Wow!

Picture this--my green car is parked, pulled front in first in the parking spot and as I approach there's another car backing into the spot on my driver's side.  As I get closer I realize she's REALLY close to my car.  And as I'm upon her front bumper I see her side mirror scrape the side of my car...but she hasn't seen me yet.  So she ever so slyly yanks her mirror to fold it into the car and leaves a white streak of paint from her car on the rear of my green car.  That's the moment she sees me and first she deverts her gaze while mumbling under her breath--something about don't start with me and a few profanities as her window was down and I'm a fabulous lip reader.  I'm just staring at this happening--no look of disqust on my face, no words out of my mouth so her appropriate response at that moment is to shout out her window "Ain't no one touched your car!"  Um, again, I've said nothing.  I've not even given her a dirty look--YET.  So I wait patiently, as I begin to rub the white paint off my car.  She slowly, ever so slowly, parks her car, rolls up her window and then gets her store name badge from her rearview mirror and gets out of her car.  YEP, this here folks is a genuine customer service focused EMPLOYEE of the establishment from where I've just made a purchase!  She tries to avoid eye contact again as she goes around her car, but I stopped her.  I know at this moment that I might possibly be physically assalted in the parking lot of this shopping chain.  I realize that I'm going to be late to pick up Jackie from her horse riding lesson (not like she'll mind) and Joel will have to figure out how to deal with the kids AND pick me up from the police station after giving them my statement.  But she's not gonna side swipe my car--while I'm watching--and then YELL at me that no one did anything!  So I said, very politely of course, "Excuse me.  But you DID touch my car with yours.  See this white paint?  This is paint from your side window.  And there's no damage...the paint will rub right off, but you DID do it and there's just no reason to get so nasty with me."  She said "Oh, sorry." (you know the tone, like a smart a$$ little punk with an attitude) and started to walk off...but no, that's not enough.  I wanted to say like I say with my kids "Sorry for what?" but I didn't.  Instead the mother in me came out, despite that little voice saying "don't do it, just shut up and let it go" I said "I know accidents happen but you shouldn't try to lie about it." And that was too much, I guess becasue she spat "I SAID I WAS SORRY!" and stormed off for her evening shift at work.  Maybe the fact that she was already wearing her employee badge is what kept her from opening up a can on me...WOW. 

Yes, I've written a polite email to the store manager including the make, model and license plate # of her car because I honestly didn't think to look at her name badge and get her name.  I was shaking for the next hour with fury.  Truly, my car is fine.  But that's not the point,  AMERICA!   Man up--when I backed that same car into the house and the other side was covered in white paint from my siding, I didn't try to lie about it.  I didn't place blame on someone else.  I sobbed like a baby for an hour so Joel wouldn't be SO mad at me. 

I am just glad that #1 the accident magnet of a car really ISN't damaged and #2 I didn't make the evening news with the headline "Southern Maryland woman assalted in local store parking lot"...I totally want to be in the news for something better than that!:)