The Arrogant State Trooper

March was a pretty busy month. I had to spend time in Arizona, Canada, Chicago and Boca Raton Florida. It was on the trip to Boca Raton that Tracy and I encountered the Arrogant State Trooper.

Boca Raton is about a four hour drive from The Villages where we live. I had an appointment scheduled for Friday and we intended to spend a couple of extra days in Boca since it is a beautiful area. On the drive down we stopped several times at a different Turnpike Oasis. On the second stop we both had to use the restroom pretty bad. As we entered the Oasis, we split up both in search of our respective restrooms.

As I approached the “Men’s Room” I noticed that a trash cart was positioned in front of the door. My first thought was that the facility must be in the process of being cleaned. As I arrived at the opening to the restroom, I put my hand on the trash cart to look in. I wanted to ask the attendant how long it would be before I could use the facility. There were no signs indicating any reason for the cart being parked at the opening.

No sooner had I placed my hand on the cart, that I heard this enormous roar from behind me.

“Can’t you see that the toilet is out of order?”

I turned around and no farther than five feet from me stood a grey haired, pudgy, six foot two inch State Trooper staring at me with the meanest, ugliest glare that I haven’t seen since going to my last horror film when I was a teenager.

“Excuse me”, I replied. “You don’t have to scream at me.”

“I’ll do what I have to do,” he screamed again in the same arrogant obnoxious voice that he used the first time.

“Look,” I said. “You don’t have to be disrespectful. There is no sign – Ya know.”

“I’ll do what I have to do. It should be obvious. Can’t you see the water on the floor,” He screamed at me again. This last roar caused me to lose my patience.”

“Obvious”, I replied. “Water on the floor”, I asked inquisitively. “I thought maybe you just couldn’t hold it any longer. What should be obvious to you is the fact that just because you have a gun and a badge doesn’t make you a King.”

I could see the anger build in his eyes. As his mouth opened to scream at me again some drool slithered out of the corner of his mouth and started running down his chin leaving a glistening trail. Just as his face started to turn a crimson red and he was about to take a step toward me, Tracy grabbed my arm almost jerking it out of the socket as she dragged me away at quite a rapid pace. Although I felt pain in my arm I realized that she probably just saved me from being arrested and thrown in jail.

I turned to look at him as Tracy dragged me out the door to the car but I couldn’t make out what he said. I can tell you that the jowls on his face were quivering and his arm was extended with his finger pointed in my direction shaking furiously.

Tracy didn’t say a word and though it was my turn to drive she jumped behind the wheel and we sped out of that rest stop like Bonnie and Clyde.

She wasn’t totally convinced that I didn’t do anything wrong since she didn’t hear the entire conversation but I personally believe I was very patient and didn’t deserve to be screamed at in that fashion. I think the trooper must have been having a bad day but needed to consider retirement. He sure looked a lot older than me anyway.
“Effective Leaders NEVER let position or power go to their Head!”