Boy I love how connected we are in the gospel. Its very rare that I can do something or go some place where I'm not recognized or known to some degree.
My daughter's 21st bday was on the 27Th of January. A few of us decided to take her to Vegas. Don't panic, we're doing this Vacation MORMON STYLE. Showing her how to have a good time w/o getting plastered or in trouble.
She and her roommate came down about 5:30 last night because we're leaving this morning. Last night about 8:30 we decided to head over to Wal-mart to get some last minute provisions. Everyone was out in the car waiting when I came out. Or so I thought. I walked down the stairs and headed toward the parking lot only to hear my daughters voice..
"Mom, Come here!" In the parking lot was my daughter and her roommate standing in front of red SUV talking to another young lady their age. I hear my daughter's voice say..
"again I apologize if I did it..."
I walk up to them and and ask
..."What's going on?"
This little imp of a girl and a soft snotty voice said...
"Your daughter dinged my car..."
And I said... " OK where is it.."
She points to 3 dark spots on the door of the SUV. Since it was dark out I couldn't see anything. And I said...
"point again to where she dinged it because I don't see anything..."
she retorted
"well obviously its dark so you're not going to see it...but this is my parents car."
"OK fine, get me an estimate and send me the bill." I tell her.
I told her my apartment number and my name.
" You have to understand it's my parents car and I need this taken care of."
..."again.. get me an estimate, you know my name, have my phone number and now you know where I live..."
Wait.... Let me show you what she was talking about....
Now if any of you out there see any freshly new Dings from a Blue car please email me cuz I can't find anything....
This Chicky is going on and on about how her car is dinged and so I told her...
"Well let's take pictures of it for MY insurance company." I said.
I go inside and get my digital and click the pictures I have posted. I STILL can't see anything.
I took pictures in the areas she pointed. Still not seeing anything fresh.
Again I asked her to get an estimate from her insurance company and give me a copy.
I also asked her how in the world can a car door make 3 different marks in the shape of a triangle more than 3 inches apart from each other.
Her Response?
"obviously I don't know how the car door hit but it must have been the front and back door."
I said... "so you believe both her car doors are long enough to reach the same spots where those marks are on your car?"
She said "Obviously in the dark you cant see well."
"OK. then drive over there by the light post where I CAN see."
She drove over to the light I followed her with my camera and when we got into the light, I still wasn't buying her story. But she wanted to play the game, So I decided to play the game. Because I'm a better player.
She asked me for my insurance information. I laughed and said... "Nooo, but get me that estimate." She asked if I had Insurance. I laughed again. Oh I have insurance I told her.
She pressed again for my insurance information.
I told her
"not happening girl. You have all the info you need from me including my ph#, name and where I live. Get yourself the estimate for those smudges so I can turn them into my insurance company and they can compare with with their estimates."
THEN SHE WENT TO FAR!
She had the audacity to say:
"How do I know you will keep your word?"
In my mind I said..
"DOUBLE-YEW-TEE-AYCH! WTH! WHAT THE HELL!" (This was a hell moment not a heck moment)
What actually came out of my mouth was...
" YOU CALL THE POLICE! Call the police. Let's make a Police report. MAKE ME keep my word. I'll wait while you call them."
She pissed me off.
Then I walked back over to my daughter's car and let them know what's going on. And told them I'm making her call the police and make a police report. After abt 15 minutes "Lili" walked over to where I was with my daughter, her best friend and my nephew.
"Are the police on the way?"
I asked?
She hadn't called them yet. The police station is 1/2 a mile down the street. we could have all walked or driven in the time it's taking her to call them.
After another 15 minutes we saw a police truck pull up to "lili" and get out.
The officer walked around the car, made some notes jumped in his truck and then came over to where we were parked.
He got out of his car and asked what happened. My daughter told her part of the story:
3 hours ago she came home from college from the weekend saw the girl in her SUV next to where she parked, got in the trunk got her stuff out of the car and went in the house. 3 hours later this girl comes up to her as we're going to the store and says she dinged her SUV.
"Lili" told the police she was in her vehicle on the phone, felt the car door hit her car. She stayed on the phone, went to the work out room to work out and before she left decided to see if there were some damages. That's when she saw the 3 marks on her car doors.
So the police officer checked my daughter's car and saw no paint marks on the door or the car. His exact words as he was looking were..
"No... No... Nope... and NO"
He took my name and my daughters name. Explained this was not a criminal matter but a civil matter (like Judge Judy)and she would need to take us to civil court And if she wanted to spend the time and money to go that direction let her go for it.
I explained my daughter goes to school in Logan and asked if she would have to come down from school for it. He said if it went that far, yes, but he really didn't think she was going to go that far.
Then he looked at my daughter and said... "USU??" My daughter said... "Yes!" and he responded...
"me too." Cool. They are both USU Alumni.
He then mentioned that even if it did go as far as civil court she wouldn't win, those scratches have been on her car for a while and those black marks can be rubbed off with her fingernail. We kind of laughed.
The officer then asked me if I was from Kalamazoo. I had on a Kalamazoo Hoodie.
I told him I grew up about 20 minutes from Kalamazoo in Battle Creek. He said he grew up behind the Lakeview Hills Mall. I asked him if he was a Lakeview Spartan.. Cuz
"If you're a Lakeview Spartan we're not supposed to be friends..."
We laughed and he said he grew up in Hastings.
I asked him how he ended up in Utah and he said his job. He asked me how I got here I mentioned going to Ricks College/BYU-Idaho and then just staying.
He asked if I was LDS, I said I was. He said his family went to the Battle Creek Ward, And that his brothers best friend's in laws live out here and they come out here alot.
I asked him who his brother's best friends were. He told me. I knew them. He also also said his Mother used to speak alot about a Brother Dudley in the ward. That would be my father.
I asked him what his names was. The name was Hauntingly familiar. I asked his Parents name. He told me.
"OH MY GOSH!! ARE YOU THE BABY?" He was the baby. They moved from our ward when he was about 5 years old. He had 2 older brother. BOTH were amazing baseball players. I remember going to their house with my mom and spending hours visiting teaching, folding laundry and just chatting away the afternoon.
This officer was born when his next oldest brother was 16 or 17. He was such a surprise to everyone when he showed up. I told him he'll have to let him mom know he ran into one of the Dudley Kids. He said he was going back home next month and would let everyone know.
He also said not to worry about the car situation, just let her do what she's gonna do and get the police documentation if needed and things will be fine. Sounds like he really encouraged Lili to save her time and money. On 'ding' look like a scratch that had been painted over. Any insurance company would look at it and laugh.
I felt pretty good about the whole thing. I felt sort of bad for Lili who sort of was in the back ground watching the reunion feeling a bit stupid I'm sure. But seriously if you're going to play a game, make sure you know who the players are and how well they play. I think she was some kid who for some reason needed some money and created what she felt was an opportunity. I was willing to take the estimate and my photos to my insurance company and have them deal with it. But she pushed me. Questioned my integrity. She went too far. So I gave her what she wanted...she can take me to court and MAKE ME keep my word. Go for it Lili.
I actually want to thank Miss Lili for being such a desperate little thing. Were it not for her, I may not have had this reunion with the friend from back home. I'll be contacting my parents and letting them know and seeing if they can get in touch with some family friends from the Home ward back in Battle Creek.
We really are all connected to each other, where the gospel is concerned. ONE more reason I LOVE being A Member of the Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter Day Saints!
*PS.. get a Kalamazoo, MI hoodie, It's brought me great luck and I've met lots of cool people who have actually been there*
