It had been a long day and I had one more errand to run before I could go home and eat. I needed to get pet food. (obviously, pet food for the pets and then I would go home and eat human food.) I was pulling into a shared parking lot, heading for Petsmart, and a woman and her two daughters emerged from Guitar center – with the mom and one daughter carrying guitar cases. They stepped off the curb – without looking, of course – and I came to a complete stop. The mom saw me, finally, and stepped back up onto the curb. Since I was already stopped, I motioned for them to proceed. Because I am a thoughtful and reasonable individual – the fact of which will become important in a moment.
They proceeded across the drive – the mom in the lead and the daughter with the case first and the other daughter trailing behind.
The first two made it across the drive, but the second daughter instead came to a complete stop – directly in front of my car. Still facing forward, she extended her arms in front and behind her like some junior crossing guard. Then she turned and looked directly at me – as though to let me know that she was now in charge of the situation and I needed to follow her commands.
My friends, I tell you now that:
I have never wanted to flip off a child as much as I did in that moment.
But, I didn’t. I also wanted to put my foot more firmly on the brake, drop it into neutral, and rev my engine to give her a scare.
I didn’t do that either.
Instead, I locked eyes with her – staring daggers through my windshield.
There was a moment of perfect communication where she understood this was not a game and that she was not in control of the situation. She lowered her arms, faced forward again, and finished walking across the drive.
I waited a moment, then proceeded slowly along the drive into the parking lot.
Because I am a reasonable and thoughtful individual – even when I’ve had a long day.