Photo Credit: PRB0917_Ciancutti_Rage1.jpg
I was sitting in my car with the left blinker on near a “no left turn” sign the other day. I was merely attempting to turn into my driveway. To the average motorist it may have appeared I was about to advance illegally, but I wasn’t. As I waited for oncoming traffic to go by, drivers who came up behind me had plenty of time and room to slide into the other lane and pass me on the right. Most folks easily complied.
A Moment Of Weakness
But as I glanced in my rearview mirror, I suddenly saw a car quickly approaching. The driver had the top down and the radio blasting. Instead of slowing down when he saw me, he sped up, laid on the horn the whole way, and then swerved at the last minute, yelling foul language and “NO LEFT TURN” as he passed. I took a deep breath, looked in the mirror, told myself not to take it the wrong way, but then something inside me just burst. I swung the wheel wildly into the right lane and followed that foul-mouthed son of a gun all the way to the next red light. He was in the turning lane, and I maneuvered next to him so my driver’s door was about an inch from his passenger door. With his top down, there was no place to hide. I was seething. “I happen to live there,” I screamed. “Is that OK with you? I didn’t realize you were in charge!”
Reacting And Reflecting
He wasn’t an especially large man, and there was nothing about him that seemed the least threatening. I deduced he was just a regular guy who probably thought he could blow by me, puff out his chest, and never see me again. Clearly, however, he had seen me in his mirror barreling down on top of him, and when I began yelling, he was already shook up. In fact, he was almost cowering at the wheel. He wouldn’t even look at me. He attempted a faint, “Well, you should have had your signal on.” I bellowed, “I did have my signal on, you @!@#$%^&*!” And then I paused for effect, lowered my voice, and said, “Besides that, who are you to suddenly decide you are in charge of such things?” He kept his face forward and his head down and sped away when the light changed. I had my pound of flesh and was feeling pretty good about myself. I turned the car around and drove home, wondering when the feeling of absolute satisfaction would wash over me.