Road Rage! I overreacted and I’m sorry.

This was 20 minutes ago at the red light on John Hawkins and Shades Crest. It started back on 459 when you came charging up so close to me that I was sure we would hit. You were in a black Hyundai hot hatchback with a skeleton strapped to your roof. I was in a car that’s rare enough that if I mention it and the readers see one, it’s me, and I’m too embarrassed by my behavior. I let you stay glued to my rear bumper until I couldn’t stand it any longer and I blasted off. You caught up soon and were back on my bumper, and then you disengaged and zoomed off into traffic ahead. That should have been the end of it for me. I could have muttered “jerk” and just forgotten about it. But I didn’t.

At the Grove exit I saw you again and let you know of my anger by revving my engine like a complete tool. You did the same and we both became menaces to society and raced off again until the red light at the YMCA on Shades Crest. And I couldn’t let it go.

I’ve become pretty good about road rage in my old age but not tonight. I shot out of my car and ran back to yours shouting “Hit me! Hit my car and see what happens!!”, while claiming to own half the county and using some words that would shame a sailor. Your good natured smile faded to confusion as you watched me in silence. Perhaps you had found it all to be good fun, not knowing you had just spent the last of my day’s allowance of patience. You can’t be any older than 16, and yes you had been driving like a jerk, but so was I and I’m old enough to know better. At least you can still claim to be a kid. A kid with what looked like a very cool car, actually. By the way, I own exactly zero % of the county. I don’t even live in that county.

It doesn’t make any sense for someone to berate another for doing the very thing the complainant just did. I can be better and I hope you can too. Sorry kid, and drive safe.