Thursday, December 6, 2012

A true story I am suprised I never wrote about.



 Let me first preface this writing with the fact that I was required to write a narrative essay in an active voice.  I created an outline, a rough draft, and 4 final drafts.  I am really hoping to get a good grade.
      A few years ago I experienced an unpleasant confrontation with a pleasing outcome. To the best of my knowledge I am not running late. I head out to drop the kids off at school one early morning. The route to my kids school travels through Coast Guard housing, not a low income housing by any means. However, what happens next may challenge the casual onlookers opinion about this. As I drive near a band of women, most of them with coffee mugs in hand and children by their side. I hear someone shout, “Slow down!”. What goes through my mind at this point I better not mention. Pride coupled with womanly hormones explains my inexcusable behavior. Imagine the look on the offenders face when she sees my reverse lights. Now with my vehicle in position, I have the nerve, to roll down my window and start a yelling match with a woman, I have never met in my life. I proceed to yell at her about the fact that she does not know how fast I was going and has no right to yell at me. All this happening right in front of God and everybody and I am too selfish to think about my children in the backseat trying to make sense of this senseless act. As I drive away, I am not entirely surprised by the lack of ease I feel over having put that woman in her place. Instead, I feel like a jerk. Yelling across the road at some lady is rude and in no way Christ like behavior. I am telling myself very soon after the incident that I need to apologize to that woman. The second turn of events is making me nervous enough to rethink my decision. I have a number of excuses for why I shall just keep driving. Alas, I have no choice. I drive my usual route for about a week before I have the opportunity to encounter this crowd of Coast Guard spouses again. It is now upon me, my chance to make amends that I am very reluctant to take. This time I must stop the van for a different agenda. As I shamefully stare at the group, scanning for the lady while they are all looking back at me, or at least it seems that way. I realize I forget what she looks like and have to ask another woman to “Please get the lady I had a confrontation with the other day.”. As the lady approaches I have no idea what she is thinking or how she will react., She is quiet, and I tell her that I am sorry for how I had behaved last week. She, in turn even apologizes for yelling at me. We have a very forgiving conversation. In the end, I am ashamed at the way my children saw me behave, but am equally happy they are able to see the meek resolve by two moms who made a poor judgement call.