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Ralph and Ilene hadn’t been to a baseball game in about five years. They
were only 15 miles from the stadium, but the heavy traffic on game day made
those 15 miles seem more like 60 miles. It took about an hour to get to the
stadium. Then, when the game was over, it took half an hour just to get out of
the parking lot. Then the drive home was another hour. In other words, the
traveling took longer than the game itself.
“Honey, the Giants are in town,” Ilene said. “I want to see Barry Bonds hit
a home run. Can we go to the game? We haven’t gone in such a long time.”
“You’re right. It has been a while. OK, I’ll go if you don’t mind driving,”
said Ralph.
“Great! Let’s get ready. If we get there early enough, I might get his
autograph. Maybe he’ll hit a foul ball we can catch.” Ilene was excited. “We!?”
Ralph thought.
An hour later they were in their car. They lived in Pasadena near an old
church. They went south on Orange Grove and then south on the 110 freeway. The
110 is California’s original freeway, full of twists and turns. Accidents occur
daily; California drivers think yellow lights and sharp curves mean the same
thing—speed up!
The traffic was lighter than they expected. They arrived at the stadium 40
minutes before game time. They paid the $8 parking fee, parked and locked the
car, and walked to the main entrance.
Several individuals were standing around outside the stadium, looking
casual but actually selling tickets on the sly. “Are you going to buy from a
scalper?” asked Ilene.
“Yes. Just like last time. That one looks honest,” Ralph replied.
They walked over to a man in a red cap. Ralph’s instincts were correct. The
man had tickets for good seats at a fair price. Ralph gave the man $45 and
thanked him.
“Don’t thank me, my friend. Thank your local police department. Put your
hands behind your back, please. You’re under arrest.”
“What?” Ralph was astonished. “What’s going on?”
“Buying scalped tickets is illegal in Los Angeles,” said the undercover
police officer. “It’s been illegal for 25 years. Don’t worry. The police station
is right outside the park. We’ll have you back here right after we book you. You
can pay the $150 fine with your credit card.” The officer handcuffed Ralph.
“This has got to be a joke. You people have never enforced this law
before,” said Ralph.
“Well, we’ve got a new mayor and he wants us to enforce all the laws that
bring in money. Come with me, please. I’ll have you back here in 20 minutes.
Ma’am, you can wait here for him. You might want to buy some legitimate tickets
while you're waiting. Have a nice day. Oh, and enjoy the game!” |
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发表于 2016-7-10 09:21:15