THE ARREST

I was in a Ferrari Modena 360 with Linda that was going furiously through downtown Washington D.C., while being chased by two police cars. I was like some kind of James Bond or that Mission Impossible guy, except that Linda was driving. I remember my adrenaline rising as the chase got longer.

***

"Hey, Zoran, are you all right?" Daniel's nervous voice interrupted my thoughts.

Although Daniel's presence helped me realize it was different now. This time I was driving. Although I wasn't running away from cops I instinctively stepped on the gas until I saw police lights and heard the siren. Then I stopped, but it looked like they were chasing me for a while as the cop kept signaling me to pull over for some ten seconds after I stopped. The policeman obviously thought that my behavior was suspicious. So, he didn't get out of the police car. He used the speaker instead.

"Please step out of the vehicle."

I was swearing, while Daniel was rolling his eyes.

"Bloody hell. I don't need this." I was cursing and when I realized that I lack strong enough words in English, I continued in Bosnian. "Picka vam materina, pederi pandurski! "

"STEP OUT OF THE VEHICLE! BOTH THE DRIVER AND ALL THE PASSENGERS!" The cop was persistent, still not stepping out from the police car.

I lazily stepped out of the car. Daniel still couldn't believe the stupidity of the situation we were in now and I was sure he was blaming me. Still, it looked like he decided to finish this quickly. He opened the door, got out and started walking towards the cop, nervously, but decisively.

"STAY AT YOUR VEHICLE. DON'T MOVE!" the cop yelled into the microphone.

"Listen, sir, this is really important!"

"SIR, I SAID DON'T MOVE! STOP THERE NOW!" The policeman was shouting at Daniel now. But Daniel wasn't discouraged.

"Sir, this is a matter of national security!" Daniel yelled back to the policeman.

"DON'T MOVE, OR I WILL SHOOT!" said the policeman while protruding the gun through the window towards Daniel. "PUT YOUR HANDS ON THE ROOF!"

"Oh my God, I can't believe this," Daniel grumbled under his breath. He went back and put his hand on the roof. I did the same.

The policeman stepped out of the car, while another silhouette was still in the car.

"National security matter, you say?" A slim policeman said while he was approaching us. A blue stripe on the side of his pants made him even slimmer "Whose national security? German maybe?" the white cop said ironically.

"Try French," Daniel said bitterly.

The cop just looked at him and cut him with his dark eyes. Then he turned his head to me and said, "Your driver's license, sir."

I was getting my wallet, while the policeman was looking at Daniel suspiciously.

"What's a Washington D.C. cab doing in Philadelphia?"

"The gentleman asked me for a ride to New York City."

"New York City, from Washington D.C.?"

"It's nothing illegal. I am taxi driver."

"Did he make you run from us?" The policeman really didn't like Daniel.

I just looked briefly at Daniel. "Running? What are you talking about?"

"Come on, pal, I'm not stupid. I saw you step on the gas so fast the kick-down kicked in. As soon as you heard the siren you tried to run." The policeman was persistent.

"No, sir." I tried to be respectful, but the cop interrupted me.

"And what kind of national security emergency is this?"

Daniel took his hand off the cab roof, trying to reach his pocket for a cell phone.

"Put your hands on the roof if you don't want a bullet in your French ass!" The cop was becoming impatient.

Daniel put his hand back on the roof and then tried to soften the crazy policeman. "Just trying to make a phone call that would explain everything."

"If you continue like this, you will have a chance for a free phone call. Who would you call, The President?" The cop started laughing. "If you had sunglasses and if you said that you are on a mission from God, you would have a better chance with me. Stay where you are while I check this gentleman's license." He pointed to me with his head.

While he was going back to the police car, Daniel couldn't help himself and began nagging me. "What kind of idiot are you? Trying to run away from a routine highway patrol!"

"Me?" I was now really pissed off. I started raising my voice at Daniel. "I am an idiot! I? National security emergency? What kind of idiotic excuse was that? What do we do now?"

"Oh, just shut up! I'll sort this out. I just need to make one phone call and it will be all right." Daniel reached for his cell phone, when the sound of shut car doors got his attention.

"Don't even think about it." The policeman wasn't happy. "What did I tell you? Don't do anything I didn't tell you to do. You are two real nutcases that found each other. What is it now? Condoleezza Rice ran out of batteries for her vibrator?"

"What?" Daniel couldn't believe what he had just heard.

"I mean, you guys obviously have some kind of sexual fixation for politicians, but I don't see how that could be a matter of national security. We survived Clinton and Monica. Obviously we survived Bush's alleged indiscretion thanks to Mister Bobick." The cop pronounced my surname incorrectly, as usual. "So, I'm simply asking you: what is on your program tonight?"

"Are you insane?" Daniel was confused. "I've had enough of this! I'm calling somebody that will make you patrol the shit-yard!"

"Don't listen to him, he is drunk." I tried to cool the situation down, but Daniel tried to pull his cell phone out again. The cop got his hand and Daniel started wrestling without any chance against much younger and stronger policeman.

I tried to sound calm. "Take it easy, man. Hey, he cannot kill you with his phone. Let him make phone call."

The cop obviously ignored me, which made me snap and pull the policeman's hand. In that same moment, the phone slipped hitting the ground hard with a cracking sound. The impact with the tarmac was strong, the battery flew out, and the display cracked. For a moment we all stopped, just to hear footsteps behind.

"Hey! Stop it! That's enough. You are under arrest for assault..." A deep female voice shouted at us.

"What?" I turned around and I couldn't believe what I saw.

A big black policewoman was pointing her gun at Daniel.

Daniel just looked at her, then to the cop beside him. He dropped the policeman's hand and said to me. "I have no idea what is going on here, but somebody will pay for this. In the meantime, I really think you shouldn't say a thing. Better stay quiet."

"I would give the same piece of advice to you," the policewoman said and continued, "You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer any questions…"

"I know how it goes. Spare your voice," Daniel said nervously. "I just need to make a phone call," Daniel then said desperately.

"There will be time and a place for that," the woman said crudely.