Good Cop, Bad Cop

I got my first freeway ticket last night. I'm really not a freeway speeder. It's the 25 MPH signs I have a problem obeying. But last night, while driving between University Parkway in Orem, and Center Street in Provo, apparently I was going 72 MPH in a construction zone (55 MPH).

Now I admit that is a possibility. I did not look at my speedometer until I saw a sign just before Provo Center Street which indicated a sharp curve and that I should slow down to 45 MPH. I then realized I needed to slow down, and I did.

The lady cop came up to the window and I rolled it down and said hello. Now let me just say, I do not disrespect police officers and I had no intention of disrespecting this one. But for some reason, she came at me li

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I was going to cause a problem. The dialogue went like this:

(I'm highlighted in blue, and the cop in red)

"We in a hurry this evening?"

"No."

"Do you have any clue how fast you were going? Before you saw me and slowed down, of course."

"Umm...I didn't see you actually. I slowed down when I saw a sign saying there was a curve sign."

"There was a what now?"

"A sign indicating a curve...it said 45."

"There was not 45 degree curve"

"Not a 45 degree curve. A 45 MPH curve."

"There's nowhere on the freeway with a 45 MPH speed limit."

".....ok." (There most certainly is. I drove past it on my way home.)

"You were going 72."

"Sorry. I didn't notice lots of construction until I saw that sign for--" I stopped, realizing that the sign I was about to mention "didn't exist".

"Are you trying to tell me that there's no construction over there?"

"No, I'm not. I...don't you want my license and stuff?"

She did her thing and went back to her car to write me my ticket and I'm thinking I'm going to get slammed with a double-fine construction zone ticket. On the contrary, she came back with a big smile, said she wasn't going to write it up for a construction zone. She said she was lowering it to 65 MPH and that she just hated making people pay the larger fines. She then told me about her husband and a ticket that he got in a construction zone. All the while I'm staring at her, nodding, trying to determine whether this is the same lady that just antagonized me to no end not two minutes ago. She laughed, made a few police jokes, and said, "You have a good evening, sir."

I stared at my ticket for a moment, so confused by this cop with split personalities. I shrugged it off, and pulled out, making an illegal U-turn. Luckily, she either didn't see it or she just let it slide.