The Cop Gave a Ticket, Yet Again

And it killed me

Sam, looking into his rear-view mirror and almost cursing God, pushed the brakes. His car came to a halt in a few seconds.

It is the fourth time this month that the police stopped him for over speeding. In a zone of 40, he was driving at a speed of 70.

And why not? After all, he had not squandered all this money on a racing car to drive just at 40.

Sam thought of a new excuse. He saw the policeman stepping out of the police car, “Mathew!” Mathew with whom he played golf every weekend?

But Sam had never seen him in the uniform, nor he knew that he was a police officer.

Sam felt embarrassed. Sam tried to hide his face with both his palms.

Mathew knocked on the window. Sam tried to look surprised and jumped out of the car.

“Mathew! My friend. What a surprise!” Said Sam.

“Hello, Sam. Nice to see you, too,” replied Mathew.

“So I have seen you on the golf course many times. But this is the first time meeting you in uniform.”

Mathew didn’t reply to Sam.

Sam, “I know I was a little over the limit. I guess I was driving at around 50.”

Mathew, “No, you were driving at 70.”

“Oh, ho! It is not going well so far,” Sam thought and replied, “Guess what! My wife has cooked crab with red wine. And let me tell you a secret — she is a splendid cook. Care to join us?”

“No. Thank you. But I will have to ask you to sit in the car.” Mathew replied with a stern tone.

Ouch! It was Sam’s clue not to bluff anymore.

He sank into his car seat and closed the door with force. He will not see this man for a long time. He looked into his mobile phone, flustered, while Mathew was writing something on his pad. Mathew took good 5 minutes to write.

A knock on the door made Sam’s head turn to his right. He rolled down the window and took the folded paper from the Mathew.

Ugh! One more ticket with a spoonful of embarrassment.

With a sarcastic tone, he said, “Thank you very much for this.”

Mathew headed back to his car and drove away.

Sam unfolded the ticket like paper with a sigh. He was startled. It was not a ticket!

The note read:

“Dear Sam,

My wife and I were blessed with a little girl nine years ago. Two years back, when she was only 7, she got killed by a speeding car. Yes, you read it right. A speeding car.

They apprehended the driver. A fine of a few hundred dollars and six months in jail was all he paid for murdering my daughter.

The day his imprisonment ended, his wife along with daughters received him. He hugged his wife and both his daughters.

But I can’t even see my little girl, let alone holding her close to me. Every day, I die a little.

I tried to forgive the man and forget the past many times. But I could not.

Pray for my daughter. And drive carefully in limits. Because all I have is a son now and people like you worry me.

Mathew.”

Sam sat for a full fifteen minutes in his car. His heart was crying for Mathew. When he regained his senses, he drove to his home slowly and prayed for forgiveness.

The Ticket killed old Sam. He started caring for others.

Through force, you can at most create fear, not transformation — either in self or others. Whenever possible, choose the weapons of Love and compassion.

The only true way to transform others is through touching their hearts.