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A high price, but worth it
By Patti Pfeiffer, Life's A Trip:
It began as a routine lunch with a dear friend, a time to catch up. During our conversation, "Jackie" casually mentioned an upcoming court date. Knowing her as I do, I figured it was something insignificant. So I inquired.
Two words, "What for?" brought swift action. Immediately her head dropped, her eyes quickly shifted from my eyes downward. And Jackie's story began...
"I told everyone else but didn't want to have to tell you," she admitted.
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| Patti Pfeiffer / Photo by Terri Pearce |
I sat in silence as foreign-sounded words poured forth from her mouth: Handcuffed ... Arrested ... Mug shot ... Jail ... Bail ... Probation Officer ... Sentencing - terms reserved for hardened criminals, not my friend, a hard-working professional woman, an upstanding citizen, community involved, service-orientated, member of several civic organizations, dedicated to charitable causes.
If it could happen to Jackie, it could happen to anyone. And it began with fun and games. Friday night ushered in the weekly after-hour office poker game. Hours later the card shuffling ceased. Walking out the door, a co-worker asked Jackie if she was OK to drive home. Unfortunately, they both dismissed the obvious. She was drunk and being behind the wheel, in control of a car, a possible murder weapon, was the last place she should be.
The next 45 minutes Jackie struggled to drive home, weaving 30 miles across Denton County. "The only thing I remember was covering one eye trying to focus and to see," she confessed.
A few miles from home, lights flashed and the siren sounded. Jackie failed the field sobriety test and the breathalyzer registered .13, significantly higher than the legal limit. At 7 p.m. that night she was booked into the Denton County jail for driving under the influence of alcohol. She spent the next 22 hours in a cell waiting for a judge to set bail while her husband frantically drove the roads and called hospitals searching for his missing wife.
She detailed her ordeal. "There's nothing nice about a jail cell, or private. There was one toilet shared by all. It was freezing cold. I froze my fanny off to the point it hurt. One woman was sitting on the side of the sink soaking her feet in hot water trying to get warm. You can't make a collect call to a cellphone, only landlines. So I had a difficult time calling my husband because we only have cell phones."
I tried to appear emotionless as she continued. "It was late evening on Saturday before I got out. I was sentenced to 15 months probation. I have to check in with my probation officer once a month, can't leave the state without permission, my driver's license was confiscated. I was issued an occupational license, which allows me to go to and from work only and I must log in every mile driven. Plus, I have to attend a victim impact panel, take a driving safety course, serve 40 hours of community service, and pay a $1,000 fine every year for three years. And I got off cheap too. It cost me a little over $11,000 and that's less than most, because I got a 'good' deal. My attorney only charged me $2,500."
All this for a first offense? No way. Wow. I was shocked. And unable to hide my emotions. My jaw dropped, mouth popped open.
All these years seeing it and I had no idea. I thought it was merely a scare-tactic sign. Now I know it to be true. DUI: You can't afford it.
Yet my friend used the ugly experience for positive. Upon her release from jail Jackie visited her teenage niece and nephew -- who she mentors to and who view her as a role model -- taking her mug shot for a show and tell of a dramatic kind.
"I wanted to share what happened while it was still fresh on my mind and wanted them to know it only takes one time." And she took a neighbor kid and her nephew to sit through the victim impact panel.
Jackie has learned valuable lessons from her "one mistake." Lessons she eagerly shares with others, especially those in the professional world. "We teach young adults to have a designated driver, but we need to also teach to those in the business community. People think two glasses of wine won't affect them, but they need to think again. It only takes one mistake to change a person's life."
--Or take a life.
The first one on the scene, Dr. Lisa Lang of Flower Mound, clearly remembers that Sunday morning so long ago when her 11-year-old brother was "murdered" by a drunk driver.
Some images do not fade with time. Some lessons are worth the price.
Patti Pfeiffer is a columnist for Star Local News, freelance writer and author. She can be reached at pattip913@msn.com
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