SPEED TRAP
In the 1950’s, a waggish old woman pulled over for speeding has the last laugh.

We all have fond memories of our grandparents, how times were different then, a seemingly simpler way of life… but some people were just as stupid then as they are today.

Writer John Hunter again delivers a clever and comedic story that shines a revealing light on our cultural biases and ignorance that at times, makes us feel superior.  Even when we think we have the upper hand, another hand is slipping our wallet out our back pocket.

In this thoughtful and narrated plot, Mrs. Irene Noe, a little old lady by anyone’s standard, is on a short jaunt into a small town in rural Georgia.  Our Narrator clues us in on her upbringing, her grit, and even though not well educated, she’s got that depression-era kind of street smarts that catches any con artist off guard.  And that’s exactly what happens to a local police officer who thinks he caught grandma in his fake speed trap.

When officer Billy Bob Benson stops Mrs. Noe for speeding, we immediately know that he’s not the only one trying to spring a trap!

BILLY BOB
Ma’am, I’m truly sorry, but the law is the law. 
You can either pay the fine now or follow me to the jail house
where you’ll be locked up until we can bring you before a judge.

Mrs. Noe throws her hands in the air and wails.

MRS. NOE
Follow you to the station?
I don’t even know if I got gas enough to get home
and I got three head of hungry children to feed!

BILLY BOB
Again, ma’am, I’m truly sorry, but the law is the law.
Pay me now or follow me to the station...

Mrs. Noe looks at Billy Bob and wipes tears from her eyes.

MRS NOE
I’ll follow you to the station,
but you can’t get blood outta no turnip!

We can easily see that her pre-World War 2 sedan with faded black paint and huge fenders was incapable of going faster than any speed limit even if it had it been shot out of a cannon!  But the wiry Mrs. Noe is in complete control and she dutifully follows the Officer to the police station to be locked up.  At the station, the tables are turned and not only does Mrs. Noe avoid jail time, but she walks away with something even more valuable…

“Speed Trap” is a nostalgic look at a time in our history when we were not so embroiled in hate crimes, border crossings, and what the next iPhone upgrade will bring.  However, it does address an issue that remains with us to this day: assumptive bias and a dismissal of those we would consider inferior to ourselves.  With a cast of three, a small town of wide streets and narrow minds, this story will bring a smile to your face and fond memories to your audience.