I can’t believe I was just talking about road rage being on the increase a couple of days ago and today my parents were subjected to what I can only term as shameful behaviour.
My parents were looking for a parking space in the local shopping mall this morning. The mall near their place is huge and it is always incredibly difficult to get parked.
My Dad saw a spot and had partly driven into it when another driver came from nowhere claiming the space was hers. My Dad hadn’t seen her before driving into the space. He was not aware anyone else had dibs on the space but she was carrying on so much he actually offered to give it to her.
By this stage the other driver was completely off her head and was swearing and shouting at my parents. My parents are both in their 70s and while neither of them are shrinking violets, they are not used to such public altercations.
Anyway, the woman refused the offer of the space and drove off shouting out her window: ‘You’ll be sorry for this you %%##@@!’ My Mum and Dad shrugged but forgot about it soon afterwards.
When they returned from doing their shopping both of their front doors had deep scratches running the full length of the door. My Mum said they were so deep she could actually fit a fingernail in the groove.
Am I jumping to conclusions in thinking the irate driver scratched my parents car?
She was a woman in her mid to late 30s, well-dressed in a black SUV. Can you imagine treating an elderly couple in such a way just because you didn’t get a parking space?
I am so angry right now that if I came across her I would ram her car and if I saw her car in the street I would torch it. How dare she?
My Dad called the Police but because he had been too flustered to get the woman’s license plate the Police will have to rely on CCTV footage to try and track her down.
My Dad can have the scratches repaired on his insurance but he will have to pay the excess. A hefty $550.00. A very expensive trip to the shopping mall.
Sometimes I wonder what drives people to behave so irrationally over something as insignificant as a parking space. My mum’s voice was shaking when I was talking to her on the phone and afterwards I felt like weeping. My parents are getting to that age where all I want to do is protect them. I don’t want anything bad to happen to them, you know? If I ever catch that woman, she is going to rue the day.
Selma In The City 
ARGHHH – the injustice is maddening!!
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That is ridiculous!
When we first moved to Florida from Los Angeles, we had our car keyed several times and I’m convinced it’s for the sole reason that we had California plates on our car.
People are idiots.
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One word: Karma.
She’ll get hers, but oooh, I’d love to be in the audience when it happens. I do hope they can find something on the CCTV, because that was just… shameful. And scary. I’m glad they didn’t catch her in the act, because who knows what she would have done if they had.
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What a real bitch! I am pretty sure it was her – I hope she get hers. What comes around goes around, Thank God your parents are OK and she didn’t hurt them physically!
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As Karen pointed out – it all comes around, but that doesn’t help much with the frustration of the day. I have actually heard of people running over individuals to get parking spaces. It is astonishing. How did something so meaningless as a parking space become more important that human kindness and compassion?
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That is absolutely terrible. I think people act that way because their lives have no meaning. Our society is creating people who think only of themselves and not the importance of others.
I am sorry your parents had to go through that – it’s scary!
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My parents are also in their seventies and I would be enraged as well if someone did that to them. I hope that woman later felt absolutely horrible about what she did and has a hard time looking at herself in the mirror.
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This just stinks Selma!!! I feel so bad for your parents and for older folks in general who seem to be easy targets for those who have no decency or grace. Obviously this woman had a screw or two VERY loose to act like this. I’d be wary of confronting her if you do ever see her. These things can take an about-turn in record time, as you know. You might be the one left holding the bag so to speak.
We had a brand new car a few years ago that some punks ‘customized’ with long key scratches on the beautiful shiny hood of the car. It was covered for repairs but it took the shine off having it, after this happened. What a world eh? 😦 We do have to focus on the good stuff or we’d go crazy I guess.
Hugs to you and your mom and dad too, G
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I’m so sorry to hear about your parents. My God, has society lost all respect for the generation that sacrificed before them? I don’t drive. I didn’t renew my DL either. I don’t even wanna drive someone else’s vehicle. I have a chevy truck that I drive on private roads to different jobs. I will not drive on public roads. Not everyone can live as I do, and I have compromised a lot. As Ms. Karen said…Karma.That woman will get hers.Give your parents a big hug for me.
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You know, I’m not so sure it was her … I’ve met people like that before, and they’re usually all gob and no action. But, I hope CCTV catches the culprit, and he, or she spends the next few weeks picking something unpleasant up from the streets.
Someone keyed my car once. A number of cars got so treated, and we noticed they all belonged to officers or sergeants. We had a good idea who did it, but we could never prove it.
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I agree with you Selma. What a terrible thing to do to anyone, let alone an elderly couple. I was waiting at the exit of a parking lot today on a very long line of traffic, when a man in a pickup stopped and motioned for me to come out in front of him. I was so stunned that someone could be so thoughtful. I waved and mouthed a thank you as a pulled out. As I was driving away, I though what kind of world has it become when such an simple gesture of kindness and politeness was the exception and not the rule. I feel bad for your parents. How sad their generation must be to see how far down the ladder of decency younger generations are falling.
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Can you imagine doing that?
People can be so terribly awful.
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BRITT – it is maddening, I agree. Why do people behave the way they do? I’ll never understand it.
AVITABLE – Amen. People are indeed, idiots. I think I should get a T-shirt printed up that says that very thing. I’m sorry to hear it happened to your car too. That stinks.
KAREN – bring on the karma. I’m glad they didn’t catch her in the act too. It doesn’t bear thinking about. I’ll keep you posted about the CCTV results.
TBALL – I agree. It makes you wonder what else she gets up to, doesn’t it? My son made an interesting observation about her –
‘she’s all shrivelled up inside,’ he said. Very astute of him.
KAYT – an elderly man was bashed to death by a man in his 40s a couple of years back, right in the middle of Sydney. The reason for the assault? He took too long turning left. It still shocks me to this day. It’s just not right.
PWADJ – you have hit the nail on the head. It’s as if by lashing out at others the emptiness will go away. But as we know, it doesn’t quite work like that. I am just thankful my parents are OK.
LINDA – I hope she did too, but you wonder, don’t you? Do people like that feel remorse? That’s what bothers me.
GERALDINE – you won’t believe it, my parents car is brand new too. They’ve had it for three weeks. It has taken the gloss off the whole new car thing. At least they are OK. In the end that’s all that counts. I am sorry to hear you went through a similar thing.
PUNATIK – thanks for your kind words. Respect is a dying concept, I think. I will definitely pass on those hugs.
TRAVELRAT – I thought that too. I guess time will tell. Sounds like someone had it in for the officers. Shame you didn’t catch him because you could have done the thing I would love to do if I was in the services : ‘Get down and give me twenty.’ I would so enjoy that!
CRICKET – I am so glad you encountered some courtesy on the road. I see it every now and then and like you, I am surprised when it happens. It’s a shame it is becoming such a rare event.
NAT – I just don’t get it, Nat. Truly awful.
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I would have been beyond *livid*.
Grrrrrrrrrr
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MELEAH – I was maaaaad. Such a horrible way for someone to behave. Grrrr is a good way to describe it!
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That type of thing is why I moved way up on top of a mountain in the Blue Ridge mountains. After my Marine Corps career, I wanted to get as far away from people as I could, and your experience typifies why I have never regretted that decision.
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Good Heavens…You know, I think of the angry woman and I pity her. What a miserable, loathesome life she must lead to be so petty and so irascible. However, that doesn’t let her off the hook. I hope the police locate her and I hope she both pays and apologizes.
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Oh My God!!! I agree with the afore mentioned karma. Though it would be a much more satisying release of what I’m sure you’re still feeling about this to confront her directly, trust me when I tell you — what goes around, comes around. Count on it.
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Selma,
One way that ‘Karma’ may come around for her is that one day she just might pick the wrong old people to abuse-i.e the (grand)parents of some crime boss, or the leader of a biker gang, or someone with political power like a high ranking official in the Tax department or the Police services. There are plenty of rich and powerful people in Sydney who don’t flaunt neither their richness nor power, who live simple lives in the suburbs. But if someone should mess with one of theirs…they can make that person’s live a misery in many ways.
I’m glad your parents are ok.
DavidM
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Wow. I am a total loss for words. This is wrong on so many levels, I don’t know where to begin.
I hope they locate her, because if they don’t, she’ll probably do it again. That kind of behavior should NOT be tolerated on any level.
😛
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THE HERMIT – now that sounds idyllic to me. How wonderful. I often wish I could do that myself.It must be incredibly liberating. I really appreciate you stopping by.
GROOVY – I pity her too, she must be flying off the handle at the slightest of things. She’ll make herself ill if she’s not careful. I do hope the police locate her though. I would hate for her to continue to treat people so shabbily.
EPIPHANY – I know it does come around. Sometimes patience fails me though, I must admit. However, I’m sure she’s already feeling the turn of the wheel!
DAVID – now that would be poetic justice. Scratch a crime lord’s car and you end up in the Harbour wearing a pair of cement shoes. You and I both know it’s happened before in our fair city….
Food for thought.
TEXASBLU – it does leave you feeling kind of speechless, doesn’t it? I hope they find her too. She obviously needs to take an anger management class or something!
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That is just awful. I can’t really wrap my mind around this one. How can someone be in such a hurry one moment, so that getting a parking space is the most important thing on earth, and then suddenly find they have plenty of time to fit in some sneaking around and car damaging?
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DAOINE – I know. It’s quite irrational. Hope I never meet her in a dark alley.
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That’s HORRIBLE. Karma will be unkind to her, don’t worry about harming her yourself. 🙂
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Bite her once for me too!!! (indignant sniff)
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POPPY – how nice of you to drop by. Yeah, I think karma will get her too. She’s probably feeling very remorseful right now(I hope). Thanks for the visit!
NECTARFIZZ – Gnashing my teeth in preparation right now. LOL.
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