What The Pedestrian Saw

I saw something that to me seemed rather remarkable, so the second I got home and started my laundry, then browsed the internet for a while, I made sure to record it here for posterity. My first observation was of a screeching sound behind me as I crossed the street. I immediately connected it with an out-of-control car, and jerked my head around to see in case I would need to take evasive maneuvers. The next thing I saw was an older-looking sedan slowing down and weaving around a bit with a second car riding its bumper.

It occurred to me that the front car must have or at least could have experienced a blowout, but in retrospect I could not recall hearing anything which would correspond with that, so I think now it could merely have been a flat. Here's where it gets interesting. The driver of the front car burst out, plainly furious. He began to take threatening steps towards the rear car, and while I was stunned, my mind began working at imagining what his grievance could possibly be towards the rear car. My present speculation is that he may have found it to have damaged his bumper.


I continued to watch while making a token effort at continuing my trek across the road. The rear car's response was really rather reckless if effective. At this time, its driver went into reverse and floored it. The belligerent evidently realized that there was nothing further he could do, and I believe he returned to his car and broke off the encounter. The rear car went on its way after a few moments, secure in the belief that things had blown over. I turned my back on the affair and walked away not so sure as that.

What would have otherwise been an unmemorable walk home from the grocery store marked only by my typically exuberant singing along to the songs on my Shuffle had been livened up considerably by an incident which escaped the definition of a crime only by the narrowest of margins. I worried over being seen watching and drawn into things directly, or at the very least finding myself involved later in some kind of formal proceedings. More probable would have been getting struck by another car while focusing on this thing instead of my own surroundings, so really I lucked out all around and accrued a story. You can't beat that.