Friday, 07 October 2011
Life is Good
By Steve Kemp who blogs at OldWebsterQuips
So, yesterday I drove to the grocery store, parked in the lot and was walking past the row of parked cars toward the store. Ahead a ways, on my left, I could see a pickup backed into the handicapped parking place.
As I was approaching it, I could hear a car approaching behind me. I kept walking.
Just as I was reaching the truck, the car was about to pass me and an angry man inside the truck yelled, "You're a dumb ass!" at the passing car.
The driver screeched on his brakes, stopped, lowered his window and yelled back at him, "What'd you call me?!"
At this point, I was still just strolling by but now found myself exactly between them. So, as I was passing the driver's window, I said, "He called you a dumb ass," and continued on.
He started to get out of the car. I could hear the other guy jumping down from the truck. It felt like they were both getting ready to go to the next level.
Still stepping away from them, I turned to walk backwards a few steps, looking at the two of them, waved my arms wide and said, "Life is good. It's all good, it's all good."
They both looked at me. But I turned around and continued on toward the store. I didn't look back.
Later, on the way back to my car, I didn't see any blood so I figured it all turned out okay. I felt good that I had done it and hoped I had defused the whole thing.
After all, I wasn't even thinking, just getting between them long enough to utter six words, make a gesture to show my palms and then utter a mantra after I passed.
When I told my friend this story, she said, "That's a good way to get a punch in the nose!"
[INVITATION: All elders, 50 and older, are welcome to submit stories for this blog. They can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry, memoir, etc. Instructions for submitting are here.]
Posted by Ronni Bennett at 05:30 AM | Permalink | Email this post
Comments
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Those encounters always make me want to know what was going on with the other two participants..you were sort of a Mr. Magoo character, lalalalala-ing right thru their scene..great scene set up by the way..
Posted by: Mary Follett | Friday, 07 October 2011 at 08:31 AM
Very good story. That is what everyone says in greeting on Tuckernuck Island, even after falling off a bicycle. This is according to the new novel "The Island" by Elin Hilderbrand.
Posted by: joanne zimmermann | Friday, 07 October 2011 at 12:24 PM
I'm chicken compared to you. I would have quickly walked away as fast as I could for in Seattle I would never doubt that one had a gun. You're a good man.
Posted by: johna ferguson | Friday, 07 October 2011 at 03:57 PM
Mary -- Magoo? Well,now, there, then....!
Posted by: Steve Kemp | Friday, 07 October 2011 at 06:43 PM
I hope you defused the anger. Life is too short to pay attention to jerks.
Posted by: Darlene | Saturday, 08 October 2011 at 08:53 AM
Do I detect a bit of an imp? "He called you a dumb ass."
Posted by: Jeanne Follett | Monday, 10 October 2011 at 09:02 PM