Why is it that when you’ve raced to your car, ready to put more money in the meter, the parking cops just pretend not to see you? As soon as that pen hits the pad, they simply act like you’re not there, and nothing will get in the way of their writing up a ticket. The next time this happens to you, why not try a little magic to get their attention? There’s no better way to avoid a ticket, and you may even make a new friend to boot!
What You’ll Need
-A dollar bill
-A coin
What They See
You remove a dollar from your pocket, showing the front and the back. You then proceed to fold the dollar into fourths, lengthwise. Kerplop-out drops a coin! You swiftly place the coin in the meter and tell the cop to have a nice day.
What You’ll Do
1. Remove a dollar bill from your pocket, along with a coin.
2. Hold the dollar with both hands (Fig. A) and conceal the coin under your right thumb (with the front of the dollar facing the cop). (Fig. B)
3. Release the bill with your left hand and carefully turn the dollar around to expose the back of the dollar to the cop, with the coin now concealed by your left-hand fingertips.
4. Now turn the dollar back to the starting position, retaining the coin once again under the right thumb. You have now clearly shown the front and back of the dollar.
5. Wrap the dollar around the coin in fourths, holding the coin in place with your right thumb and index fingers. (Fig. C) The dollar will naturally fold into four equal pieces.
6. Ask the cop to hold out his hand.
7. Let the coin drop into the cop’s hand. (Fig. D)
8. While the cop shakes his head in amazement, pluck the coin from his hand and feed your meter.
If That Fails to Do the Trick
If the coin trick fails to charm, you may need to resort plan B: How to Make Yourself Cry. Few traffic cops are immune to the sight of a grown man or woman in tears over a parking ticket.
What They See
-Tears flowing from your eyes
What You’ll Need
-A small piece of tissue (about 2 inches square)
-A water bottle
What You’ll Do
1. Before approaching the car, dip a 2-inch square piece of napkin or tissue into your water bottle.
2. Roll the damp tissue into a small ball, retaining some liquid in it.
3. Keep this ball of tears in a nearby pocket. When you drop the coin into the cop’s hand, secretly pick up the ball of tears.
4. Pick up the coin from the cop’s hand and conceal the tear ball behind it with your thumb.
5. Merely squeeze the tissue and allow the tears to flow.
