“Go Back To California you $@^$%@!” He drove a big yellow pick up truck and had the kind of mouth that would make a dentist drool, assuming they knew he could pay for the massive amounts of work that gaping maw required.
I was the beneficiary of his advice all because I wasn’t dumb enough to try to pretend the road we were on was part of the Indy 500. I might have considered driving faster but his incessant honking and flashing of his brights encouraged me to be extra careful.
Ok, I confess I might have slowed down a tad. He had ample opportunity to pass me and chose not to and his decision to turn his brights on made it more challenging to see.
A Big Black Hat
I haven’t changed the plates on my car yet so it is not hard to figure out that I might be from out of town.
Sadly my big black cowboy hat didn’t come with a laser beam I could use to decorate his car, face or eyes. And no matter how hard I tried to use The Force I wasn’t able to call upon it, which I suppose is good because Master Yoda says that would giving into the Dark Side.
Had the children not been in the car I might have responded to his comments with my own commentary, but I didn’t want to broaden their vocabulary any more than has already been done.
Heck, what I really wanted to do was take him aside and ask him to explain what the hell he was thinking driving a truck that is painted the same color as a banana. I am sorry, but the Big Bird mobile just isn’t intimidating, let alone cool.
The Middle Finger
My daughter made a point to tell me that he pointed the middle finger at me and wanted to know if I cared. I laughed and said no. She asked why and I told her it was because I didn’t care what he thought.
It was true, but between you and me it is also because I knew I was inside his head.
The guy was foaming at the mouth which showed me I was living rent free inside his head–that means I won.
Later on my son asked if I wanted to punch him in the nose. I told him I didn’t care, but it might be nice to give him a swift kick in the ass.
Confession: I was still thinking about the free real estate in his head.
Nonsense
The whole thing was ridiculous. I don’t know what his problem was or why he refused to pass me when he had the chance to do so. Even though I adjust my mirror the lights from his truck made it a bit more challenging to see so ultimately he forced me to slow down.
When we hit the stoplight at which he shared his advice I laughed because he doesn’t know I have thought about going home a bunch of times, except this is home. When I decide to engage and grab a hold of something I tend to use a grip that isn’t broken without substantial effort.
That is because I was blessed with a double dose of tenacity and am just a little stubborn.
And as I have told my kids, sometimes you can’t figure out whether the change you made is good or bad without taking the road all the way to the end.
Julie Barrett
It’s a journey, for sure! Glad you don’t let things like this rattle you. You and Goatie have one thing in common – tenacity 🙂
Josh
I have more important things to worry about than some wannabe redneck screaming at me.