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| LIAM WAITING |
I have seen many accidents, been in a few, and just escaped some. You have the people who walk behind you as you are backing out. Or open their doors into you as you walk by. The most common happening is the one of two people backing out at the same time and whack, smash, hit each other.
and that is our story for this week-one of backing out and backing off.
I am just out of the Apple store in Manhasset, their parking lot full of frenetic energy, I think the energy is buzzing from the Apple store itself, which is a place of personnel in royal blue, no papers, pens, pencils, just devices-a whir and blur of anxiety and efficiency and confusion and wonder. I am done with my visit and back in my car.
I am backing out and have looked both ways several times. I am good to go. All of a sudden, a woman is jumping at my passenger window. "What is wrong with you? Didn't you hear me honking?" First question- not easy to answer. A lot is wrong with me. I'll take the second one. I can answer that. "No. Did not hear you honking." I look and our car rears are almost touching. We have backed out into each other just about. The woman is really angry. I know I have to take the opposite attitude and not match her anger. I have to back off. She is confused by my passivity. I say, "I am sorry." Her rage evaporates. She advises, "Maybe you should turn off your radio." That is not the problem. And I decide to explain the problem to her. I will tell you first. The problem is my hearing aids. I have them so that I can hear better, but in the car they have static. In both ears I have crackling fireplace-like noise. I pull one out to show her. Immediately, she becomes a different person. "Oh, I am sorry, you cannot hear." I say, "I can hear, just not with my hearing aids in."
As I am saying this, I realize the oxymoronic nature of this statement http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/oxymoronand I go from eyes filled with tears to the urge to laugh out loud. I have hearing aids so I will hear honking but cannot because my car causes static in them and I cannot hear. I promise her I will call my audiologist and I vow to remove them when driving. We part on friendly terms. As she returns to her car, another woman drives in the wrong way and nearly hits her. The wrong way driver is chastised by a fourth woman (who has been watching our encounter), "You are coming in the wrong way." Now those two have an exchange.
Whew, I am out of the limelight. My woman then backs out first, And I follow. We enter the exiting traffic lane. She on the right, I am on the left. We have a red light, and wait side by side. As we wait, a car starts backing up into her on her passenger side and she begins honking at him. First man to enter the fray. As the light turns green, I pass by and turn left, leaving her screaming at her new Nemesis.
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| WHERE IS THE APPLE STORE? |
Park far away from store.
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| IS IT THIS WAY? |
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| SO TIRED OF WAITING |
