A Confession Instead of a Trip Down Memory Lane

As our messy minivan whipped around the curvy road along the C&O Canal, I felt my heart fill with sweet nostalgia. Oblivious to the rolled eyes in the backseat, I peppered our journey to my alma matter with historical facts culled from random pockets of my memory.

"This water you see to your left is called a canal. It was built by men before there were cars and trucks to bring in food and other large items into Washington DC. Donkeys and horses used to drag big boats behind them that carried the food and other stuff."

The kids glanced over at the canal and muttered a couple of polite "neat" responses before turning back to their iCarly episode.

I turned to Steve and said, "It's been so long since I've been back to DC! I'm really so excited to be back here."

Steve nodded and added conversationally, "Yeah, it's been a long time. Was the last time you were here really during that reunion when you got arrested?"

I shot him an angry glance and shushed him but the damage was already done. The third row, which had been so quiet during my thrilling lesson on the importance of canals in urban development, was now all ears.
"Arrested? Did Daddy say arrested? Mommy, why were you arrested?"
Steve tried to backtrack with a weak "oh no sweetie, I was just kidding," but Bella was not buying it.

I helped my daughter step out of the minivan onto the worn cobbled streets of Georgetown. She looked up at me with a worried and focused expression and continued her questioning, "Mommy, why did Daddy say you were arrested?"

I took a deep breath and considered briefly whether to lie to my daughter before diving into my confession.

"When I was here for my 5 year reunion, there was a big party on the front lawn of my college. We were all drinking wine and I had a little left in my plastic cup. The party ended and a group of us decided to walk a block from campus to a restaurant to continue hanging out. I was still carrying my cup with an inch of wine in it, and I didn't realize that it was illegal to carry wine in the streets of Washington DC. The police was right outside the gates of my college and they arrested me."

"But didn't you throw it out?"

"I did. But they still arrested me. And a few other people too. They were very strict."

"And then what happened?"

"Well, they put me in their police car and drove me to the police station. Then they took my picture and I paid them $50 and my friends came to pick me up."

"And that was it?"

"Yep. Pretty crazy, huh?"

"Nah. What's the big deal? Now, show me, where did you sleep when you were in college? Was it like a sleepover?"

And just like that my big secret was not so big once it was out in the open.

The Sunday Scribblings prompt tonight is Confession. I hope you enjoyed mine!