OCT 2024 - Life Savers

I had just come from a contentious meeting. Outraged. Angry. Driving fast. All I wanted was to go home, get into bed, hide under a blanket, and shut out the world.  
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I heard the siren before I saw the flashing lights. In the rearview mirror I saw a police car behind me. Cursing, I motioned to the cop I would turn right into a side street and stop. He nodded, indicating this was acceptable.

When I stopped the car, trembling and feeling cold, I realized these were symptoms of my blood sugar dropping precipitously. I searched the glove compartment for protein bars I usually kept there. Nothing. I couldn’t stop shaking. I was in serious trouble—not because of speeding, although this was a problem—but without food my capacity to think clearly was diminishing. I realized his stopping me had prevented what could have been serious trouble.

When the policeman came over to my car, I handed him my license and registration. “Do you know how fast you were going?” he asked. I shook my head. “47mph in a 20mph zone. That’s more than a ticket. You’ll have to appear in court.” 

“Thank you for stopping me. I had no idea I was going so fast. My blood sugar is falling and I need to eat. I usually have food in the car for when this happens but I forgot to replenish my supply. If you hadn’t stopped me, I hate to think what could have happened.” By now the shaking was visibly worse.

“I have a package of Life Savers in my car. Would it help?” he asked, more than a little incredulous.

“In more ways than one,” I quipped. 

He left and returned with an unopened roll of Life Savers. My hands were trembling so badly I couldn’t open the roll. He noticed and opened it for me. I took one and handed the roll back to him. “Keep it,” he said. “What’s gonna make you safe to drive?”

“I’ll eat a few more and sit here until my blood sugar stabilizes.”

“How will you know?” he asked, sounding like he doubted I was safe to drive.

“I’ll stop shaking. I’ll stop feeling rattled. I promise I’ll stay here until I feel okay to drive.”

“You’ll get a letter in the mail with a court date. Make sure you keep it.”

“I will.” I thanked him again. I had no idea I was so upset. I didn’t realize my blood sugar was plummeting so rapidly. “You might have saved my life,” I told him. “Or someone else’s.” I offered to pay him for the roll.

He shook his head. “You don’t need to pay me but you do need to promise me you will never again drive without food in your car.”

“I promise.”

He drove off. I ate the whole roll of Life Savers. When I felt calm enough to drive, I drove home.

When I appeared before the judge, he looked at the report and shook his head. I wondered if he’d do more than fine me. Suspend my license? Revoke my license permanently? I tried to control my anxiety.

Finally, he looked up and asked, “Is it true you thanked the officer for stopping you?”

“Yes.” I told the judge about my blood sugar dropping and not being aware of how it was affecting me, and how the Life Savers saved me. “I’ve never driven without food in the car since then.”

The judge shook his head. “I’ve been sitting on this bench for more than 25 years. In all that time, not a single driver, not one, has ever thanked an officer for stopping them. Astonishing.”

I waited for him to tell me I could keep my license and how to pay the fine, which I’d been told would be a hundred dollars. “I notice you have had, until this episode, a clean driving record. Given the evidence, your fine is thirty dollars, payable to the clerk.”

Has a bad situation ever turned into a blessing? How?

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OCTOBER 2024 MONTHLY STORIES