Kaylyn’s motorcycle accident, the fact she was depositing a considerable sum of money in the bank, and other circumstances led the police to believe there was a drug bust to be done. By the time they got it all sorted out, Kaylyn was in tears, and a newspaper reporter was wondering how she could make a story out of a city council member’s wife almost being arrested as part of a mistaken drug bust.
The newspaper reporter called soon after Kaylyn’s husband, Jack, returned from a meeting the city council and mayor had with the governor.
“I’d like to do a story about your near-arrest experience,” she told Kaylyn in a humorous tone.
Kaylyn was so frustrated that she handed the phone to Jack. He talked to the reporter for a while, then hung up and sat down to visit with Kaylyn.
“I don’t want anything to do with talking to the reporter, or the police, or anyone mentioning anything to do with that experience ever again,” Kaylyn said.
“But, Honey,” Jack said, “if there’s one thing I have learned from my small foray into politics, it is that if a story is going to be told, it is better to get your side of it out first. I have no doubt that the reporter will write a story one way or another. It would be better if she heard our side of it. Besides, maybe we can turn it into something humorous and positive.”
Kaylyn reluctantly agreed that Jack was right, so they set a time for the reporter to visit them. When she came, the family was all nicely dressed. The reporter wanted first to take a picture of the whole family. Then, there was a picture of the wrecked motorcycle. Afterward, they sat down to talk.
Kaylyn shared her part of the story, how she was trying to get the money from the school fundraiser to the bank, how she had wrecked on the motorcycle, and then how confused she was when the police were making such a big deal of what she thought was just an abandoned vehicle case.
Jack talked about being in the meeting with the governor when the police called about the wrecked motorcycle. He was concerned about his wife, but then the conversation turned to information they had that Kaylyn had a large sum of money, and they thought it might be a possible drug situation. He told the police his wife was a good wife and mother and would not have anything to do with drugs.
Jack went on to tell how the police called the mayor and how everything was dissolving into chaos in the governor’s office. Then Kaylyn told her about Jack’s call and how, after he informed her what the police were thinking, they were trying to get everything straightened out.
Though the reporter found the story funny, Kaylyn still struggled to see the humor. But when the story appeared in the paper, she did have to admit that if she stepped back from the experience and looked at it, it was funny. She just hoped that would be the end of it.
But it wasn’t. At a big community gathering, the mayor came up to Kaylyn and apologized for the police thinking she was involved in drugs. Before he finished, there was a small crowd gathered around. Then, one day, when she had some important ladies visiting who were part of a committee she wanted to join, the police knocked at her door. The police chief had sent some flowers, and the police officers apologized profusely for the misunderstanding about her being part of a drug deal. After they left, the ladies stared at Kaylyn, and she eventually had to tell the story.
The ladies laughed, and Kaylyn got to be on the committee. Finally, things began to settle down, and the stares went away. Life was back to boring normal, and Kaylyn was glad.
But she decided that her motorcycling days were over.
