In a bustling two-story building teeming with shops, a unique spectacle unfolded. A duo of middle-aged police officers, one a plump, grey-haired Caucasian, the other a balding brown man with a dusting of grey, took their lunch breaks in the building’s basement. On the floor above, Jon, an unsuspecting visitor, was knocking on a friend’s door when he overheard the officers’ conversation.
They were chuckling about stereotypical names they’d come across in their line of duty. “There’s always a Joe at the garage. Joe, the Mechanic,” the white officer guffawed. “Don’t forget Nurse Nancy at the hospital,” the brown officer added. Jon thought to himself “There’s always a Dr. Meredith”. Jon couldn’t help but smile at their humor and decided to join in on their banter. Before he knew it, he was friends with the cops, who seemed to appreciate the additional company during their break.
Upon learning why they were stationed there, Jon was roped into their mission – a sort of honorary deputy. The officers had orders to arrest on sight, and now, Jon was part of this exciting, albeit slightly daunting, enterprise.
The following day, Jon was back on the first floor, dutifully knocking on the same door. A new face had joined the scene – a young, chubby officer with slicked-back hair, sporting small black shades. But there was something odd about the way this new officer was watching Jon. Initially, Jon thought the officer was eyeballing a potential suspect, which got him excited. However, as the staring persisted, Jon started to wonder if he was the one under scrutiny.
With a friendly smile, he approached the new cop, trying to signal their shared objective. But the officer’s expression remained suspicious and serious. Feeling a bit flustered, Jon looked around for his police pals from the previous day, but they were nowhere to be found. This only intensified the new cop’s suspicion, making Jon sweat nervously under his gaze.
In the midst of his mild panic, Jon’s eyes fell on a church across the street – “First Baptist Church.” An idea sparked in his mind, “There’s always a First Baptist Church everywhere you go.” He chuckled at the irony, making a mental note to share this observation with his cop buddies. “It’s not just the stereotypical names at certain workplaces, there’s also stereotypical names of certain places.”
As he returned from his amusing train of thought, the new officer was still studying him. Jon’s nervousness started to turn into fear as he began imagining getting wrongly arrested. Meanwhile, the new cop was sizing Jon up, wondering what skills this seemingly ordinary civilian could contribute to their mission.
The funny, absurd situation played out as both Jon and the new officer were lost in their own worlds of overthinking, setting the stage for a classic misunderstanding.