We’re getting the worst storm of the season tonight and I went to my favorite storm watching spot to get photos. It was a magnificent cloud with lightning, which I couldn’t capture as I was just too slow. I love the wind pushed in front of the storms, though, and leaning into it as it blasts around me.
When it started raining heavily I headed home. Entering the complex, I started up the hill using my regular route, forgetting that part of the road is closed off for road re-surfacing. The car in front of me also forgot, and was stopped at the barrier. Looking in the rearview mirrow, I spotted an SUV behind me.
It’s narrow to turn around in that spot with cars parked on both sides. The car in front started backing up, and I started backing up but the lady in the SUV wasn’t moving. I finally stopped, and the blue car ahead of me, impatient, started backing up on the other side of me.
Did I happen to mention it’s narrow? And that he was impatient? Sure enough, on the other side of me, he hit a parked car, scarping his car’s side down the other fender. He stopped, and I thought he was going to get out, but then he just took off. I rolled down my window to see where he went and saw him a couple of blocks away, turning the corner. The lady behind asked if I got the license plate, which I hadn’t. But she did back up the SUV enough for me to turn around and I followed him to see if I could identify his car.
I couldn’t find him so I headed back to the damaged car, calling the police to report a hit and run. When I got to the car, a young guy was standing beside it and thinking it was the owner, I yelled out I had called the police. Seems it wasn’t the car owner but the ‘hit and run’ driver.
He had pulled around to where his house was to park, and then walked back. He was pretty unhappy I had called the police, but as I told him he took off without a word to anyone and to all intents and purposes, he was a hit and run. I called the police to let them know the guy showed up, but the dispatcher told me and the guy to wait, the police were on the way. I told the guy I would say I misunderstood the situation, but he was still unhappy.
The rain became extremely heavy and I ran back to my car to wait for the police. I then noticed I had left the back door of the car open and the back seat was soaked. I was soaked, too, and for being as hot as it was, feeling really cold. When the policewoman came, I ran out into miserable downpour long enough to briefly tell her my story. She said I could go, and I took off.
When I got home, I told my roommate what happened and asked him: was I wrong to have called the police? He answered no way. The guy had driven several blocks away, without a word to anyone, and leaving the site of an accident. For all I and the other lady knew, he was a hit and run driver.
So why did I let the guy make me feel I was in the wrong?
Anyway, my roommate made me some chicken soup and I’m curled up in my chair with a soft blanket over my legs, still feeling upset about the experience. Then a knock on the door–a neighbor lady had found my wallet out in the street in a puddle by my car and was returning it. Though everything is soggy, it’s all there. And as much as the water has been running, it’s lucky it wasn’t washed away. That was nice of her, and her actions made me feel a little better; but I still feel that right now I would rather be walking the beach near Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, Oregon at sunrise–by myself–than be here. Walking, flying my huge sport kite, checking out the tidal pools–anything but be here, and anything but be with people.
None of the pictures really came out, so no photos. But I did want to point out that in addition to the thoughtful comments to my last post there’s a lively discussion about it at Lauren’s weblog–excellent discussion attached to both posts. And Dennis Kennedy at Corante’s Between Lawyers wrote a great follow-on post to the recent Creative Commons post.