You drive me crazy (I miss early 2000s Britney)
When I turned 16, like most new drivers, I was involved in a car accident. I was on my way to afternoon swim practice, and decided to go with the car next to me at a very busy intersection (that is now a light) on their turn instead of coming to a complete stop and then going on the next round. A truck turning left blocked the view of my car to the next side's turn and I got hit in my driver's side door. The person who hit me was also a brand new 16-year-old driver and while I was at fault, I don't know how you run into something head-on coming off a stop that far away, but whatever...
We pulled into the gas station parking lot on the corner and it was sort of the blind leading the blind. We asked each other if we were okay, agreed we were, and I think I apologized (thereby admitting fault). We were exchanging information when a lady pulled in behind us and got out of her car, fuming. She looked at the other girl and was like, "I saw the whole thing, here's my number so I can talk to your insurance and tell them it was all her fault..." She then looked at me like she was murdering me with her eyes and said, "You have to stop first, it's all your fault! etc..." I don't remember everything because I sort of shut down when I sense disapproval and her aggressive, rude, and accusatory tone was waaaay too much for my fragile, over sensitive 16-year-old self.
I think I remember her stroking the girl's hair and giving her a long kiss (with tongue) goodbye before driving off, but maybe I'm remembering that wrong...
Today, I had training in my district for our summer credit hours. How do people work all day in July? I'm serious. I was exhausted by the end of the afternoon, really feeling disappointed because I didn't get to lay on the couch and watch TV after lunch.
I picked up Alex from school and while extending my long day even more with toddler radio, I witnessed a car wreck. A Chevy Malibu decided to ignore the yield on the merge to the road we were driving on and sideswiped the nice, shiny Cadillac CTS (V, how proud of me are you right now that I knew make and model?) driving in front and diagonally to me. I followed them into a business parking lot and rolled down the window. The driver who got sideswiped was a young professional, very well dressed. He was examining his car until he found the dent on the passenger side front panel. The person driving the Malibu was a teenage male. The teenager shook hands with the young professional and introduced himself. He apologized and the young professional said, "It's okay man, mistakes happen." The young professional then walked over to my car to talk and I was like, Oh hello more petite (is it possible?), brunette version of Travis Wall from So You Think You Can Dance...
Focus!
He asked me if I thought he should call the police. I told him they would probably take forever to come out and that they probably wouldn't do anything. He asked if I could call them anyway, just in case, because his phone wasn't working.
Okay, Travis, I will.
The dispatch said the cops would not come out unless someone was hurt and to just exchange information. Luckily the teenager was of age and insured (my students drive around the city and they're only 13).
I wrote down my information and gave it to both of them. I remembered how shitty that woman made me feel 10 years ago (approximately) and made an extra effort to be polite and try to make the teenager feel better. Whether it worked or not is another story...I think I said something super lame like, "It must be a Monday..."
Even though it was 1000 degrees outside, everyone was very cordial and cool and I felt proud of all of us. Three waaaay...high five!
Chris (not Travis) later texted to thank me for stopping and helping. I wanted to text him back, "thanks for being nice to that kid..."Then I started to text several other things that all got deleted and finally settled on, "you're welcome."
No need to be awkward.
Then I looked him up on Facebook, you know, to see if I could set him up with anyone I knew. He's in a relationship.
Not awkward at all, not awkward at all...
We pulled into the gas station parking lot on the corner and it was sort of the blind leading the blind. We asked each other if we were okay, agreed we were, and I think I apologized (thereby admitting fault). We were exchanging information when a lady pulled in behind us and got out of her car, fuming. She looked at the other girl and was like, "I saw the whole thing, here's my number so I can talk to your insurance and tell them it was all her fault..." She then looked at me like she was murdering me with her eyes and said, "You have to stop first, it's all your fault! etc..." I don't remember everything because I sort of shut down when I sense disapproval and her aggressive, rude, and accusatory tone was waaaay too much for my fragile, over sensitive 16-year-old self.
I think I remember her stroking the girl's hair and giving her a long kiss (with tongue) goodbye before driving off, but maybe I'm remembering that wrong...
Today, I had training in my district for our summer credit hours. How do people work all day in July? I'm serious. I was exhausted by the end of the afternoon, really feeling disappointed because I didn't get to lay on the couch and watch TV after lunch.
I picked up Alex from school and while extending my long day even more with toddler radio, I witnessed a car wreck. A Chevy Malibu decided to ignore the yield on the merge to the road we were driving on and sideswiped the nice, shiny Cadillac CTS (V, how proud of me are you right now that I knew make and model?) driving in front and diagonally to me. I followed them into a business parking lot and rolled down the window. The driver who got sideswiped was a young professional, very well dressed. He was examining his car until he found the dent on the passenger side front panel. The person driving the Malibu was a teenage male. The teenager shook hands with the young professional and introduced himself. He apologized and the young professional said, "It's okay man, mistakes happen." The young professional then walked over to my car to talk and I was like, Oh hello more petite (is it possible?), brunette version of Travis Wall from So You Think You Can Dance...
Focus!
He asked me if I thought he should call the police. I told him they would probably take forever to come out and that they probably wouldn't do anything. He asked if I could call them anyway, just in case, because his phone wasn't working.
Okay, Travis, I will.
The dispatch said the cops would not come out unless someone was hurt and to just exchange information. Luckily the teenager was of age and insured (my students drive around the city and they're only 13).
I wrote down my information and gave it to both of them. I remembered how shitty that woman made me feel 10 years ago (approximately) and made an extra effort to be polite and try to make the teenager feel better. Whether it worked or not is another story...I think I said something super lame like, "It must be a Monday..."
Even though it was 1000 degrees outside, everyone was very cordial and cool and I felt proud of all of us. Three waaaay...high five!
Chris (not Travis) later texted to thank me for stopping and helping. I wanted to text him back, "thanks for being nice to that kid..."Then I started to text several other things that all got deleted and finally settled on, "you're welcome."
No need to be awkward.
Then I looked him up on Facebook, you know, to see if I could set him up with anyone I knew. He's in a relationship.
Not awkward at all, not awkward at all...
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