My First DWL

I think I got my first DWL today. DWL, not DWI, come on now!

I was returning in the Honda from the Target store down the road where I found some shorts on sale. I made the turn out of the store and almost immediately a huge, black SUV with tinted windows pulled up dangerously close behind me. I was going slower than the surrounding traffic so I just kept going. About a block later his light bar lit up and his siren came on. He was Texas Highway Patrol and he was after me!

I pulled over onto the shoulder and he parked behind me. I got out my drivers licence and Insurance papers while he sat there in his truck. He then got out and slowly walked behind the car. Big guy... big truck, sunglasses, gun... He came up on the passenger side as I lowered the window. He stooped down and I said, "Sorry, but I really do not know what I did wrong". He answered, "The reason I stopped you was that I could not read your licence plate. I could not see where you are from so I thought I better check you out to see if it was a legal plate". I laughed and told him British Columbia, Canada. He said he finally read that after he stopped me. He said, "You did nothing wrong, it was my mistake and I apologize. Have a nice day and enjoy your stay" He walked away without even checking my licence. He even called me "Sir".

I think what he saw on my plate was the word, "Columbia" and he thought, "I am going to give this drug smuggling, South American terrorist a hard time", and then he discovered I was a harmless Canadian. I guess I am partially to blame as the rear plate has the same sun damage as the entire car had before the paint job so the colors are not easily discernible. Plus, the car was pretty dirty, a problem I fixed as soon as I got home.

DWL = Driving While Latino. A serious crime in these parts and an invitation to get pulled over if for no other reason.