Rear View

I was trying to be pretty sanguine this morning.  But it may be said:  a sprained neck and a migraine are no pleasant combination.  The headache *could* actually be a concussion.  But for now it appears to be an exceptional, but not catastrophic, ailment.

What I wrote before the various pains began hitting is below.  I probably won't trouble to edit anything to smooth out the *rest* of the day.  All I really want is bed and sleep - and it isin't even 8:00.  Gah.


***



I'm used to men looking at my backside, but this morning's stream of gawkers was a bit of another story.  On Fridays, I come in an hour later than the rest of the week, so the roads tend to be more crowded.  This morning, on the straightaway that ratchets up to a 55 speed limit and is the home stretch to getting in to work, I passed out from behind an SUV in the left lane and exited to the access road for my office.  She veered across all lanes too, careened in behind me, and tailgated without slowing down.  When I slowed down - the speed limit off the highway decreases 20MPH - she bashed into my car.

I spent the next hour and some change sitting pulled over on the road that leads to my office, and for a while traffic mostly just made their way by, somewhat slower maybe, but not making much point of rubbernecking.  My own neck now significantly less limber than rubber, I spent the time pretty much sitting there.  First call was 911 of course.  Second was to mom's house, where first I talked to stepfather for a while, then he did put her on the phone.  It's a cruel thing to do to a fretful mom, calling her when you're in a wreck, but she sort of signed up for it, being a parent.  (Poor thing, how could she know she would get me for a daughter?)  But anyway, I cooled down.  The other driver had some friend or a sister or something come sit in her car with her, but I just stayed put and told mom not to come.

The other driver's license plate said, "I'm animal friendly".  Oh my.  Anything it might have indicated about her interest in "animal law" would be personally identifiable information I don't care to put online, but suffice it to say I got a fair amount of amusement out of the contrast literally parked before me - given her disinterest in *traffic* law, and apparent non-people-friendliness.

First one sheriff showed, then he told us each, at our cars, he was not actually on duty.  He'd come so he could help speed up the process while we waited for the officer who'd be handling the incident.  I wrote a little essay about what'd happened, I turned off the car, I turned it back on eventually, it was a very long and quiet time.  With traffic now significantly slowed, because when sheriff #2 arrived his vehicle caused more traffic to crawl.  Not all by any means, but it seemed a good proportion of people were taking the excuse to indulge curiosity.

The perpetrator (heh - well, she did get cited and I certainly did not) had actually pulled over in front of me, so it was sherriff #2, then sheriff #1, me, her, and then her friend's car out in front of us all.  So the damage she'd done got a lot of inspection.  I actually never did get out of my car, including during those first two minutes when she tried to come talk to me and I was on the line with 911.  I am grateful, considering the temper she'd induced, that I had no time nor reason to talk with her.  I resolved to wait, and sit tight, and not leave anywhere near her own vehicle, and to leave alone.

Eventually, the tow truck came for her SUV.  Her friend moved, the truck pulled in in front of her, and she was slowly loaded up.  She'd apparently shot her (vehicle) in the foot.

I keep hearing little creaking and popping noises in my neck, and a headache is taking slow root, but I'm not sure there's anything severe going on.  It could be stress as much as actual injury, and today's dance card is booked for a while, so we'll have to wait and see.  I worked an hour later than my usual half day ends, because I was not taking PTO for this, then an eye exam.  I need glasses, and had put off setting that for ages, so wasn't gooing to miss it.  So I can read, and write, more happily.  :)

It's not really the worst day in the world.  Frustrating - and certainly for a while there I was seriously shaken.  But I hold no grudge, and there are things to do.  So it goes.  And so do I.