At a certain point we realized
what was going on. This cop was
shaking us down for a bribe. “Spot
fine” is the euphemism everyone
uses. You go through this elaborate
dance with the cop where you say
the thing without saying the thing.
“Can’t we do something?” you
ask the officer.
“What do you want me to do?”
“We’re really sorry, Officer.
What can we do?”
“You tell me.”
Then you’re supposed to make
up a story whereby you indicate to
the cop how much money you have
on you. Which we couldn’t do