Thursday, August 7, 2008

Karma

So today I had Angus with me since she didn't feel like going to camp. We decided we would have a nice Mommy and Daughter lunch, just the two of us. I parked in a garage on Bethesda Avenue and we waited to cross the street. No, not at the crosswalk, but right at the garage, like everyone else too lazy to walk down to the corner light (which included a mother with a baby stroller). I admit to being a chronic jaywalker. Growing up in NYC, the only way to get around is jaywalking. Having kids broke me of the habit and I usually always go to a crosswalk when I have the kids with me. Today's exception was cause it was really hot and humid and at least Angus is a fast walker. I know - no excuse. Believe me when I say it doesn't happen often.

However, that is not the point of this post. As we waited, we edged out to wait for a break in the very slow traffic. We stood a foot off the curb right next to the entrance to the garage. A very slow woman driver turning into the garage pulls short of us and begins to scream at us.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? This ain't a blah blah crosswalk!!! Who do you people think you are? You think you own the blah blah road?!!!!" Throwing her hands in the air and yelling up a storm. I was pissed, but I didn't say anything (I really don't like to have nasty confrontations in front of my kids). Since she had stopped to yell at us, I just decided to cross in front of her instead. Angus stared in open mouthed fascination and asked me why the woman was yelling at us.

"I don't know," I say as all the nasty reasons for why she is like that roll through my brain.

"How rude!" Angus announces. "She doesn't have to be like that."

I agree and we walk into the restaurant. Not 5 minutes pass and the sunny skies turn completely dark and a terrible thunderstorm hits, causing the lights to flicker ominously several times as rain dumped in absolute buckets. All the diners sitting outside ran inside, completely drenched even though they had been sitting under a covered area. The rain was coming down so hard it was bouncing sideways. As Angus and I sat enjoying our drinks and eating our chips and salsa, a soaking wet woman dashes for cover in front of the restaurant windows. I get a good look as she runs by and recognize the rude yelling woman from the car. Not even 5 minutes later, the skies completely clear and by the time Angus and I head for the car, the sun is out once again.

Poor woman. Karma is a bigger bitch than I could ever be.

25 comments:

Precie said...

Oh, please, oh, please, oh, pleaseeeeee tell me she dashed ACROSS THE STREET for cover...jaywalking herself.

Travis Erwin said...

Three cheers for Karma. I sure like it when she take a break from chewing on my backside to take a chomp of someone else.

moonrat said...

haha. i agree with precie. PLEASE.

JaneyV said...

There is no excuse for shouting at someone and being aggressive especially in front of children. That is what we on this side of the Atlantic call "Bang out of order!"

I hope that she was drenched though to her knickers! I love karma!

Anonymous said...

My daughter is having fits of 2-yr-old laughter watching the little people fighting on your blog. She came in to see why I was laughing and I think she thought we are laughing at the same thing...I'm not going to tell her differently. :)

Steve Malley said...

Crosswalks-- hmph! In my day, we just had to dash between the chariots.

Thanks for that story. Great stuff!

Anonymous said...

Hah! But will she learn from it? Not likely. I think Angus' comment was even more wonderful than the instant Karma (get it? Instant Karma...just add water! I kill myself!)

writtenwyrdd

preTzel said...

My kids still ask me who Karma is when I say "Keep that up and Karma will pay you a visit and you won't like it." They'll know her soon enough - no need for me to educate them. LOL!

Charles Gramlich said...

I absolutely love it. Wonderful!

Lisa & Alfie said...

I am amazed at your self control but given she was so out of control in front of the little one, good for you! And seeing her drenched, good for her!
Lisa & Alfie

Lana Gramlich said...

You gotta LOVE when that happens! ;)

laughingwolf said...

very well said, ell! :)

Anonymous said...

I got angry just reading about that lady. Sorry that happened, but I glad she got soaked.

I hope you had a good evening out regardless.

Mary Witzl said...

I was praying that you'd caught her jay-walking, but that would have been asking for too much!

I'm a big jaywalker too. In Manhattan I jaywalked every single day. In Tokyo, walkers can easily cut 15 minutes out of every day jaywalking, and if you're careful, why not? I tell my kids they can do it when they're old enough to do it wisely -- it's like drinking.

Karma doesn't always come through for me (in this lifetime, anyway), but when it does, it is richly, deeply satisfying. When I was about six, I once saw a boy who had been pulling a cat's tail get scratched, then take a step backwards -- onto a rake. He fell right over onto his butt, and you really had to be there: it was just fantastic.

Bernita said...

oh jeeze, that's sweet.

Melissa Amateis said...

Hahahahaha - LOVE it.

Erica Orloff said...

Ellen:
I am continually amazed--though i shouldn't be--at the level of rudeness that seems to be all around.

But Karma . . . She always gets it right.
E

Larramie said...

Did Angus notice and learn the lesson too?

Chris Eldin said...

LOVE your closing line! AHAHAHAHAH!

Yes, there is karma.
:-)

Sarah Hina said...

Amazing self-restraint, Ello. But I bet you smiled...if just a little. ;)

Btw, I loved the rain that was "bouncing sideways." Just thought I'd throw that in...

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...maybe if I had kids it might help with my habit of letting loose on such people (generally a really bad idea, since they're usually in cars and I'm usually on a bike or walking).

Robin said...

Loved this! As a young 'un I never bought that line "what goes around comes around"...but now I SOOO see it and that was a perfect example! I'm with everyone else here...I hope a couple of blocks later she got a ticket for jaywalking OR someone screamed at her and maybe, just maybe she saw herself!

laughingwolf said...

come get your award....

Akasha Savage. said...

Excellent! That woman got all she deserved.
Love the new look you've given your blog.
:)

Danette Haworth said...

Ha! How satisfying!