Margaret waved her hand. “I said I thought I left it at home. Turns out it was right here all along. Happens all the time.”
“And the car?” he asked cautiously.
“Oh, that?” she said. “I said I ‘borrowed’ it. I borrow it every day. From myself.”
One of the backup officers chuckled under his breath.
The rookie sighed. “Ma’am, you also implied you stole it from a man at a gas station.”
Margaret leaned in again, whispering dramatically, “Technically, I did meet a man at a gas station once… in 1972. He became my husband.”
At that point, even the senior officer laughed out loud.
The rookie rubbed his forehead. “Ma’am, you can’t say things like that. You had us thinking this was a stolen vehicle situation.”
Margaret smiled innocently. “Well, you did ask a lot of questions. I just gave you… creative answers.”
The senior officer stepped forward, still amused. “Alright, Margaret, let’s keep things simple from now on.”
She nodded. “Of course, officer. Simple is good.”
The rookie looked at his notes, then back at her. “One last question, ma’am… why were you speeding?”
Margaret didn’t miss a beat.
“Oh, that’s easy,” she said. “At my age, I don’t buy green bananas… and I don’t drive slow either.”
The entire group burst out laughing.
The senior officer shook his head. “Alright, ma’am. I’m letting you off with a warning—but please keep it under the speed limit.”
Margaret started the car, smiling. “Don’t worry, officer. Next time, I’ll let someone else win.”
As she drove off, the rookie stood there in silence.
One of the other officers patted him on the shoulder and said,
“Congratulations… you just had your first Margaret.”