Belittled

I had one of those days where the world seems to be saying, "F-you for trying to do the right thing."

I drove to the gym today. The weather was fair, the traffic was light, and the other vehicles around us were moving efficiently.

Ahead of me was a car, and ahead of that car was a minivan. As we approached 17th Street, a vehicle traveling the opposite direction turned in front of the van. At first it looked like a cut-corner turn, perhaps into a driveway, and the van quickly slowed as not to collide.

But the oncoming car didn't pull into a driveway.

It drove onto the sidewalk and continued - almost purposefully - across a couple of lawns, before pulling back into oncoming traffic, zigzagging through a couple of cars, and "merging" back into its stream of traffic.

I could see in my rearview mirror that the woman driving the car behind me was just as shocked, and I carefully avoided slamming on my brakes for fear of her diverted attention as her jaw remained in dropped position.

I pulled to the curb to park, and scrambled for the phone in the purse next to me. I suppose we all assume "someone else" will call in observations such as ours, but I would assume the safety authorities appreciate corroboration on such events.

Or not?

I called 911. I told the operator my location. I told him the car was traveling in the direction of smaller-numbered streets (I don't know my navigational directions). I told him it was a sedan. I told him I didn't know the type or color (I was overcome with surprise at the event). I answered that I didn't know the license plate number.

His response: "So, what am I supposed to tell the officers so they can tell this vehicle from the other thousands of sedans on the road?"

F*ing snot. Thanks for belittling me and making me feel like I'm wasting your time.

Our "safety" force continues to disappoint me. (See "Neighbor gets nose broken by drunk hoodlum" on neighborhood blog.)