The police chief was shocked when his son was brought to the police station in handcuffs. However, he kept his fatherly sentiments aside and decided to pursue the case on his own to teach his son a valuable lesson.
Police chief Matthew Bruce and his wife Caroline’s son, Adam, came late into their lives, so they were always very lenient with him and never said no to him for anything.
As Adam grew older, he began to take his parents’ love and concern for granted, as if it were permission for him to do whatever he pleased. There were certainly times when he was criticized for bad grades or sneaking out of the house, but that was limited to only minor scoldings.
Adam thought that if he pretended to be an “ideal” son, he would have to face absolutely no issues, not even scolding, from his parents. So he began to act like a good son in front of them while engaging in all sorts of wrongdoing behind their backs, such as breaking the law.
There were several instances when the 17-year-old lad violated traffic rules since getting his own car for his 17th birthday. However, Adam always got away with it. His father was the town’s police chief. In the worst-case scenario, he’d get a fix-it ticket for which he asked his parents for money and got the cheapest repairs, keeping the rest for himself.
One day, Adam was driving back from a party with his friend Freddie when he began overspeeding. Freddie warned him to slow down, but Adam didn’t listen.
“Stop being a bore, Fred!” he screamed. “Look at the road! It’s ours tonight!”
Adam’s erratic driving worried Freddie, who clutched his seat tightly as Adam zigzagged between lanes. He asked Adam to slow down again, and when Adam didn’t, he grabbed the steering wheel himself, causing the car to slide off the road and collide with a tree on the side.
“Darn it!” Adam grumbled as he lifted his head from the steering wheel. “To hell with you, Fred! Get the hell out of my car! I’m driving alone!”
“Man, are you insane? You were driving like a maniac! We might have ended up in a much worse situation if I hadn’t intervened!”
“But we did not! If you’re afraid, you can just take a cab back home. There isn’t any need—” Before Adam could finish his sentence, they heard the siren of a police car behind them.
Before they could flee, the car came to a halt in front of them, and a police officer approached them.
“I feel like killing you, Fred! I swear!” Adam grumbled as he lowered his window.
“Looks like we have a little problem here, guys,” the cop said. “I’ve been following your car for a while now, and I’m afraid I’ll have to take you to the station for speeding… not to mention the stench of booze attacking my senses. May I have your driver’s license first?”
Adam’s car crashed into a tree. | Source: Pexels
Freddie was scared. “Police station? What…but I didn’t do anything!”
“Woah, Woah, Fred, calm down, man,” Adam said calmly before facing the officer. “He means to say that WE didn’t do anything, sir. My friend’s just a little nervous. But don’t worry, there’s no problem. We’re fine, and I don’t think coming to the station will be necessary since I’m the police chief Matthew Bruce’s son…you see, there’s no problem now.”
“Nice trick, kid. Not gonna fall for that! If you don’t have your license, your problem will only get bigger.”
Adam smirked. “Here’s my driver’s license, sir,” he said, offering it to the officer. “As for proof that I am the police chief’s son, here it is.” Adam showed his picture with his father. “I have many such pictures in my gallery since he’s my dad. I hope you don’t want to see any more of them. So shall I go, sir?”
The officer’s expression sank, and he let Adam leave with only a fix-it ticket.
“Good night, sir,” Adam chirped as he drove away.
However, that night, when he went home and Caroline noticed the car’s condition, which bore a dent right in the front, she just lost it. “How do you explain it, Adam?” she demanded.
“Uh, mom, Fred and I just got into a little accident. It’s not that big of a deal. There was an officer too, and he let us off with a fix-it ticket!”
“And does money grow on trees? You see my phone?” she screamed, pointing at her old phone. “I need a new phone, Adam, but I’ve been trying to save for months for it. And this is the third time you have come home with those tickets! Giving you that car was the worst decision!”
“But mom—”
“No, Adam!” his father cut him off. “Your mother is right. We let you slide the first two times, but we can’t do it again. Go to your room right now! You will not be allowed to drive that car again without our approval!”
Adam went to his room, but he was clearly not going to listen to his parents. Three nights later, while Caroline and Bruce were sleeping, Adam grabbed the car keys and secretly drove himself to a friend’s birthday party.
Adam stole the car keys and snuck out of the house. | Source: Pexels
He was speeding since he was late, and as he arrived at an intersection, he didn’t notice the red light or the elderly woman approaching from the side. He slammed on the brakes as soon as he saw her, but the car still hit her, and she tumbled onto the road.
“Damn!” Adam got out of his car and dashed to the woman. She didn’t appear to be seriously injured, and Adam was on his way to call an ambulance when a police car patrolling the neighborhood pulled over. Adam was arrested after the old lady informed them of what had occurred.
Adam tried to explain that he was the police chief’s son, but the cops turned a deaf ear to him. They drove him to the station, and when Adam stepped inside, he was surprised to see his father there. He had been called to the station for an urgent case.
“Adam?” his father stared at him, stunned. “What are you doing with your hands cuffed?”
“Dad, I – I was just….” Adam was scared that if he told his father that he’d sneaked out with the car and crashed it, he’ll be damn pissed. He stood there speechless, and a cop who had brought him there briefed the police chief after noticing the tension between the father and son.
Adam was arrested and brought to the station. | Source: Pexels
Bruce couldn’t believe Adam was involved in an accident where he’d hit someone. He glared at Adam, then ordered the cops in a stiff voice. “Bring him to my office. I will handle the case on my own!”
Adam knew he was in trouble. He began pleading with his dad that he wasn’t guilty. “It wasn’t my fault, dad! That woman….she didn’t notice the signal. I was helping her. I didn’t hit her! She’s framing me for no reason!”
“I know what is right, son,” Bruce said, turning around. “Let’s discuss it in detail in my office.”
At this point, Adam thought his father would talk about his case privately to him, and he’d get away with it as he always did, but as he stepped inside his father’s office, the police chief summoned two more officers inside.
“Well, Adam,” Bruce said as he entered the office. “If you think you’re getting away with this, you’re wrong. You’re spending the night here in a cell, so hand over your phone and the car keys, and yes,” he said, preparing to leave. “be ready for court. These officers will take care of you until then!”
Adam finally told the truth, begging his father to let him go and promised not to repeat the same mistake, but Bruce wouldn’t let him off the hook this time. He wanted his son to go to trial and be issued a hefty fine. They told Adam he would need to earn money himself to pay for the fine and that he’d have to apologize to the older woman too.
In the end, Adam had to work a part-time job to pay off the fine, and he also volunteered to take care of the old woman on weekends. It turned out she had suffered a fracture in her leg because of the accident.
When Adam was finally freed from the fine, he didn’t stop working. After working hard for the money, he realized how hard it was to earn and do something independently.
With his subsequent salaries, he bought a new phone for his mother. He also paid back the money he’d taken for car repairs in the past and promised his parents that he would always obey them.
What can we learn from this story?
- Sometimes you need to be strict with your children to teach them a lesson. Bruce didn’t let Adam off the hook when he was involved in an accident with the old lady. That experience changed Adam for the better.
- Karma doesn’t let you off so quickly. Adam had to pay for his mistakes, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it.
This piece is inspired by our reader’s story and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only.
