All that being said, I'm a fairly conscientious driver. I learned to drive with a lot of other people on the road, I know how to merge, I do a good job paying attention. Minor blips aside, I'm safe to be around on the road.
However, today I did not make a new friend on the road. In fact, I got called a "bitch" and flipped off by a 75 year old man driving a periwinkle P.T. Cruiser.
Seriously?
Let's recap the situation shall we?
I was in a lane that was ending and needed to merge into the lane that continued to go straight. I looked in my rear view mirror and had room, so I merged. Next thing I know the car behind me is flashing his lights at me like it wants to moonlight as a strobe in a nightclub. I'm trying NOT to be so distracted by this that I drive off the road, when I realize lanes to my right have opened up but the lane I am in is ending (it's a convertible center lane across a bridge). The Flasher gets over before I have a chance to, speeds up to trap me in the middle of the bridge and then just as I get a glimpse of his silvery hair passing me, yells "BITCH" out his window. Then, once I was behind him, he flips me the bird. Now--we're driving down city streets, so the lights keep us close together. I end up in the lane on his right. The old Cooter rolls down his passenger side window and continues to yell at me every time he gets next to me.
Two things I wish I'd done:
1. Rolled my window down and 'sincerely' apologized. Honestly, I don't think I did anything wrong, and I don't know what his deal was. Still, I wonder what he would have said or done if I'd just said, "I'm sorry sir, I didn't think was cutting you off. I apologize for making you nervous or angry."
2. Blown him a kiss mid-rant.
I have to say, this was the first time I've ever been sworn at by a septuagenarian.
Then again, I might be angry too if I was driving a lavender P.T. Cruiser.
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