I’m afraid soon my friends will stop telling me stories (funny and others), because most of those stories make it to my blog before the week is over, with more than a little spice and salt sprinkled on them. Here is one such story. Borrowed without permission, seasoned, garnished and delivered.

The mobile phone rings as the traffic light turns red. As is the practice when driving, Friend accepts the call and switches to speaker-phone mode, and begins to talk, dropping the phone to the lap. The traffic cop on duty narrows his eyes and peers at the driver of the big, black car. From the way the lips move and the face changes, he could make out that there’s foul-play. Phoning while driving! He inches closer and knocks on the window. 

Friend (winding down the window): Yes?
Friend’s Dad’s voice on phone: … and we had to grind all those spices and put them out in the sun to dry for one whole day…
Cop: You’re speaking on the phone.

Friend: So I am. Dad, could you stop for a second?
Friend’s Dad (oblivious): … and yesterday there was no sun, in fact we thought it was going to rain…
Cop: Don’t you know that it’s against the law to talk on phone while driving?

Friend’s Dad: Did you say something?
Friend: Dad, I’ll get back to you. One second. (To the cop:) Sorry, you were saying?
Cop: Do you know that it is punishable by law to use the phone while driving?

Friend: Excuse me? I am not holding the phone to my ear. As you can see, it’s on my lap. So which law did I break?
Cop: The law about talking on phone while driving.

Friend: So you mean, I can listen to songs on my stereo and sing with it while driving, talk to someone in the passenger seat while driving, but if I leave my phone in speaker mode and talk, I’m breaking the law?
Cop: Well…

Friend: Well, officer? See, the lights are turning green, why don’t you take a decision before the vehicles behind start blaring their horns?
Cop (scowling, and at a loss for words): Go ahead.

Friend (Winding up the window): Thank you, Officer. Dad, you were saying?