am,  I'm not going to ticket you today.  I'm giving you a warning."

Looking up at him she thanked him profusely and said, 

"I'm getting a divorce are you married?"

(no fears, she remains happily married)

As I left the school parking lot and headed toward the revenue office I thought about my friend's story.  You may be assured I drove slowly and safely to not draw any undue attention to my car.

When I got out of my car I stopped to checked my tags.  One read Aug., the other 13.  I sort of thought it seemed a little odd I would have a 13 on my license plate if my tags were, in fact, overdue.  I looked around at other car's license's plates.   They all had a "13" on them.  I did stop to wonder how all of these plates were going unnoticed, if my own were outdated.   Oh well, I knew Roger  kept track of when the tags needed to be renewed.  It crossed my mind maybe the 13 was a code.  After all, it is his job!

With a book in hand I entered the tax assessors office and took a number, resolved to spend a little time waiting.  They called my number and I approached the desk.  I handed the clerk the papers and explained my tags were overdue.

Without looking up she ask if I would be paying with cash, by check or bankcard.  I replied I would be writing a check (there is a fine for everyday you are overdue plus the cost of the tags).  

"Who do I make the check out to?"

She pointed to the sign and began keying in information into her computer.

"Ma'am your tags were renewed in August."

"You are kidding me?  Are you sure?  My husband was certain he had forgotten to renew them."

"Is your car a silver Outback?"

"Yes."

"Yes ma'am, they have already been renewed", she said giggling

It was my second good laugh of the day.

Husbands....you just gotta love 'em.

I called my friend to tell her my experience with the expired license plate tags.   And to ask permission to share her story here at Living Life.  She said yes and that she would like to read it.  I hope I have not strayed too far from her adventure.  I truly wish you could hear her tell it.  Thank you dear friend for allowing my muse to run with the story of
"The Tale of Two Husbands".