I was off doing all kinds of errands today, and in between poking and prodding (medical tests, nothing unusual) and shopping, I decided to see if the CVS had an item that the KMart didn’t. I got stuck behind a very big, very slow truck on Hooper Avenue, and decided to pass it. On the left, signalling before pulling out, and again after pulling in front. Because the truck was so big, I hadn’t been able to see that there was another car in front of it, so I didn’t have too too much room to pull in between that one and the car I could see, and since the traffic in front of me was too slow and my turn came up before I could pass more than just the truck and the car in front of it, I pulled in front of the car I hadn’t seen and the one I did. Again, signalling before I did it, and with plenty of room to spare.

So, the car I pulled in behind hit her brakes suddenly. No problem, I figure it’s one of those old ladies braking in advance of the traffic light. I drop back. She hits the gas, but I don’t need to rush up behind her, because the CVS is at the next light, and it’s red. So what if there are about ten car lengths in front of her? I see her check her rear-view and hit the brakes again. I take my time, as I approach, she starts braking, inching forward, braking, inching forward. . .but it isn’t until I put my signal on to turn into the CVS and she stops completely, blocking the entrance, that I realize she’s trying to teach me a lesson! Holy cow! This stupid, stupid woman is playing a game, with an 18-wheeler behind two other cars, because she’s got some kind of bug up her ass! (Not meaning me, of course. Heh.) I mean, really – I didn’t pull up on her tail, I didn’t cut her off, I don’t know where she got the idea that she should be trying to make me rear-end her. AFAIK, she must have just happened to be looking in her mirror at the same time as I pulled behind her and thought that I was some kind of maniac speed demon trying to push her off the road or something. So I slowed down, came to a full stop a couple of car lengths behind her, and waited patiently until the other drivers started pulling around and in front of her (the light had long since turned green) and she got tired of playing. Yep, she sure showed me how a SAFE and CAUTIOUS driver handles a vehicle. She should be a driving instructor. One day she’ll show people what happens to people who play games with angry drivers, instead of contented ladies enjoying a lovely day of knocking things off their to-do lists.