At 8:55 a.m. I'm sitting the basement of my counties offices building with a strange cross section of humanity. Our only shared traits being our species, and that at some time in the recent past we were arrested for DUI.
There are people I would guess to be college students, a pair of what look like stay-at-home moms, at least one possibly hardened criminal based on the tattoos I can see scrawled on his neck and knuckles, and everyone in between, which includes me.
I've been awake since 3:00 a.m. No matter how many times my family tells me to shake this off, I can't. I still feel the stomach churning guilt and shame I did when the officer put the handcuffs on me.
I'm so tired.
As more people come in, the room fills. The instructor, or whatever she is called, pops in to tell us that she normally waits until about 10 passed to let people get there. She actually seems quite nice and down to earth. Not at all like the vulgar and bitter bitch that conducted the "ARD interview" several months ago and said we all lie through our teeth and will probably fuck up again.
There is a startlingly beautiful young man sitting diagonally behind me. Which makes me feel frumpy and fat in my old gray fleece, week old jeans and scuffed combat boots. I should have done my hair...
The woman sharing a table with me is perfectly coiffed and made up and very pretty, if a little hard around the edges. I think she might actually be a little younger than I am, but looks older around the eyes. Turns out she is a single mom (not stay-at-home), and was arrested inside her home for DUI.
We eventually share our arrest stories and it is astonishing the so many of us really were just trying to get home, or don't normally go out. One (the beautiful boy), had found a safe place to park his car because he had worked all day, had two drinks with his boss and was too tired to drive home. Arrested for being in his car with a 0.08 bac.
Some are obviously hard drinkers. Several have multiple offenses. One just got out of jail after over two years for a second DUI.
I am embarrassed and horrified by the behavior of police officers in too many of the stories. Where are the good cops, the ones I have known all my life? The ones who don't terrorize children while arresting their parents, or keep people in the patrol car for two hours before taking them to a hospital after a crash?
Next week I have to dress better.
The class is actually easier than I thought it would be and we get out in a timely manner.
And on a whim and because I needed to, I stopped by my newest tattoo artist's shop to schedule the next butterfly. I'll be inked again in a week.
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