Junior Police Officer
Perhaps I wanted to be a part of the system, or maybe the thought of getting out of class a little early appealed to me. Whatever the reason, when the teacher told the fourth grade class that the school was looking for students interested in becoming Junior Police Officers, I decided to volunteer.
Yes, I was aware that JPO’s were often teasingly referred to as Jet-Propellered-Oysters and Japanese-Popcorn-Operators, but I didn’t mind. Those were just silly names used by silly and jealous kids that could never become a JPO.
After school, I met with the teacher in charge of the JPO program. She asked me a few questions about myself, and then inquired about my knowledge of the rules of traffic safety. I don’t mind saying that I think I impressed her. She told me that I could be a JPO, and that I should bring a white shirt to school each day. I thanked her about a million times, and assured her that I would be a good JPO.
I couldn’t wait to get home to share the good news. As I walked home, I decided to take a shortcut. I looked both ways before crossing, then ran across the street without using the crosswalk. Halfway across the street a car approached, and the driver of the car was the JPO instructor. Our eyes locked momentarily, and she gave me an awful stare as she drove on by. I knew from the look on her face that my JPO days were over before they would ever begin. Oh well, I thought, who wants to be a Jet-Propellered-Oyster anyway?