Lessons in Driving Continued

As you all know, I'm being the dutiful parent and teaching my son to drive. He's actually doing better. Really he is.

We were driving home. He goes the back way on the small streets. Learning to turn corners and signal and drive the speed limit. That kind of beginner stuff. When we get to the main road, we have to cross four lanes to get into our housing development.

A direct across the street thing. Waiting can take five minutes or ten depending on traffic.

Yesterday, we almost got in a major car crash.

The traffic was finally clear. Across the street, in our development, there was one truck that was turning right. So, no problem for us. We waited for the last car that was in traffic to go past our development. Instead of going past our entrance, that car went into our development. No signal but that's ok.

I told my son it was good to go across.

As he is crossing, the car turning into our development decides to back up and talk to the truck. Normally not that bad a thing except they now have left no room to get into the development. At this point we are across three of the four lanes, and stuck in the middle of traffic.

My son screams and I tell him keep going. He gets where we are almost off the road with the back end of our car still in traffic.

The truck and the car don't move. They are talking to each other. Couldn't bother to be watching traffic or anything.

My son doesn't know where the horn is or forgets so, I reach over and honk. Still no movement. I honk again. The man in the truck just looks at me like there was something wrong with me. I shook my hand at him at that point.

I honk again. Finally the car in front of us moves. I tell my son to follow. Ends up they live one block away from us. They pulled up to their house and I got out of my car.

She starting walking towards her front yard and she saw me. I was walking towards her and she looked away. I yelled ... and yell is not what it was ... I screamed at her ... stop ... she looked at me ... " yes, you stop right there". And, I yelled and yelled and screamed at her ... "how dare you do that, you could have caused a car accident, you could have killed us. You ought to be ashamed of yourself " ...

She said she was and turned and went in the house. I'm sure she just said that but at least I got to tell her off. I got back in my car and continued to teach my son how to drive.

What the hell is wrong with people ?

I don't know anyone in my development. I live down the long driveway in the woods. I used to know some when my kids were young but as they grew up and people moved, I don't know anyone except the four next to me. A polite wave kind of thing.

I am so glad I don't know the others because if this is what they are like ... man, I'd rather not know them.

Are they related to the cake lady from last week ... hey, maybe it was cake ladies Mom ... that's where she got it !

Side Note ~ I thought about it later and wondered if I was wrong to yell at the lady. Decided no it wasn't ... she lives near me and almost caused an accident due to her not watching other cars. I hope I don't see her again but if I do I'll know she knows that I know ...

One of my friends told me many years ago ... people are only thinking of themselves. I think that is true. The two people in the car and truck were only thinking of themselves and I was thinking of myself and my son.

Lessons in driving ... damn .... I didn't think it would be this hard.