This Story Just Keeps Getting Better...

One warm, mid-July afternoon, I walked outside to water my pot of flowers on the porch. As soon as I looked up, this is what I saw...

I sat there and looked at this sight for a moment, wondering if I was seeing illusions from the heat. I called in the house for Tanner to come check it out. He helped me realize that I wasn't seeing things as he walked across the street, a few houses down, to the neighbor that owes the little red piecer. Tanner said to the short, old, Latino man, "Excuse me, I need you to come out and look at your parking job." The man said, "Oh you need me to move my car?" Tanner said, "No. I need you to come look at something." Tanner took the old man to the curb to look at the cars. Because the old man looked a little confused on what he'd done wrong, Tanner proceeded to tell him that he hit our truck. The old man then said something I still baffle about ever time I think of this story. He said, "Well, your truck only moved this much (holding up his two index fingers about 3 inches apart). You were in violation of the shade." VIOLATION OF THE SHADE?! That must be a new law I haven't heard about....

The old man kept saying it was no big deal and he would move his car. Tanner asked to exchange insureance information and leave it at that. The man refused, thus causing Tanner to threaten to call the cops. The old man again refused, so Tanner went through with his threat. The cops showed up a few minutes later and took each party aside to get the story straight. The old man continued to tell the cops that it was a hot day, and we took up too much of the shade. He said he had to back into us so he wasn't parked in the red curb. The lady officer kindly, yet firmly, explained to the man that it was against the law to back into other peoples cars. The cops wrote him a ticket for "improper backing", we exchanged insureance information, and went our separate ways.

Today, one of the cops that wrote the ticket, showed up at our house. He said the little, old man had been to the police station many times within the last few weeks, causing a scene and trying to file reports that we and the cops are racist. The cop said the man threatened to get a lawyer and take this to court. So now, Tanner and I have to fill out a detailed incident report, print off the above pictures and take them to the police station.

I guess I'm not too worried since if he wants to take us to court, I know a pretty good lawyer ;)