I was wrong.
Yesterday, I was sitting in my daughter Caitlin's favourite cafe with her. She buys me coffee there every week and it is a little highlight in the routine.
We had not long arrived and were still settling in when there was a bang outside and we looked up to see the two cars involved in a minor crash still coming to rest in the middle of the road outside.
A young woman jumped out of her P-plated car. Her arrogant, nouveau-riche entitlement flashed around and she quickly started to berate the other driver, an elderly man. He suggested they should move off the road to discuss the incident so they moved up a little way.
The man had two walking sticks and was struggling to the extent that he also leaned heavily against his car for support as he went to the passenger side to get papers out. There was an extended conversation and we wondered what could possibly take so long about exchanging details.
Next, we saw that the young woman was asking him to walk down a couple of house lengths to look at the damage on her car. It was obviously going to be hard or impossible for him to get up onto the footpath so they were walking along the narrow, busy road.
By this time I really saw red and dashed out of the cafe. I moved a little further up the road towards them and yelled out to her to bring her car up. I couldn't hear what she said but her face said it all and I repeated my request "Bring the damned car up! Can't you see he can't walk?"
By this time it was pretty much a fait accompli so I turned to retreat into the cafe. It wasn't much of a retreat because people were coming to see what the kerfuffle was. Caitlin just put her head in her hands and said "oh, mum...."
Thank you and well done.
ReplyDeleteAs an aside, have you notice how much easier it is to speak up for someone else? I hope I would also have spoken up for the elderly gentleman, but am pretty sure I would have done my best to obey her dictates...
Unfortunately I didn't manage to achieve anything. Maybe she will think more next time?
DeleteYou are right, it is easier to speak up for another.
It is much easier to speak up for someone else. Good for you.
ReplyDeletethey probably wont want me in their cafe ever again!
DeleteI am clapping from here. It does not matter that you did not achieve anything but at least you tried.
ReplyDeleteI hope so!
DeleteOh yes! Much easier to speak up for another. I had a round with someone in the store. I will blog on that tomorrow or Monday.
ReplyDeletei look forward to it
DeleteI don't think that qualifies as "grumpy old woman" at all. You were doing something quite commendable, which was to help a frail old man and tick off a self-centred and inconsiderate motorist.
ReplyDeleteshe was young and well off which is often a bad combo.
DeleteIf my kids who are of similar age behaved like that I would die
I would have done the same thing and stepped in "as a witness" for the old man. If my kids acted like that I would first have taken a switch to their ass and then disinherited them.
ReplyDeleteA few people went and offered the man their support. There is no doubt he had the popular vote!
DeleteI've been dipping in and out of Blogland rather erratically recently and this has been on my browser for a while. Apologies. It really behoves people to be pleasant: it costs nothing but can achieve so much. The old man might have been in the wrong so far as the crash was concerned but even if he was his 'assailant' is unlikely to get any sympathy. Good for you.
ReplyDeleteDip in and out as you will Graham, where would the fun be if it was obligatory?
DeleteUnlike Caitlin, I would say that you behaved perfectly.
ReplyDeleteShe knows I did the right thing but at 18 she would run a mile to avoid a public spectacle and it's worse that we were in a shop she frequents :)
Delete