Mom remained patient.
“I understand it looks different from a regular license, but it’s the document they issued.”
Instead of checking the information calmly, Kyle became increasingly dismissive.
He asked her to step out of the vehicle.
Mom complied.
Then he told her to wait beside the Buick while he returned to his patrol car.
The afternoon sun was relentless.
There was almost no shade along that stretch of road.
Mom stood on the gravel shoulder in her Sunday dress while Kyle sat inside his air-conditioned vehicle.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
Then twenty.
I watched my mother shift
her weight from one foot to the other.
She was seventy-one years old.
And although she rarely complained about discomfort, I could see that the heat was wearing her down.
Finally, I opened my door.
“Officer, could you please let my mother sit in the car while you check her paperwork?”
Kyle looked up.
“Ma’am, stay where you are.”
“She’s been standing in the sun for a long time.”
“I said stay in the vehicle.”
Mom gave me a reassuring look.
“It’s all right, sweetheart. I can manage.”
That was typical of Shirley Hagen.
She’d spent her entire life calming people down, even when she was the one being treated unfairly.
When Kyle finally returned, he seemed more interested in questioning her than resolving the situation.
“At your age, are you sure you remember where you got this document?”
Mom looked directly at him.
“I’m quite certain.”
He gave a
skeptical smile.
“Maybe you should have someone else handle your driving.”
My hands tightened around the pan of lemon bars.
Mom remained composed.
Kyle announced that he was considering citations and having the Buick towed until the licensing issue could be resolved.
That was when Mom asked her unusual question.
“Deputy Brandt, would you please say my name over your radio?”
He stared at her.
“Why?”
“Just ask whether anyone recognizes it.”
Kyle laughed.
“You think somebody at dispatch is going to make your paperwork valid?”
Mom smiled faintly.
“Please. Just say my name.”
He picked up his radio microphone.
