It was September 1987, and the pope was coming to Los Angeles! Apparently, this visit was some sort of first, and there were all sorts of plans for it, reported repeatedly on the news for days. Pope John Paul II was going to ride around and be in a parade in his so-called “Popemobile.”
My daughter Emily was born on the same day that this pope had been shot six years earlier, May 13, 1981. I remember laying in utter exhaustion in my private hospital room and watching endless news reports about the attempted assassination of the pope with all the speculation as to why. I couldn’t understand it.
Anyway, my two daughters and I were having a lazy morning around the house, when a news report broke into whatever mindless TV show that was on to announce that the pope had landed at LAX and would be heading out in the Popemobile. On a whim, I asked the girls if they’d like to go see the pope. I figured that by the time we got the the airport, the pope would have passed us heading the other way. The girls seemed puzzled as to why I should suggest this, but they said, “Why not?” We hopped in the car, went down the coast highway to the 10 freeway and south on the 405 towards the airport.
After about three miles, the traffic came to a stand still. They must have closed the freeway for security reasons, or else other people had the same idea I did. We all turned off our engines, got out of our cars, and stood around staring at the amazing, almost apocalyptic sight of absolutely NO traffic on the northbound 405. After a while some motorcycle policemen roared by, then more officers in formation, then dark secret service cars, more cops, and finally a big white limousine with the pope in it! You could actually see him sitting in there in a white outfit and a white cap. Then more dark cars, more cops in formation, and single motorcyclists followed. It was the best parade ever!
I think the only thing that impressed the girls was us getting out of our car in the middle of a freeway.
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