Stand-off with rude driver put things in perspective

A clash of two flustered people leaves Fiona with the feeling she could do worse than adopt her mother’s laid-back philosophy

O

K, so I am halfway to becoming a grumpy old woman.

Well, not so much grumpy. In truth, I am increasingly less inclined to put up with nonsense. And this is how it goes.

I am taking my mother to the hairdressers. She is 91 next month – but please don’t tell her I told you that.

Anyhow, this mercy mission is one of several jobs I am doing this day.

It is a matter of juggling and as we park the car in the disabled spot opposite the salon – yes, mum now has a permit – I am under a bit of pressure.

I go around to get mum out of her side. Her balance is not that good and, as usual, she takes my arm for support.

We check right, left and right for traffic and we slowly start to walk across the road.

Then, suddenly, comes the screech of brakes and the impatient sound of a horn.

Out of nowhere a car has been speeding towards us. With what looks like a rather angry face at the wheel. And this is where I, too, see red.

I tell mum to stay where she is and, heart thumping, put out my hand to stop the vehicle.

At this stage I am in the middle of the road, so the thing cannot get past.

I am now at the side of the offending automobile. The driver unwinds the window. He looks to be in his early twenties and is full of rage.

And so am I. This is a quiet, rural neighbourhood. It is most certainly a 30mph limit.

But I hold myself in check and ask him if he does not see that an elderly person is trying to cross the road.

He retorts something on the lines of ‘why should he care?’ At this stage I am wagging my finger and putting on my crossest voice.

‘You need to slow down and be more considerate to people. In fact, you are a very rude young man!’

The astonishment is plain to see. Perhaps no one has ever spoken to him like this before.

With luck this boy racer has been ever so slightly shocked. He winds the window back up and sets off. Muttering as he goes. Will it make him think twice next time?

Probably not.

Ticking him off has stopped my own heart going 10 to the dozen – and made me feel better

But ticking him off has stopped my own heart going 10 to the dozen – and made me feel better.

And it is a big relief to get it off my chest and tell you about it.

I suppose the long and the short of it is: we need to slow down and we need to calm down.

Whether it is driving a car. Or trying to pack too many things into a day.

‘Let it wash over you’ is the advice my mother gives me.

And it does wash over her. An hour later she comes out of the salon looking absolutely fabulous.

Life in the fast lane is overrated – we need to ease off on the accelerator.