Don't Get Triggered

It was one of those shopping centers with stores lined up next to each other and a huge parking lot in front. We came out of the store and looked to both sides of the street to check that no cars were crossing nearby. All clear. There was one approaching from our right, but far enough, he would certainly stop.

We started walking to cross because pedestrians have the right of way in such parking lots. And the car approaching from the right kept moving and moving.

I gave him a side look, kind of to say, “don’t you realize we are here, brother? Crossing the street in front of you?” The car kept approaching, showing no signs of braking. We were almost on the other side when the car was just like 3 feet away, I turned to the driver and gestured the universal, “What’s wrong with you, man?”

And the guy, instead of apologizing for almost hitting us, just gave us the finger and hand signs that basically said, “I don’t care you are crossing, I didn’t plan to stop anyway.”

At that moment, my survival instincts kicked in and a rush of angry thoughts came to my mind, like a violent stream of water rushing through a fall. “What the hell is wrong with this guy? We are in a shopping center! You have to yield to pedestrians! It’s the law! It’s a universal rule! Don’t you know how to drive or what? And then you do it on purpose? You weren’t even distracted. Do you think you own the street?”