Pissing off old ladies
I annoyed an old lady today. Well, not so much annoyed as completely pissed off. More her problem that mine, but I still pissed her off.
I was coming back from the local salad joint, having spent the last two weeks wihtout a healthy dose of fruits and vegetables and just needing (absolutely NEEDING) some vegetables, and decided to take the back streets instead of the major streets around. I did this because school was letting out, and the crossing guards were being particularly obnoxious with their traffic stoppings, causing long lines at intersections on the major roads, lines I could avoid taking smaller streets.
So, there I was, tooling down the street, approaching an intersection. I was also listening to an audio CD, an interesting one at that, so despite having my lunch next to me, I wasn't in any particular hurry to rush home.
As I approached the intersection, I saw a woman approach the intersection on the sidewalk to the right. She was hunched over a wheeled walker, carrying a bag of some sort. When I saw her, I slowed, and stopped farther back from the intersection than I normally would, to indicate to her that I would wait for her to cross the street.
Near the same time, she saw me pull up to the intersection. She stopped and, after catching my eye, waved me to pull through and go first. I didn't move, deciding to take the opportunity to listen to more of the book.
She glared at me, and started gesturing more vigorously, all of her body language screaming at me to go through the intersection first.
I waved, indictating to her she should go first. She was at the intersection first. I wasn't in any hurry. Go already, old woman, go.
Instead, she stood there, a big HARUMPH expression on her face, her body in a coiled spring of anger.
She furiously gestured again for me to cross. I didn't move. In seemingly heroic resignation, she gave up, and crossed the street in front of me.
The glare I received during the crossing was surely meant to replace the bird she wanted to give me.