Story Time with Erin
This is a truthful story told without any exaggeration as none is needed.
On Saturday I left job #2 and decided that I needed to go to Zambroz to buy a new journal which I did. As I was driving away from Zambroz going north on Broadway I got to the intersection right by the big cathedral. The light changed right as I arrived at the intersection. I had to make a choice: run the red light or stop very quickly.
As cops in this town tend to be very fond of catching red-light-runners, and because I could hear the voice of my friend Matt in my head chewing me out for running a red light, I chose to slam on the breaks.
This action kept me from going through the intersection, but I also ended up having the nose of my car just slightly, ever so slightly, by maybe half a foot, into the crosswalk.
I had no choice. I had to stop. And I also couldn't back up as there were cars behind me. I know that I shouldn't have been obstructing the crosswalk, but at that point I couldn't do anything about it.
All of a sudden an old man appears out of nowhere, walking with a cane. I can see that he is going to use the crosswalk to cross the street in front of my car. Now, keep in mind that the crosswalks in downtown are at least 12 feet wide, and this guy had PLENTY of room to get around the tiny tip of my car that was jutting into his walkway.
Well, he didn't see it that way at all.
"Can't you see there's a crosswalk here you bitch!" profanity, swearing, profanity, mumbling, etc.
But then, he starts beating on my car with his cane (guess he didn't need it that badly) whilst he is chewing me out. And I mean beating. He is hitting my car hood and front tires and bumper as hard as he can (which granted isn't all that hard, but still) with his cane, over and over.
This lasted through the entirety of the red light, and he is still swearing at me.
I was so mad I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, all I could do was stare in amazement at this hopelessly bitter old man.
I guess he finally got his victim mentality out of his system for the moment because right as the light changed green, he continued across the crosswalk (easily, I might add) all the while swearing.
I was so mad, I had half a mind to find that guy and chew him out for being so ridiculous. Would he rather I sped through the intersection, through the red light, through the "walk" sign and hit him (maybe I should have)!
I guess this is what a life of bitterness and victim mentality will get you.
May none of us ever end up as bitterly bitter as this bitter, old bastard.
My car is fine, by the way. I guess it is good that it 1) is made out of plastic and 2) that it wasn't too cold and 3) that the old man had no strength since his anger is evidently killing him.
On Saturday I left job #2 and decided that I needed to go to Zambroz to buy a new journal which I did. As I was driving away from Zambroz going north on Broadway I got to the intersection right by the big cathedral. The light changed right as I arrived at the intersection. I had to make a choice: run the red light or stop very quickly.
As cops in this town tend to be very fond of catching red-light-runners, and because I could hear the voice of my friend Matt in my head chewing me out for running a red light, I chose to slam on the breaks.
This action kept me from going through the intersection, but I also ended up having the nose of my car just slightly, ever so slightly, by maybe half a foot, into the crosswalk.
I had no choice. I had to stop. And I also couldn't back up as there were cars behind me. I know that I shouldn't have been obstructing the crosswalk, but at that point I couldn't do anything about it.
All of a sudden an old man appears out of nowhere, walking with a cane. I can see that he is going to use the crosswalk to cross the street in front of my car. Now, keep in mind that the crosswalks in downtown are at least 12 feet wide, and this guy had PLENTY of room to get around the tiny tip of my car that was jutting into his walkway.
Well, he didn't see it that way at all.
"Can't you see there's a crosswalk here you bitch!" profanity, swearing, profanity, mumbling, etc.
But then, he starts beating on my car with his cane (guess he didn't need it that badly) whilst he is chewing me out. And I mean beating. He is hitting my car hood and front tires and bumper as hard as he can (which granted isn't all that hard, but still) with his cane, over and over.
This lasted through the entirety of the red light, and he is still swearing at me.
I was so mad I couldn't move, I couldn't speak, all I could do was stare in amazement at this hopelessly bitter old man.
I guess he finally got his victim mentality out of his system for the moment because right as the light changed green, he continued across the crosswalk (easily, I might add) all the while swearing.
I was so mad, I had half a mind to find that guy and chew him out for being so ridiculous. Would he rather I sped through the intersection, through the red light, through the "walk" sign and hit him (maybe I should have)!
I guess this is what a life of bitterness and victim mentality will get you.
May none of us ever end up as bitterly bitter as this bitter, old bastard.
My car is fine, by the way. I guess it is good that it 1) is made out of plastic and 2) that it wasn't too cold and 3) that the old man had no strength since his anger is evidently killing him.
posted by Erin at 9:24 AM
4 Comments:
That is *insane*!! Matt probably would've gotten out of the car, stolen the cane and beaten the man for touching his car :)
Wow. I agree with Dana, that it is INSANE! I wouldn't have known what to do, either. I wonder what he would have done if a man were driving your car and that happened?
I feel bad for you...and bad for him. Sad times.
I just had an old man yell at me. I have no idea why as it was in German, which I am only now barely speaking, but I think it might have been because I was crossing the street without using the crosswalk.
Here they call it "shimpfen" and it means yelling at you to make you feel so bad you won't do the wrong thing again. Maybe it's the old Germanic blood running through you Dakotans that made your old man crazy. How do people live like that?
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