BRATTLEBORO — On May 20, I pulled off Exit 2 in Brattleboro, proceeded briefly down Route 9, and then pulled into a church parking lot to make a phone call. As I was entering the parking lot, I noticed a naked man exiting his vehicle.
While I could have done without seeing a dude in his birthday suit on one of my infrequent trips into public during this pandemic, I still decided to make my call there. With that said, I made sure to park well over 6 feet away from this individual before he proceeded into the woods. (Maybe for a swim?)
As I pulled out of the parking lot to head west on Route 9, I noticed an eastbound police car turn into the lot I had just exited.
I continued down Route 9 for a short while before noticing a police car in my rear-view mirror. Moments later, he had erased the 100-or-so-yard gap between us in impressive time. After following me for a few seconds, he turned on his blue lights, so I immediately pulled over. Instead of parking behind me, he stopped directly next to me.
Initially unsure of why he decided to use this tactic, I was relieved when it became clear he did not think I was the naked man and that he was merely looking for any information I could provide.
After providing my explanation of what I had just witnessed, the officer quickly returned to the church parking lot. I continued on to complete my errands and then happily went home.
This was a lot of activity for someone whose trips the past couple of months have mostly been limited to buying food and playing golf.
Maybe staying home isn't so bad after all.