Thursday, May 14, 2009

What a day!

Webster's definition of bizarre: adj. strikingly out of the ordinary: as a. odd, extravagant, or eccentric in style or model; b: involving sensational contrasts or incongruities.

That's precisely how I would describe Tuesday afternoon. It started out fairly smooth: coffee, reading blogs, facebook, Anna with Brian at work, Landon happily playing/ watching T.V.. Went to lunch, as mentioned yesterday, with a long lost friend - Good Times! Until....

2:11 p.m. - Phone call from neighbor, single mom of 6 - 2 grown, 2 in high-school and 2 adopted from China (son, 6 yrs. old and daughter, 5 yrs. old). I ignored the first one because I figured she was calling to say Speech had been cancelled for her kids (both born with cleft palatte) and that her Kindergartner would need to come to my house that afternoon while she picked her daughter up from school. He comes over 3 days a week for a few minutes while she's picking her daughter up from pre-school so this is not unusual. But then it rang again. I went ahead and answered to see what was up.
Me: "Hello! What's up?"
Man's voice on phone: "Mrs. Gregg? This is Deputy "Such and Such" and your neighbor ** has asked me to contact you to come get her daughter from school." He's clearly asking her questions because I can hear her, the neighbor, talking in the background.
I had just pulled into my driveway and told him, "I don't think I could do that because I need to be home when my boys get home from school at 2:30." But he tells me that there is no one else who can come get her, Could I somehow make it? Looking in my rear view mirror, I see that another neighbor is home and told the officer that I could arrange for the boys to go there after they get off the bus and that I would be there shortly. I still have not been told why I need to pick the little girl up. Has there been an accident and my neighbor is hurt? I'm thinking she could not be in critical condition because I hear her talking. And the deputy also asks me to contact her oldest daughter, who works in Atlanta, to come and get the kids from me but doesn't have a number with which to contact her, just the name of the school she works at. ???? What in the world is going on?
2:20p.m.- Drop by neighbor's house to ask her to meet the boys at the bus stop and let them play there until I get back; my boys and neighbor #1's kindergartner, and she graciously asks to watch my little ones while I go get the neighbor's daughter. Landon is asleep in the van but Anna stays with 2nd neighbor.
2:25p.m.- Call 411 to get number for oldest daughter and tell her what's going on... or, at least, that I don't know what's going on but that I'm getting the kids and they'll be with me and where the older high-school kids are and when they'll be home. She, the oldest daughter, says she gets off from work at 3:00 but will come as soon as she gets off.
At this point, I'm not entirely sure where I'm going (just going on directions from deputy) and I'm expecting to pull up to an accident scene when I get there.
When I get close, I see that it is just her car and the police car. No accident. I pull into the driveway of the church/school and got out. Officer is in his car. I point up to the church and he does too. Okay? So, I'm guessing that the 5 yr. old is still there at the school and I need to go in and get her???? Back in van, up to church. Go in, doors unlocked. Lights out, no one around. Where is the daughter?? What is going on? Back in the van, down to the "scene". Deputy walks up to my van and asks to see my license so he knows who he's giving the daughter to. Wrecker pulls up to tow away neighbor's car.
Deputy tells me, "You can go talk to her if you like; they're in my car."
Landon is awake by now and starts crying when I walk away but I didn't want to take him with me; I don't know what I'm walking into. When I get to the car, the neighbor is in handcuffs (!!!) and both she and the little girl are crying hysterically! She's still not offered any explanation; - just that "she's not a bad person and she doesn't know what to do or why this is happening, please take care of my kids, it's all a big mistake, etc., etc.." So, I take the little girl and try to calm them both down and tell her that I'll take care of them until she gets this worked out. By this time, my head is spinning!
The poor, little thing can not be consoled.
On the way home, neighbor #2 calls to inform me that neighbor #1's kindergartner didn't get off the bus. ????
2:45p.m. - Call school. Asked if they have him. Yes! Thank goodness! Tell them I have his sister and the deputy "has" his mom.
Office: "You mean arrested?!"
Me: "I guess so!" Can I come get him since she asked me to get his sister?
No, I'm not on "the list"; they'll have to call someone on the list. Okay. Head home.
Go to neighbor #2's house to pick up my other three kids. Neighbor #1's child is still crying. School calls back to ask where the oldest daughter works since they can't get a hold of her on any other number provided.
3:00p.m. - Finally, get home with 3 out of 6 (my oldest two stayed at neighbor #2's house to play a little longer). Neighbor's daughter quickly stops crying once we're at my house. Whew!! Plays happily with my kids for an hour while we wait to hear what's happening.
4:00p.m - Oldest daughter arrives to pick her up but still offers no explanation. ???

My head is reeling? Is yours?

Turns out,... neighbor got pulled over for speeding but her information is not in the insurance database and got arrested for not having proof of insurance even though she had her insurance card!!! She has insurance but the crazy guy wouldn't call her insurance company to verify this until he hauls her into the station!

Now you tell me... Is this absurd or what? Was all this necessary when it could have been cleared up with one simple phone call?!

Ay yie yie!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Really?? That is the only reason he handcuffed her and took her in? If so, that is utterly ridiculous. Utterly!

Rebekah said...

Hard to believe but true! I verified it with Kristian Blakeney since he is a cop with Cherokee Co. or Woodstock (I can't remember which one). I wanted to make sure she was telling me the truth since my kids play at her house and go with her to karate occasionally.

Bee said...

Unbelievable! How could he continue on when he saw how hysterical that little girl was getting? NOT a nice man.

The Thrashers said...

So I guess the cops have nothing better to do......

Anonymous said...

That situation is totally crazy! She should write up that officer for not having common sense, with her child in the car! Can her chase a real criminal please, who was probably breaking into someone's house when all this was going on! The world is nuts!

Michele Brown
Atlanta, GA