Owlivia
Well-known Member
So I want to start by saying that I haven't been out of the house for two weeks because of having a cold which laid me low. I debated about going out today but I was out of fresh food and with a break in the snow I figured I'd go out in the frigid temps.
I'm going to list by numbers, it'll keep this post shorter or it'd be too long, but some descriptiveness is included. *TLDR at end of post.
1. Was extra careful driving out of my driveway due to the nearly 4.5 feet hill of snow thanks to the plow drivers who cleared this road. Okay, I thought here I go and suddenly some suv is on my tail. He was not to be seen as I edged out and looked repeatedly in all directions. Road surface was mostly clear with some icy spots.
2. Went downtown to go to bank, a straightish drive from where I first got to the next road. Not bad driving until I turned into the road which leads to the bank driveup window. Car didn't look and pulled out in front of me from their parking spot, I slammed on brakes. Ok, I'm cool let it go.
3. Driver's License fell off driveup window tray. I have to pull all the way forward to get out of the car and retrieve my license. Fine. It's wet and dirty, but I put it on a tissue until I can clean it. No biggie.
Just as I settle back in the car and drive to the end of the bank lane and attempt to enter the road, a big pickup truck comes zooming in front of me in order to get a parking spot on the street outside the bank's door. I had to floor the brakes. I shake my head again and figure this is just one of those things.
3. Grocery shopping, nothing bad except being overcharged 3plus dollars on one box of tea. Had to wait in long line at Customer Service for refund.
4. I made my way to Aldi and just as I finished loading the trunk, a man approached me and asked if I was finished with the cart and could he have my cart since it had the quarter in the slot. I said sure and he poured three coins into my hand.
I said this isn't a quarter. I gave him back the 3 coins. Saying what do you want me to do with these? He said I could use them the next time I come to Aldi. I said you can give these inside and they will give you a quarter.
He was a tall man and trying to intimidate me. He lurched at me so I backed up, with my cart, and then the verbal abuse was off and running.
You'd think I was an ex-wife, bad mother, or something. As he got louder and was walking back and forth and using bad language something just snapped in me.
I laughed. I laughed at his expectation that I was supposed to coddle his shortcoming in not having a quarter (you know I've not had a quarter once and I didn't attack anyone).
After I laughed I asked why he can't get the quarter inside rather than exploding. For good measure, at least for me, I feel he must have thought here's a fool, so I asked him if he thought I was born yesterday?
The best thing about this encounter was that I stuck up for myself. Now, just to let you know, if this was someone with any disability I would have given the quarter and expected nothing in return. Several times I've seen women with a few children trying to hold on to them and I just give them my cart to make things a bit easier for them. I've helped elderlies reach items and help in other ways too. Sometimes I just leave the cart with the quarter in it near the other carts for someone to use. That happens more often with other people also close to holidays or bad weather.
I also went to the library and another store and thankfully nothing out of the ordinary happened.
5. One of my last stops was going to Walmart. It's located with a bunch of other stores, restaurants, etc by driving off the main roads into the parking area. This road runs through the shopping/dining/etc and it is 2 lanes going in both directions. If you drive to the end of these roads there is no access out. You must go back and at the traffic light make a turn left or right and then there are other roads and highways you can join. It's less complicated than it may sound.
Wm's parking entrance is on the right hand side. There are 2 entrances/exits into this parking lot serving wm's area.
I was first going to a store near the end of the shopping area and so I was in the left lane of these two lanes. The right lane was mostly used for people going into wm's lot. Fine. However, the first entrance into the lot is not all that far from the traffic light. I never use that entrance/exit because of how near it is to the light and having to wait and wait for the light to change and the amount of cars.
So, this morning I was in the left lane, people were turning into wm's lot and I was continuing another ways down the road, usually no problem.
By the grace of God I'm here writing this. An suv, probably because he thought he could beat the oncoming cars decided to pull out into the lanes to make the left turn (as I said you have to go back the way you came in, so everyone leaving always have to make left turns if they are on that side of the shopping center.
I pictured my smashed car, my husband, and what the hell was I going to do if I was injured and also had no car because of this idiot.
I slammed on the brakes and the car horn and said a few things. Eventually my car stopped I think we were only about 3 inches from impact, my tires were screeching and I mouthed to the driver, You Axxhole. The woman in the passenger seat was scared and held up her two hands as if to stay stop stop the car. The driver was grinning. Grinning. And then he took off. He couldn't wait for the light to change before he tried to cross the lanes and almost injured me or more.
I thanked God so many times today. I just am trying not to think about the near impact.
6. As I am almost on the road my house is on, I have to decide which road to take, there a several choices and I'm trying to think which will be better plowed, which has construction, etc.
So, I get to the corner where I need to turn and the big trash pickup truck has to slam on his brakes or he will hit me. I was so close to getting back to my house. The road was not well plowed and he saw that I had no where to move, so he backed up and let me out so he could turn. Thank goodness he stopped in time and then didn't try to make me move somewhere to avoid his big truck- I couldn't move to give him room and I am glad he saw that.
So, it's been a weird and wonderful day, I'm exhausted. I think trying to relay what happened isn't as riveting as it was in real life.
*TLDR: Three near car crashes and one unhinged egomaniac accosted me at Aldi. All this and more in only 4 hours this morning. There have been close calls throughout the years, but not so many all in one 4 hour time slot.
I'm going to list by numbers, it'll keep this post shorter or it'd be too long, but some descriptiveness is included. *TLDR at end of post.
1. Was extra careful driving out of my driveway due to the nearly 4.5 feet hill of snow thanks to the plow drivers who cleared this road. Okay, I thought here I go and suddenly some suv is on my tail. He was not to be seen as I edged out and looked repeatedly in all directions. Road surface was mostly clear with some icy spots.
2. Went downtown to go to bank, a straightish drive from where I first got to the next road. Not bad driving until I turned into the road which leads to the bank driveup window. Car didn't look and pulled out in front of me from their parking spot, I slammed on brakes. Ok, I'm cool let it go.
3. Driver's License fell off driveup window tray. I have to pull all the way forward to get out of the car and retrieve my license. Fine. It's wet and dirty, but I put it on a tissue until I can clean it. No biggie.
Just as I settle back in the car and drive to the end of the bank lane and attempt to enter the road, a big pickup truck comes zooming in front of me in order to get a parking spot on the street outside the bank's door. I had to floor the brakes. I shake my head again and figure this is just one of those things.
3. Grocery shopping, nothing bad except being overcharged 3plus dollars on one box of tea. Had to wait in long line at Customer Service for refund.
4. I made my way to Aldi and just as I finished loading the trunk, a man approached me and asked if I was finished with the cart and could he have my cart since it had the quarter in the slot. I said sure and he poured three coins into my hand.
I said this isn't a quarter. I gave him back the 3 coins. Saying what do you want me to do with these? He said I could use them the next time I come to Aldi. I said you can give these inside and they will give you a quarter.
He was a tall man and trying to intimidate me. He lurched at me so I backed up, with my cart, and then the verbal abuse was off and running.
You'd think I was an ex-wife, bad mother, or something. As he got louder and was walking back and forth and using bad language something just snapped in me.
I laughed. I laughed at his expectation that I was supposed to coddle his shortcoming in not having a quarter (you know I've not had a quarter once and I didn't attack anyone).
After I laughed I asked why he can't get the quarter inside rather than exploding. For good measure, at least for me, I feel he must have thought here's a fool, so I asked him if he thought I was born yesterday?
The best thing about this encounter was that I stuck up for myself. Now, just to let you know, if this was someone with any disability I would have given the quarter and expected nothing in return. Several times I've seen women with a few children trying to hold on to them and I just give them my cart to make things a bit easier for them. I've helped elderlies reach items and help in other ways too. Sometimes I just leave the cart with the quarter in it near the other carts for someone to use. That happens more often with other people also close to holidays or bad weather.
I also went to the library and another store and thankfully nothing out of the ordinary happened.
5. One of my last stops was going to Walmart. It's located with a bunch of other stores, restaurants, etc by driving off the main roads into the parking area. This road runs through the shopping/dining/etc and it is 2 lanes going in both directions. If you drive to the end of these roads there is no access out. You must go back and at the traffic light make a turn left or right and then there are other roads and highways you can join. It's less complicated than it may sound.
Wm's parking entrance is on the right hand side. There are 2 entrances/exits into this parking lot serving wm's area.
I was first going to a store near the end of the shopping area and so I was in the left lane of these two lanes. The right lane was mostly used for people going into wm's lot. Fine. However, the first entrance into the lot is not all that far from the traffic light. I never use that entrance/exit because of how near it is to the light and having to wait and wait for the light to change and the amount of cars.
So, this morning I was in the left lane, people were turning into wm's lot and I was continuing another ways down the road, usually no problem.
By the grace of God I'm here writing this. An suv, probably because he thought he could beat the oncoming cars decided to pull out into the lanes to make the left turn (as I said you have to go back the way you came in, so everyone leaving always have to make left turns if they are on that side of the shopping center.
I pictured my smashed car, my husband, and what the hell was I going to do if I was injured and also had no car because of this idiot.
I slammed on the brakes and the car horn and said a few things. Eventually my car stopped I think we were only about 3 inches from impact, my tires were screeching and I mouthed to the driver, You Axxhole. The woman in the passenger seat was scared and held up her two hands as if to stay stop stop the car. The driver was grinning. Grinning. And then he took off. He couldn't wait for the light to change before he tried to cross the lanes and almost injured me or more.
I thanked God so many times today. I just am trying not to think about the near impact.
6. As I am almost on the road my house is on, I have to decide which road to take, there a several choices and I'm trying to think which will be better plowed, which has construction, etc.
So, I get to the corner where I need to turn and the big trash pickup truck has to slam on his brakes or he will hit me. I was so close to getting back to my house. The road was not well plowed and he saw that I had no where to move, so he backed up and let me out so he could turn. Thank goodness he stopped in time and then didn't try to make me move somewhere to avoid his big truck- I couldn't move to give him room and I am glad he saw that.
So, it's been a weird and wonderful day, I'm exhausted. I think trying to relay what happened isn't as riveting as it was in real life.
*TLDR: Three near car crashes and one unhinged egomaniac accosted me at Aldi. All this and more in only 4 hours this morning. There have been close calls throughout the years, but not so many all in one 4 hour time slot.
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