Look both ways

About a year ago, I had a confrontation with the driver of the car that almost knocked me down as I was crossing the street. With the green light. With the pedestrian signal in my favour. In a crosswalk. In broad daylight.

I was SO ANGRY! That cow came so close to me before screeching to a halt that I had time to consider where it would hurt the least when her bumper hit me, and to make my decision to jump up right before impact because I thought that way she wouldn’t run me over, that I would roll up over the hood of the car (and possibly smash my head into the windshield. But I didn’t have enough time to consider that possibility, apparently.).

Anyway, she stopped a scant 20 or 30 centimetres from me, and as I came back down from jumping, I slammed my two hands forcefully on the hood of her car. Heart pounding, I glared at the stupid woman.

She rolled down her window. “Sorry.”

Sorry. That’s it? She didn’t sound at all sorry. I stayed right in front of her car and started screaming at her.

“Sorry?! That doesn’t quite cut it! You just about fucking KILLED me, you idiot! How did you ever get your license?!”

She stared at me balefully. “I didn’t see you. Sorry.” Deadpan.

“No kidding you didn’t see me! I guess you didn’t see the pedestrian light or the crosswalk either, did you!”

By this time, cars were backing up behind her. People in cars and on the street were staring. I stayed in front of her and kept shouting. I just couldn’t believe that she expressed so little remorse. I couldn’t believe that I of all people had come so very close to being hit by a car, a car driven by someone who seemed to be that stupid that she didn’t realize the gravity of what she had almost done.

The light changed. People started honking. I gave her one last “You’re a moron!” and dashed to the median in the middle of the road. She continued on her merry way, followed by the vehicles that had been stopped behind her. When the road was clear again, I scurried to the opposite side and stood there for a few minutes to catch my breath before heading up the hill and continuing home myself.

I was upset about that for a long time, mainly because of her non-reaction, not really because I almost got smacked by a car. If it had been me, I told myself, I would have been absolutely guilt-ridden and anguish-filled, and I would have been shaking for a week.

Then today, driving home, I was at a busy intersection waiting to turn left. There was a gap in the oncoming traffic. I started to go. And there was a woman walking in the crosswalk. And I didn’t see her right away. I did stop safely though, albeit a bit more suddenly than I would have liked, and she stopped too. She gave me a look, I put both my hands up and mouthed, “I’m sorry!”, and she finished crossing the street safely without giving me another glance.

Some people are just so zen. I, on the other hand, trembled almost all the rest of the way home.

Drive much?

Dear idiot in the white Jag:

It certainly was a nice sunny day today – and we sure haven’t had our usual quota of those this Spring so far, have we? I had my sunroof open as I was driving home from work, tunes blasting, enjoying the nice weather. I couldn’t really tell if you had a sunroof or not, but if you did, it was a great afternoon to have it open.

I don’t think I was driving too fast along that road. I mean, I know I was over the speed limit a bit, but not excessively so. You do know about speed limits, right? Yeah, I thought maybe you’d heard of them.

Now, what I was actually wondering about was whether or not you know what those thick white lines painted on the road at corners mean. Oh yeah, and those red octagonal signs at corners. The ones that say “stop”. You’re aware of those too, aren’t you? So, have you ever put those two items together and figured it out that drivers are supposed to stop their vehicles just behind those white lines? You knew you were driving at the time, didn’t you?

So, when you came flying along that side street and started to make that high-speed turn onto the road on which I was travelling, I guess you just forgot what to do. I mean, you did see me at the last minute and then you did slam on your brakes when you were already halfway around the corner. You did have some recollection of how to behave at a corner with a stop sign, you just couldn’t quite recall exactly where you were meant to stop.

I thought that I reacted quite calmly, under the circumstances. I mean, you wouldn’t know this, but I was involved in a car crash just nine months ago, and since then, I just don’t drive the same as I used to. I am more cautious. I am slower. I feel like a wuss sometimes, but I just don’t quite have the confidence I used to have. Oh, it’s coming back, but it’s taking some time.

Anyway, all I did was slow down, swerve around you and wave my arms as if to say, “WTF?” I didn’t honk or anything, I just kept going. But your reaction. Now, your reaction was extreme, to say the least. You obviously felt that it was completely my fault that you totally misjudged the corner and almost didn’t stop at all and nearly hit me. You blasted your horn at me for some reason, then you sped up beside me so you could wave your arms angrily back at me as you blasted your horn again. Quite the hero, aren’t you?

I looked at you incredulously, honked back, and kept driving. We ended up at a stop light, side by side. I didn’t look at you, but I’m sure you were yelling nasty things at me or maybe waving your arms again. Then when the light changed, mature adult that you are, you hit the accelerator and shot off like a rocket. Though my heart was pounding, I just continued on my way home. You have some serious anger issues, you know that?

You shouldn’t be on the road, asshole. You’re going to wreck that fancy car of yours one of these days, driving like that, and I really hope you don’t hurt anybody else in the process. You need some anger management classes, or maybe you just need to get laid. I don’t know.

I hope I never see you again.

Sincerely,
Pinklea