Monday night, and I’m just leaving the supermarket, where I had gone to buy some water and snacks I could put in the little fridge in my hotel room. I took Lovers Lane, driving on the second leftmost lane because I had to turn to take highway 75 soon…
As I’m about to arrive to the intersection, driving at a very reasonable speed, I hear that the car behind me is honking very insistently. “What’s the problem with this guy?” , I thought, “Is there a problem with my tail lights, or do I have a flat tire?”. No, nothing like that. He was just in a hurry because there was an extra lane about five yards in front of me, for those who turn left, and he wanted to get there as soon as possible… I had a car right in front of me, where did this guy wanted me to go???!!!
I chose to ignore the moron, who immediately proceeded to switch lanes at full speed, making a face that almost caused me to wet my pants. I kept circulating at a normal speed. That’s when I saw that the guy had come to a full stop, unable to turn left due to the upcoming traffic and the fact that he had another car in front of him.
With a big smile, I lowered my window and honked to greet him, though I forgot to extend four of my fingers in the hurry. Then I said to him in an inaudible voice but pronouncing very well, something that sounded like “vacuum”… And I kept moving, with the satisfaction of having fulfilled my duty.
Normally, I would have been mad for hours after something like this. But since I decided to laugh at him and had such a great time doing it, I didn’t even remember the incident until this morning, when I started to think what I could write about…
Era lunes a la noche y yo recién salía del supermercado, adonde habia ido a comprar agua, galletitas y otras cosas para poner en la heladerita de mi habitación de hotel. Tomé la calle Lovers Lane, circulando por el segundo carril desde la izquierda porque enseguida tenía que girar para tomar la autopista 75.
Cuando estoy por llegar a la intersección, circulando a una velocidad más que normal, siento que desde atrás me tocan la bocina insistentemente. “Qué le pasa a éste?” , pensé, “Tengo las luces apagadas, o una goma baja?”. No, nada de eso. El tipo estaba apurado porque a unos cinco metros delante de mí se abría una dársena para el giro a la izquierda y él se quería meter cuanto antes… Yo tenía un auto justo delante de mí, cómo pretendía el coso éste que me apurara???!!!
No le di importancia al paparulo ese, que inmediatamentente me pasó a toda velocidad y me puso una cara de malo que me hizo hacer pis encima. Yo seguí circulando a velocidad normal. Allí fue que ví que el tipo se quedaba parado en la dársena de giro, imposibilitado de moverse por el tráfico que venía en contra y el hecho de que tenía un auto adelante.
Sonriendo de oreja a oreja, le toqué bocina, bajé la ventanilla y lo saludé, aunque con el apuro me olvidé de extender cuatro de mis dedos. Luego le dije en voz inaudible pero modulando muy bien algo que se parecía lejanamente a “bigotudo”… Y seguí mi camino, con la satisfacción del deber cumplido.
Normalmente me hubiera quedado caliente por horas, pero como resolví reírme de él, no volví a recordar el asunto hasta esta mañana cuando pensaba sobre qué cornos escribir…
From “Mafalda”, the best comic strip in Argentine history, by the great Quino
De “Mafalda”, la mejor historieta de la historia argentina, por el gran Quino
I get normally distracted (I’d say absent minded) when I’m busy and forget basic things like where I left my wallet, my phone or my USB key. I’m really busy these days, with three upgrades in three consecutive weekends and a whole bunch of other work stuff going on, so I’m particularly clumsy.
I had the phone in there because I was texting my manager, OK? :-)
Wordless Wednesday
