Lay Me Down- at Vroman's Bookstore

If you didn't make it to the book signing/reading/Q&A, here is what you missed.

How 'bout that lady with all the hot-button questions!?!

To a mixed bag of about 50 people, I read an edited version of a passage from Ch. 3, "Pajama Party". 

It was edited for the audience only because the presentation area is dangerously close to the "Children's section"! Yikes! Below is the FULL Unedited version.

We walked down by the dunes and laid out a blanket. I got on top of him and we started to make out. I started to get into it grinding him in my thin cotton knickers. Just as I was about to take off my top Dan stopped and looked up. He said he thought he saw someone. 

“But who would be walking on the beach at midnight?” I asked him. 

“Well, we’re here,” he shrugged. 

“Well what should we do? Should we keep going? ‘Cause I don’t really care as long as he doesn’t get any closer.” Dan shrugged again so we continued to make out and dry hump.

Just as I took my shirt off, a flashlight popped on and was pointed directly at us. I quickly put my shirt back on and got off of him. I was freaked out. Why was this person shining his invasive light on my little boobies when I was trying to get my freak on? I wasn’t hurting anybody and if he wanted to watch this was not the way to go about it. As the light got closer it became clear what our situation was with the voyer.

 “I think that’s a cop,” Dan said in annoyance. 

But what I didn’t understand, why then did he watch us make out for so long? Why did he wait for my shirt to go off?

As the cop got closer he asked us, “Can you tell me what you’re doing on the beach so late at night folks?” 

Cops are such assholes. What the hell was he trying to prove with his whole “folks” business? If he respected us as “folks” he would have left us the fuck alone.

“Uhh? We were just enjoying the night officer!” Dan told him as politely as possible.

 “Well is that your car parked up there on the street?” the cop asked. He knew it was our car but he asked anyway.

“Yes sir it is.” Dan’s voice had a little tremble in it now. Hearing him hesitate made me nervous.

The man in blue directed us to go back to his squad car that was running up at the road with all of it’s lights conveniently Off. 

“I’m gonna need to see some ID from the both of you.” 

Dan told him it was in his car and ran over to get it,  leaving me all alone with the object of my biggest fears. 

“And what about you? Do you have ID?” 

Since I was only thirteen, I  sadly did not have ID.

 I was and still am very intimidated by a man, or woman for that matter, in a police uniform. It’s probably the bullet proof vest underneath that makes them look like they have big rooster chests. Also being a child addicted to television I had seen my fair share of COPS and knew it was never smart to lie to a man of the law. Once you lied it was all over and they were more likely to not be so hard on you if you told the truth. I told him I didn’t have a Driver’s License. So he asked for my social security number instead.  I gave it to him through gritted teeth. I should have lied and told him I didn’t know it. That would’ve actually been a believable lie, a lot more believable then the hooker on TV saying, “No, officer that’s not my crack that you found in my purse! I have no IDEA where that came from! I just give blow jobs for money I would nevah do drugs officer nevah!” That scenario usually ended in tears and hand cuffs.

The officer went inside his car and punched in my social security number. A few minutes went by and Dan came back with his proof of Identity. The cop was in his car for a while and I was beginning to wonder what the fuck was taking so long, I was starting to get cold damn it! The officer looked up at me from his police car mini-computer

 “Are you sure you gave me the right number?” 

Now I was frustrated, was he calling me a liar after I just used my better judgment Not to lie?

 “Yes I did give you the right number!” and gave it to him again. 

“Yeah I’m not getting anything. What’s your full name and address?” he asked and that’s when I was in trouble.

My social was not in the system because I didn’t have a driver’s license but my name and address was in the system from when the detectives and paramedics came for me back in January. The cop took a deep sigh then pulled Dan to the side. But not far enough because I could hear everything they were saying.

“Were you aware this young lady over here is thirteen?” Copper asked with sympathy. 

Dan squinted and then put on quite the little act

“Are you serious! She told me she was sixteen, sir, I swear! I can’t believe this!” he turned to me “I can’t believe this, you said you were sixteen!” 

He looked really mad, I would have bought it too if I hadn’t known better.  Then to my utter disbelief, the cop told him to go home, feeling bad for him that he had just almost been seduced by a thirteen-year-old. Dan shook his head at me in disappointment. And I felt the water works coming to the front of my sinuses. I did what I could to hold them back and luckily they stayed put. Dan’s car pulled away and I did not yet comprehend what had just happened. Dan ditched me with the cop and somehow I was the one in trouble?

 When I was left alone with the law, the officer looked at me irritated, “Looks like you’re no stranger to statutory rape laws.” 

He must have seen the report when he pulled up my address. 

“Now I’m sorry I have to do this but its procedure and for your own good.” 

And that’s when he put me in handcuffs.

As he placed the cuffs around my now shivering wrists he informed me that I was technically breaking a few laws this time; trespassing, breaking state curfew for minors, not to mention public indecency, and coercing someone into statutory rape. I knew at this point that the officer thought he was teaching me a lesson. It took everything in me not to burst into tears. He walked me to the side of the car and put me in the back seat, (which is still the one and only time I have been in a cop car).