Off-Duty

Posted by: Blue

Today, at my sons' doctor's office, I was pulling into the parking lot and witnessed an irate male on the side-walk yelling at a woman in an SUV.

It was clear from the body language of the pedestrian that he didn't believe her vehicle should be in his path.

He was wrong.  She was obeying all laws of the road just fine.

She ignored him and tried to drive away, acting the adult that she was.  He turned and spat on the hood of her car.  She didn't notice and drove away.

I jumped out of the driver's seat, told my wife to park and chased him down the street.

I caught up to him, tinned him and then the following conversation ensued:

"What the hell was that? You'd better cool yourself down!"

"No, I was just, I was just saying..."

"No!  You spit on her car.  That's what you were doing.  You'd better smarten your ass up!"  I poked my index finger into his chest when I said that last part.

"Okay."

"Get the hell outta here.  I don't want to see you again.  I'm just disgusted by that.  If I come across you in uniform, I'm gonna give you a ticket for that and we might have a longer talk about what kinds of wants or orders you might have.  That was disgusting behaviour.  And I'm gonna tell you, she was in the right with her driving.  You didn't even have a reason to be upset, let alone spit on her car."

"Okay.  I'm sorry."

"Go."

The rudeness, childishness and stupidity of some people is really what makes me mad.  My partner calls me the Manners Cop when I tell arrestees to mind their pleases and thank-you's or pull someone over just to explain to them that it's not polite to cut someone off in traffic.  I have no problem with that.  A few more manners and some consideration of others would go a long way in this world.