I've had an interesting day. It had just started snowing this morning when I was getting dressed to go out. Even though it was just a dusting, I knew they were calling for 4-8 inches of snow plus freezing rain. Something in my gut told me to stay home. But I had obligations to people, which I intended to keep.
One of those obligations involved going to the Post Office. By the time I attended to my other errands and headed for the P.O., the roads were getting bad. 75 was treacherous. I saw 4 cars in the ditch between my house and the Dayton Mall, which is only one exit. Again, my gut told me to go home. But I had obligations.
As I was turning onto the road where the Post Office is, my car slid into a S10 pickup truck, scratching the side of it. I immediately got out of my car and said "I'm sorry". To which the man's wife started yelling "Sorry? You're sorry?!" as if I had just killed a man. The driver went off on me, his wife went off on me... it was surreal. She was screaming "If you don't know how to drive, you shouldn't be in a car!" Etc. He said we have to call the cops, which was fine, since it was an accident, although I thought it was unnecessary. I offered him my phone number and my insurance info, but he screamed red faced at me that the cops had to be called.
So I pulled into the Post Office, with him behind me, then he gets out and asks if I'd called the cops yet. I explained that I didn't have my phone, which elicited another sermon about how stupid I am to not have a phone.
Normally, my calm presence of mind would have ignored such a display of stupidity. But as it was, I was jacked up on Starbucks. And getting rather annoyed. So I said, "I realize I am at fault here, and I will obviously take care of the damage done, but I hardly see the need for such antagonism." Well...... that set off an explosion the likes of which haven't been seen since Hiroshima. I went into the P.O. to hide and wait for the cops. The guy then proceeded to call his entire family, who all showed up to inspect the scratch and give me evil looks.
The cop finally arrived and I could tell from the look on his face and his body language that he couldn't believe he had been called out there for this. He took our information, then said he wasn't going to give me a citation because of the nasty roads and the high volume of accidents out there today. I swear I thought the pickup man was going to spontaneously combust right in front of me. I'm sure he wanted me arrested.
Morrison was right: people are strange.
I am home now, safe and warm and enjoying a glass of wine at 2 in the afternoon. LOL. Wherever you are, be careful out there. It's nasty.