Candy, Officer?

I was stopped at a roadblock near Kyalami one day, on the way to Centurion. My daughter must have been ten at the time. She watched wide-eyed while the traffic officer checked the disc on my windscreen, then checked it in his little hand-held machine. "What did you do, what did you do?" she asked fearfully. Very business-like, and probably very tired by then, the officer asked me for my driver's licence.

While I scratched for it in my wallet, a little arm stretched across me, hand held out with a sweet (candy) in the palm. I looked up in surprize and passed the licence to the officer. My daughter had her most winning smile etched on her perturbed little face. "Would you like a sweet, Officer?"

Somewhat surprized, he looked at her doubtfully. Her smile stayed fixed and the hand remained outstretched. He glanced at my licence, then handing the licence back, he reached for the sweet. "Thank you," he said, adding hastily, "but it's not going to help your father..."

"Is he in trouble?" she asked, panic growing, "Is it going to cost money?"
"Well......." he hesitated, beginning to enjoy it.

She swung around to her brother in the back seat. "Quickly," she ordered urgently, "give me three more sweets!"

Well, the officer burst out laughing, then re-assured her quickly that I wasn't in any trouble. "You have lovely children," he said as he sent me on my way.

The last impression in my rear view mirror was of a uniformed tummy still shaking helplessly with laughter!

Thank Heavens for the lighter moments.

Officer, if ever you read this - thank you the way you handled it. You made my day!

(If you are in the Johannesburg area, you can check online for outstanding traffic fines at www.joburg.org.za Save yourself the trauma of being carted away at a roadblock, particularly if you have kids in the car, by being forwarned and up to date.)