Sunday, August 29, 2010

Totally PROFILED!

We sold our old Ford pick-up recently... Yes, the green one that I have been driving since High School.... Anyway, we went car shopping last weekend and test-drove several different cars. After much difference of opinion, we finally decided that we liked the Dodge Avenger the best. A non-negotiable for me is I wanted a black car... John wanted ANY car that had decent fuel mileage.


I searched and searched online until I found this car. This was in the "Pre-Owned" inventory on the Brown Chevrolet lot in Devine, TX. One of the salesmen is from Leakey, therefore Brown was willing to deliver the car to us there.


After John and I test-drove the car, we walked around and inspected it. I commented on the tires and rims and told John, "I don't know about this, Homie!" John liked the way the car looked and thought I was being silly - so we bought the car.


The next day, my sister Brittany, brother-in-law Cole, cousin Starla, and a few friends teased John about the rims. So John came to my classroom and said, "Maybe those rims are a bit much - everyone keeps making fun of them. Let's find some others."


So, we finished out the work week, and planned to look for new tires/rims soon. Saturday, we are driving to San Antonio to do some school clothes shopping (for me) and go to the movies. We were discussing some wheels John had found online just as we were pulling up to the Border Patrol Check Point... We state our citizenship to the agents and expect to roll on through - well that didn't happen - they pulled us over and asked us to get out of the vehicle while they inspected it.


As we're walking to the bench to sit down the agent sternly tells John, "Sir, you need to get your hands out of your pocket. " So John holds his hands up in the air. Then sits down on the bench. They make John stand up so they can pat him down for weapons... And while they are doing this they are holding onto their own weapons... CRAAAAZZZYYYY!!!!!


The agent was wide-eyed and was scanning both of our faces with his eyes - I guess looking for guilty expression...? Anyway, John told him, "Man you need chill out, you are making me nervous." And when John said that, the agent kinda toned down a little.


They asked us a million questions including: Where did we get the car? Where are we from? Where do we work? How did we meet? Do we smoke? Do we smoke in the car? How long have we had the car? Have we been checked out at the checkpoint before in this car? Why are we going school clothes shopping? Did we tint the windows like that?


After all the questioning, I jokingly look at John and say kinda quietly... "It's those rims, Vato!"


The agent overhears me and says, "Dogs have nothing against rims, Ma'am. He smelled something."


So they continue to search the car, with the dog... As the search continues I get more and more anxious. The agent tells me to "Calm down, if they don't find anything, it will all be fine."


I replied, "Well, it's nerve racking because we have never been pulled over like this... and this is a new car to us. You can bet if you find something we will be calling some car salesman and chewing him out."


The agent quickly replied, "Yeah, when you get out of jail you can do that."


OH MY GOODNESS!!! Now panic has completely overwhelmed me. I mean, I joke with my BP Agent friend, Ty, about this all the time... But now, this is getting serious... and all I can think is, "I'm a 3rd Grade teacher - I can't go to jail." Then I think... What if I do? Who will come get us? Will I lose my job because south Texas can't get a handle on the drugs that are moving around this area?


FINALLY, the other agents say our car is clear. They think the dog smelled the scent of our dog in the car. (Which, I think is a crock - because Pearl, herself, has been through the checkpoint in our Yukon and has never set a dog off.) So all in all, I think we totally got PROFILED!


As we continue on to San Antonio, John notices one of those signs that says "Drink, Drive, Go to Jail"... He said, "I think they need to change it to Drink, Drive or Buy a Car used to move drugs and Go to jail!" Hahaha... So I guess the moral to the story is, be careful which rims your ride has! lol

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