You Don’t Remember Me, Do You…
Tim Lindsey, Lamar County Sheriff’s Dept.

You don’t remember me, do you…

            I was the one who unlocked your car
after you accidentally locked the keys and your baby up at the mall.
            I was the one who gave you a ride to the gas station
when you ran out of gas on that backroad.
            I was the one who changed your tire
because you couldn’t figure out how to work the stupid scissor jack.
            I was the one who directed you safely through that busy intersection
when the traffic signals weren’t working.
            I was the one who gave you a jump-start
after you left your lights on.

You don’t remember me, do you…

            I was the one who found the item
that identified the guy who raped your daughter.
            I was the one who spent my days off in court
to testify and help convict the man who beat your son so badly.
            I was the one who located your grandmother in the woods
that night when it was 22 degrees
and she had wandered away from the nursing home.
            I was the one who loaned you the raincoat
the night we stood and watched your house burn.
            I was the one who talked with you for two hours
about your son running away from home.

You don’t remember me, do you…

            I was the one who held your hand,
wiped the blood out of you eyes, and calmed you down
while the Fire Department cut you out of what was left of your car.
            I was the one who called you at 2 a.m.
to come pick up your 16 year old daughter
because she had been drinking too much.
            I was the one who knocked on your door at 4 a.m.
to let you know your 16 year old daughter
would never be coming home again.
            I was the one who did CPR on your 3 year old
after you found him in the pool.
            I was the one who helped deliver your new baby
when you didn’t quite make it to the ER.

You don’t remember me, do you…

            I was the one who got that snake out of your bathroom
around midnight.
            I was the one who got my knees and elbows scraped up
fighting with the shoplifter with your carton of cigarettes.
            I was the one who took your son for a “ride-along”
so he could see what it was really like.
            I was the one who gave you the right directions
so you wouldn’t miss that business meeting.
            I was the one who stopped you
to let you know your right rear tire was going flat.

You don’t remember me, do you…

            I was the one who escorted your son’s funeral procession
from the church to the cemetery
and cried behind my sunglasses because he was my friend, too.
            I was the one watched over your place
while you were on vacation.
            I was the one who worked for you on Christmas Day
so you could be off with your family.
            I was the one who joked around with you
after your truck got hit by a train
and you walked away without a scratch.
            I was the one was able to talk your husband
into going into counseling with you.

You don’t remember me, do you…

I was the one who got shot when I pulled over a car
for a traffic violation and the driver turned out to be an escaped convict
who had sworn he would never go back to prison.
Oh, by the way, my memorial service is at 2 p.m.

Will you remember me now?