Richard, The Flasher

Once of an evening some years ago I was going to play poker. Since I was short of funds I went to a nearby grocery store to cash a check for playing money. As I was walking out of the store I was stopped by the police who invited me to go with them to the local station. It seems that a young lady had detained by a gentleman who had held a gun on her and had then exposed himself. It also seems that I fit the description of said gentleman. In the cruiser the policeman asked questions like what I did with the gun, et cetera, which I rather calmly answered with the observation that I didn’t know what they were talking about and that they had the wrong chap.

At the police station they left me alone in what must have been an interrogation room. Having nothing better to do I hauled out my clipboard from my book bag and proceeded to work on some math. Eventually the young lady nervously peeked in the door. I reassured her that I was sorry that she had been troubled but that I wasn’t the gentleman in question. Evidently she came to the same conclusion because shortly afterwards I was told that I was free to go.

The whole thing took less than an hour. I was razzed unmercifully at the poker game when I explained why I was later.