I was driving to work the other morning after dropping Busy Girl off at volleyball (rest assured, my digital dumplings, volleyball is returning, soon), when I noticed a police car in the other lane.

He wasn't going especially fast, so I didn't feel guilty for passing him.

I got in the turning lane, and he moved over and got behind me, and we waited for the light to change.

I laughed at myself for feeling a little uneasy with him behind me.

I even told myself it was ridiculous that I thought he was running my plates when I looked in the rear view mirror and saw him fiddling with that computer.

The light changed, we made the turn, and sure enough, his pretty blue flashing lights came on.

I turned onto a side street, stopped, and he came up to my window.

Officer: "Do you know why I stopped you?"

I cringed internally when I suddenly remembered I had a brake light out. I bought the bulb a while back, and just never put it in, but I wasn't going to say anything.

Or, maybe he thought I stole that shiny new hubcap?

Me: "No..."

Officer: "Is this your car?"

My car was my mother's, and I got it after she died.

OK, OK, I just kinda never gave it back to my dad when I usurped it to drive her around to the doctor all the time.

Whatever.

Geez, you people have good memories...

Anyway, I finally got around to getting it out of my dad's name (he surrendered), and into mine last year, but it was a bit complicated.

I carry around a death certificate just in case, and was mentally prepared to tell him the tale of the title transfer.

Officer: "Your tags expired in April."

Me: (thinking, "They did?!") "They did?!"

Officer: "Yes, ma'm."

I seriously had no idea they had expired, I have no idea why.

I think I had it in my head that our cars expired in June and August, but obviously, not.

Whatever, it didn't really matter.

I handed him my license and registration, and he went back to his car to do whatever it is they do.

Upon his return, he asked me for my insurance card.

I reached into the envelope where I keep such things, pawed through the papers, and it wasn't there.

There was really no other place it could have been, and I had no explanation why it wasn't there.

I stammered, and sputtered, and said intelligent stuff like, "I swear I'm insured, the card is supposed to be right here!"

He just kind of looked at me, and I had an idea.

Me: "I know this is weird, but I can show you proof of insurance on my phone, do you care if I pick it up? (It was on the floor)

Officer: "Sure..."

So, I signed into my USAA mobile app, and could at least show him where it was paid for, and get the cards sent to my e-mail.

He said, "I believe you, don't worry about it."

That NEVER happens.

He started to give me back my documents and stopped to look at my driver's license.

Officer: "Wow, you live there?"

Me: "Yes, sir... (?)."

Officer: "What about the flood? Were ya'll OK?"

Me: "Yes, we were very fortunate, but much of our neighborhood was not."

Officer: "Wow, you were lucky. By the way, you need to check your right brake light."

He handed me my papers, and drove away.

I prepared to put them away while I tallied the probable cost of my transgressions.

There was no ticket in there.

I'm sure he knew my address at the beginning of the stop.

I realized he had patiently pretended to look at my insurance (which was in the envelope the whole time, don't know how I missed it) while I bumbled around with my phone, and he just wanted to make sure I was safe regarding the brake light.

I'm telling you, that flood changed my city forever.