and this might be why you shouldn't flip people off

i know that i have spent most of my life living 'citified' or 'suburbanized,' but i don't really consider myself either. part of that may just be because i don't want to admit reality, but some of it comes from growing up in a small-ish community (claremore) and from spending large amounts of time in osborne county.  sometimes, though, the influence of my rough and tumble years of driving the mean streets of the dfw metroplex seep into my behavior behind the wheel on the bricks of main street in osborne.  

like yesterday.

mom and i were backing out of our parking spot on main.  stupid me parked next to a VERY long pickup truck and a little too close to the main intersection in town (there's no light, let me remind yall).  anyway.  it was parade day, so there was quite a bit of traffic in town and i was taking my time backing up.  this was especially necessary since i couldn't see around the truck next to me.  i had to wait for FIVE cars to pass by before i could back all of the way out.  (and in capitalizing FIVE, i'm in no way mocking osborne, rather my impatience over something so silly.  'cause really?  what was my hurry???)  so i've waited.  i'm clear.  i continue backing out and here comes a car whipping around the corner.  since i'm already pretty much out of my parking space, i decide that i have the right of way.  i also assume that since this is sweet, kind, peaceful osborne - the place where everyone literally knows my (mom's) name - i'm good to finish, put the car in drive, and move on my merry way.   and THAT'S when i notice that said car has zipped around me as i am continuing to back up . . . inches away from me backing into them.

so.  my reaction.  i'm pretty sure that i raised my hands up in disgust.  i know i did my typical glare at the driver as they went by.  i think i said something like, "SERIOUSLY? WHAT IS THAT?"  but in my mind i had to talk myself out of saying the words i would typically say to that car in a dfw traffic situation.  this editing did not take place because i suddenly became a better person.  nope.  mi madre was sitting right next to me and i'm pretty sure the last time i said those words in her presence i found soap in my mouth not long after.  anyway.  crisis missed.  we moved on down main street toward dollar general.

juuuuuuuuuust like the car i almost backed into.  i parked as far away from them as i could in order to avoid any kind of awkward conversation or glance.  mom "ran in" to the store to get a gift bag saying she'd be right back and leaving me in the car to listen to the radio.  but that's when i notice that the driver of the car is walking toward my window.  and yes.  she is signaling me to roll it down.  (how sad is it that my first reaction was one of anxiety and my second reaction was to get my attitude ready?  yall, i think that means i need to get out of the metroplex.)  so i do the slow roll down with the window ready to call upon my inner 8th grade girl and react with eye rolling and whininess to the lecture i'm about to receive on how to drive in osborne.  but.  no lecture comes.  instead.  this woman apologizes for our almost incident.  she apologizes.  several times and ways.  sincerely.

and in so doing, she may have restored my faith in humanity.  at least until monday.

oh wait.  did you think this story was over?  yeah.  SO not.  because again.  let me remind you.  this is osborne we are speaking of.  

i am sitting in my car waiting for my mom to come back from the depths of dollar general.  in my head while i am waiting, i'm waxing poetic in my head about the joys of small towns and how much better people are and why would i ever want to live anywhere else (i.e. the concrete sprawl that is dfw).  then my mom comes back out quite a bit later, but i'm not even bothered by her 20 minute-one purchase shopping spree, so happy am i still about the apology from a random stranger.

and here's the moral to my little tale . . . there are no random strangers in osborne, population 1600.  mom came out laughing because of COURSE she knew the lady from the other car who of COURSE knew about me because she has known me FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE, we just didn't recognize each other without my mom around.  (for those of you in the o-town know, yeah, it was larry p's wife, vickie.  for those of you NOT in the o-town know, her husband grew up down road from my mom and aunt j, worked for my grandparents forever, and then bought the feedlot AND helps to farm our wheat to this day . . .)  

and now, i am rather thankful for whatever it was (conscience?  decorum?  fear of my mother?) that kept me from flipping off that "other driver" because OH MY GOODNESS i can't even imagine the level of embarrassment i'd be suffering from right now if that had been the climax of this story.

also.  if you are kind of wanting to flip me off right now for making you read such a long post, go right ahead.  i probably deserve it.