Someone banging on the door! Who the heck so frantically banging on my door so early in the morning? I don’t want to get up, but the banging is not stopping, so I opened the door.
How come these many people around? Some guy was yelling at top his voice, “Did you know that you did an accident”? ohh! I slept at the wheel for few minutes. I hit the car very bad which was parked on the curbside. Hmm, now I can’t do anything about it I just want to go home and sleep- which is only few blocks away. I am trying to start the car which was not starting at all as the car was totally damaged.
Someone yelled “Hey! You have a flat tire and totaled your car just get out of the car and see it”. “Did anyone call the cops” someone was querying and bang came a response “ oh yeah I already did and cops are on the way” as if he sounded like the greatest thing he ever did on earth. Fuck it. Ohhh guys I badly need a sleep I was thinking in my head and slowly my bladder started filling up. I can’t do anything about it and cant go from here until cops arrive. I sat back in the car and closed the door. Slept for few more minutes until my bladder relentlessly bothering me. Opened my eyes. People are around, all known people for years in the same neighborhood. People are gathering to see the crash area like Apollo 13 just crashed on their rooftops. I can’t hold it anymore and I have to take leak. I got out of the car and walked to the other side of the road opened the zipper and let the snake out hissing. Uff what a relief! Was able to hear background noise and their talk. This guy is so shameless, how can he do that in front of us? I was thinking, you brainless morons, bladder doesn’t know about the shame or manners! Are you willing to take me into your restroom? Any of you going to offer in spite knowing me for all these years where I baby sit your kids when you were out on a movie night? Fuck, how come my Medulla Oblongata still working after all these bottles of alcohol just dumped in for 12 continuous hours? Anyway, let me sleep, I went back to the back seat of my car and slept until the cops knocked on the door.
Hello Sir, would you please show us the vehicle registration and driver’s license! I love these cops for their politeness and dutifulness except the ones who kneel on necks to settle their personal scores!! I handed over them and few more questions followed like – where I was coming from, where am I heading etc., and finally asked me to step out of the car. The whole neighborhood woke up at the middle of the night to witness everything with utmost curiosity and eagerness. The senior cop was encouragingly telling the junior cop, “You got a solid DUI (Driving Under Influence) case”. Sir, how many drinks did you consume? I said, I am not sure – may be a 2 or 3 and the cop said with a laugh “ 2 or 3 of what? Drums? “I liked his sense of humor at that very hour though I am under distress but didn’t like people laughing in the background. Sir, you need to answer few questions and follow our instructions carefully. They started asking me educational background, saying alphabets from H thru R and have to stop right at there and shouldn’t go further, and drew a straight line on the road and asked me to walk 7 steps! Why 7 is this much important a number? 7 steps around marriage pyre, importance of 7 in casino board games, or an extra point to make a touch down 7 in football! Why? Anyway, forget about it, I try to stay straight 1, 2, 3, 4… damn I couldn’t! How come south Indian super star Kamal Hassan was able to dance on parallel beam on the well being drunk where I couldn’t walk 7 steps straight?! (When the bodycam was released few days after the incident, my walk was so hilarious I couldn’t stop laughing at myself). Sir, as you failed the test, are you willing to take breathalyzer test as per the state laws and he read out my rights and also said I can say yes or no for which I said “No”. Sir, youare under arrest for driving under the influence, damaging the personal property and denying to take the breathalyzer test as per the state laws. I said – Had I known that I would be arrested for not taking the test I would have said “yes”. Cop replied back “ you lost your chance sir and you will be administered the test at the station”, held my hands on my back and handcuffed. Fucking, where did I end up? While making me sit in the cop’s car, cop put a hand on my head, not pushing me down but saying “careful sir, you might hit the roof and helping me sit comfortably”! what a kindness!
I slept all the way through to the station, surprisingly not thinking about anything else but just sleeping. Taken to the judge in the station to note few other details and collected all my belongings and determined by my breathalyzer test that I am intoxicated above the permissible level to drive. They locked me in a cell with another guy already was in there. I don’t care anything now; I just need to sleep. Its a room with an attached commode and mattress on the floor. I slept all through the day, breakfast was pushed from under the door just like in movies and the lunch. By the time I woke up, the guy who was in thenight with me was not there, may be he was released. I didn’t know what time of the day it is as it is all still dark, finally it felt like I am sober again and feeling hungry and restless. Had the food and waiting to be released and those were the anxious moments as no one around to ask any questions.
Finally, the door was opened and was told to collect all my belongings. I was released against the personal bail of $4000 and must attend the court hearing a scheduled date. It was 4:30 PM EST May 8, 2019, Wednesday.
What a turn of events from a moment of glory to the moment of agony in 24 hours! Hmmm Life- it is!
First thing I checked as soon as I come out of the Police Station was, my phone. There were 27 missed calls and half of them are from my boss which was obvious as I missed some important meetings! I called him up for a pickup and he was surprised to hear what happened and very apprehensive about the next steps and what is going to happen at the court hearing.
I have few cleanups to do like getting the towed car from the dump yard and getting back to auto insurance people and was angry at myself. My mind was thinking about lot of things andnothing at the same time. What questions would I face in the court? Am I going to be convicted and some more jail term? Do I need to get any alibi for where I was driving from at that night of the hour? Don’t know as the situation is all new to me and no Indian might have faced this kind of situation as they are not morons like me, and they are always careful. No one to ask. Started googling to get few answers and surprised to see that DUI is a criminal offense in the state where I live and not civil one and I might be convicted to 2-4 weeks in jail if found guilty. Fuck!! It is a straightforward case, right? Why wouldn’t I have found guilty? No chance! Should I hire an attorney? Hmm.
As I was thinking about all non-sensical things about alibi and all that stuff, I asked a neighbor friend of mine, is there a possibility of giving me an alibi that I was watching a football game in his house and drove to gas station to grab some smoke for which he said, He will check with his wife and let me know!
When you hear this kind of answer from any married guys who are not very close friends of yours (like friends from college) and so-called friends in the neighborhood, two things are certain- a) it’s a straightforward NO, and b) He is not willing to help you but going put that blame on his wife! LOL. As expected, he came back and said “as their Green Card in process, it is not a good idea to get into this kind of tangle” – yeah great!
Approached couple of attorneys and they sound kind of expensive. Finally, I have decided like, what is there to hide anyway? It’s a straight forward DUI and I hit the car which was in parallel parking on the street and totalled both the cars! Let me face the music on my own and attended the court hearing on the scheduled date nicely dressed up as if dressing up nice would have any influence on the outcome from the judge!
I explained everything and how clean my driving record was and admitted that I shouldn’t have been behind that driving wheel on that fateful night.
Outcome was that I must serve at least –
Had the whole incident happened in India I would have influenced the people to get away from all this nonsense just like the other guys did who drove their SUVs on to the people sleeping on footpath and scot-free! OR if this happened in any other state in here, I would have done a community service in lieu of jail term! Fate! Had it all!!
Do I deserve all these in the first place? May be or May be not. The total episode should have been avoided had I have taken a) Uber b) shouldn’t have behind that driving wheel c) Call to the cops shouldn’t have been made as the incident happened in the close neighborhood where everyone knows me for years and the total loss would have been settled through auto insurance in an amicable way as I am not running away. We can’t put blame on anyone except on us for taking wrong decisions at the wrong time! Need to live through the consequences.
People! What a strange creatures driven by impulsive moments of glories! It reminds me of a quote from the movie Dark Knight, where Joker says “You know... You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan". But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds! Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair!”
Yes, It’s all fair! That’s how the human psyche is built upon! Can’t blame anyone, even though everyone come and apologize for what happened later. Nothing changes, not even an ounce of it as you have to go through all nine yards by yourself.
This restricted driving license was only given for a) commute to the work b) for attending mandatory classes c) to any religious establishment like temple or church or mosque or what ever once in a week and I cannot drive to any where else other than above mentioned places, not even for groceries!
This ignition interlock device is a smart ass where you can’t even start the car without giving a breathalyzer test and it beeps again and the car stops if you don’t breathe in again after 10 minutes (what is the guarantee that you didn’t consume any alcohol after the first test? lol! smart! Isn’t it) In order to make it work, you need to blow in like a symphonic way, not too slow or not too fast or loud. All in all, to make it work is a big headache. You need to pay for all this setup in the car and have to go to that shop every month so that they take the data where I drove the car the previous month.
To complete all the mandatory trainings, these classes are scheduled on a weekday where I need permission from work except for AA (Alcoholic Anonymous) group classes. Fortunately, my boss given me full freedom and said don’t worry about the work just get over whatever must be done.
Everything comes with a price!
~EkaLustYa
30-May-2024
How come these many people around? Some guy was yelling at top his voice, “Did you know that you did an accident”? ohh! I slept at the wheel for few minutes. I hit the car very bad which was parked on the curbside. Hmm, now I can’t do anything about it I just want to go home and sleep- which is only few blocks away. I am trying to start the car which was not starting at all as the car was totally damaged.
Someone yelled “Hey! You have a flat tire and totaled your car just get out of the car and see it”. “Did anyone call the cops” someone was querying and bang came a response “ oh yeah I already did and cops are on the way” as if he sounded like the greatest thing he ever did on earth. Fuck it. Ohhh guys I badly need a sleep I was thinking in my head and slowly my bladder started filling up. I can’t do anything about it and cant go from here until cops arrive. I sat back in the car and closed the door. Slept for few more minutes until my bladder relentlessly bothering me. Opened my eyes. People are around, all known people for years in the same neighborhood. People are gathering to see the crash area like Apollo 13 just crashed on their rooftops. I can’t hold it anymore and I have to take leak. I got out of the car and walked to the other side of the road opened the zipper and let the snake out hissing. Uff what a relief! Was able to hear background noise and their talk. This guy is so shameless, how can he do that in front of us? I was thinking, you brainless morons, bladder doesn’t know about the shame or manners! Are you willing to take me into your restroom? Any of you going to offer in spite knowing me for all these years where I baby sit your kids when you were out on a movie night? Fuck, how come my Medulla Oblongata still working after all these bottles of alcohol just dumped in for 12 continuous hours? Anyway, let me sleep, I went back to the back seat of my car and slept until the cops knocked on the door.
Hello Sir, would you please show us the vehicle registration and driver’s license! I love these cops for their politeness and dutifulness except the ones who kneel on necks to settle their personal scores!! I handed over them and few more questions followed like – where I was coming from, where am I heading etc., and finally asked me to step out of the car. The whole neighborhood woke up at the middle of the night to witness everything with utmost curiosity and eagerness. The senior cop was encouragingly telling the junior cop, “You got a solid DUI (Driving Under Influence) case”. Sir, how many drinks did you consume? I said, I am not sure – may be a 2 or 3 and the cop said with a laugh “ 2 or 3 of what? Drums? “I liked his sense of humor at that very hour though I am under distress but didn’t like people laughing in the background. Sir, you need to answer few questions and follow our instructions carefully. They started asking me educational background, saying alphabets from H thru R and have to stop right at there and shouldn’t go further, and drew a straight line on the road and asked me to walk 7 steps! Why 7 is this much important a number? 7 steps around marriage pyre, importance of 7 in casino board games, or an extra point to make a touch down 7 in football! Why? Anyway, forget about it, I try to stay straight 1, 2, 3, 4… damn I couldn’t! How come south Indian super star Kamal Hassan was able to dance on parallel beam on the well being drunk where I couldn’t walk 7 steps straight?! (When the bodycam was released few days after the incident, my walk was so hilarious I couldn’t stop laughing at myself). Sir, as you failed the test, are you willing to take breathalyzer test as per the state laws and he read out my rights and also said I can say yes or no for which I said “No”. Sir, youare under arrest for driving under the influence, damaging the personal property and denying to take the breathalyzer test as per the state laws. I said – Had I known that I would be arrested for not taking the test I would have said “yes”. Cop replied back “ you lost your chance sir and you will be administered the test at the station”, held my hands on my back and handcuffed. Fucking, where did I end up? While making me sit in the cop’s car, cop put a hand on my head, not pushing me down but saying “careful sir, you might hit the roof and helping me sit comfortably”! what a kindness!
I slept all the way through to the station, surprisingly not thinking about anything else but just sleeping. Taken to the judge in the station to note few other details and collected all my belongings and determined by my breathalyzer test that I am intoxicated above the permissible level to drive. They locked me in a cell with another guy already was in there. I don’t care anything now; I just need to sleep. Its a room with an attached commode and mattress on the floor. I slept all through the day, breakfast was pushed from under the door just like in movies and the lunch. By the time I woke up, the guy who was in thenight with me was not there, may be he was released. I didn’t know what time of the day it is as it is all still dark, finally it felt like I am sober again and feeling hungry and restless. Had the food and waiting to be released and those were the anxious moments as no one around to ask any questions.
Finally, the door was opened and was told to collect all my belongings. I was released against the personal bail of $4000 and must attend the court hearing a scheduled date. It was 4:30 PM EST May 8, 2019, Wednesday.
What a turn of events from a moment of glory to the moment of agony in 24 hours! Hmmm Life- it is!
First thing I checked as soon as I come out of the Police Station was, my phone. There were 27 missed calls and half of them are from my boss which was obvious as I missed some important meetings! I called him up for a pickup and he was surprised to hear what happened and very apprehensive about the next steps and what is going to happen at the court hearing.
I have few cleanups to do like getting the towed car from the dump yard and getting back to auto insurance people and was angry at myself. My mind was thinking about lot of things andnothing at the same time. What questions would I face in the court? Am I going to be convicted and some more jail term? Do I need to get any alibi for where I was driving from at that night of the hour? Don’t know as the situation is all new to me and no Indian might have faced this kind of situation as they are not morons like me, and they are always careful. No one to ask. Started googling to get few answers and surprised to see that DUI is a criminal offense in the state where I live and not civil one and I might be convicted to 2-4 weeks in jail if found guilty. Fuck!! It is a straightforward case, right? Why wouldn’t I have found guilty? No chance! Should I hire an attorney? Hmm.
As I was thinking about all non-sensical things about alibi and all that stuff, I asked a neighbor friend of mine, is there a possibility of giving me an alibi that I was watching a football game in his house and drove to gas station to grab some smoke for which he said, He will check with his wife and let me know!
When you hear this kind of answer from any married guys who are not very close friends of yours (like friends from college) and so-called friends in the neighborhood, two things are certain- a) it’s a straightforward NO, and b) He is not willing to help you but going put that blame on his wife! LOL. As expected, he came back and said “as their Green Card in process, it is not a good idea to get into this kind of tangle” – yeah great!
Approached couple of attorneys and they sound kind of expensive. Finally, I have decided like, what is there to hide anyway? It’s a straight forward DUI and I hit the car which was in parallel parking on the street and totalled both the cars! Let me face the music on my own and attended the court hearing on the scheduled date nicely dressed up as if dressing up nice would have any influence on the outcome from the judge!
I explained everything and how clean my driving record was and admitted that I shouldn’t have been behind that driving wheel on that fateful night.
Outcome was that I must serve at least –
- 2 days in jail (A little better than 2 weeks!)
- A year of restricted driver’s license out of which 6 months with an ignition lock
- 3 years on probation to keep the good driving record
- 24 addiction treatment classes to be completed in 6 months – seriously?
- 36 classes of Alcoholic Anonymous groups
- 6 classes of Alcoholic Safety Action Programs sponsored by the state. Not to consume alcohol for a year, as they take the breathalyzer samples every week!
[ Calculate the financial consequence of this, as I am not going to write about it ]Had the whole incident happened in India I would have influenced the people to get away from all this nonsense just like the other guys did who drove their SUVs on to the people sleeping on footpath and scot-free! OR if this happened in any other state in here, I would have done a community service in lieu of jail term! Fate! Had it all!!
Do I deserve all these in the first place? May be or May be not. The total episode should have been avoided had I have taken a) Uber b) shouldn’t have behind that driving wheel c) Call to the cops shouldn’t have been made as the incident happened in the close neighborhood where everyone knows me for years and the total loss would have been settled through auto insurance in an amicable way as I am not running away. We can’t put blame on anyone except on us for taking wrong decisions at the wrong time! Need to live through the consequences.
People! What a strange creatures driven by impulsive moments of glories! It reminds me of a quote from the movie Dark Knight, where Joker says “You know... You know what I've noticed? Nobody panics when things go "according to plan." Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it's all "part of the plan". But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds! Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It's fair!”
Yes, It’s all fair! That’s how the human psyche is built upon! Can’t blame anyone, even though everyone come and apologize for what happened later. Nothing changes, not even an ounce of it as you have to go through all nine yards by yourself.
This restricted driving license was only given for a) commute to the work b) for attending mandatory classes c) to any religious establishment like temple or church or mosque or what ever once in a week and I cannot drive to any where else other than above mentioned places, not even for groceries!
This ignition interlock device is a smart ass where you can’t even start the car without giving a breathalyzer test and it beeps again and the car stops if you don’t breathe in again after 10 minutes (what is the guarantee that you didn’t consume any alcohol after the first test? lol! smart! Isn’t it) In order to make it work, you need to blow in like a symphonic way, not too slow or not too fast or loud. All in all, to make it work is a big headache. You need to pay for all this setup in the car and have to go to that shop every month so that they take the data where I drove the car the previous month.
To complete all the mandatory trainings, these classes are scheduled on a weekday where I need permission from work except for AA (Alcoholic Anonymous) group classes. Fortunately, my boss given me full freedom and said don’t worry about the work just get over whatever must be done.
Everything comes with a price!
~EkaLustYa
30-May-2024
