Social Question
What emotions would you have had in this situation?
We are in the process of selling our Mountaineer to a 43 year old young woman we know well. IMO, she isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, and she always wants to be the center of attention, usually by being crude and loud, but it is what it is.
She finished up all the financing and brought the payoff check to us to mail to our credit union.
Then my husband thought it would be a good idea for her to test drive the vehicle with us, so we can give her tips and pointers.
I hesitated because I’d ridden with her many, many years ago and her lack of forethought damn near got us killed. Long story short, she was hurtling down a narrow, unmarked country road that she’d never driven before. There were no street lights, and it was pitch dark. She was doing at least 70, and the speed limit was 55. Suddenly there was a sign that warned, “Caution! Bump! 40 mph.”
She never saw it, didn’t have time to see it, much less react, and before I could say anything she ramped the railroad tracks, literally went air borne and we damn near rolled.
I snapped, “Mary! You do NOT drive like a bat out of hell, in the dark, on a street you don’t know!!!”
She kind of giggled nervously.
Fast forward. Rick wanted me to go on this test drive. I hesitated, but thought…we’re not even leaving town. What could go wrong?
They’re in the front, I’m in the back. She’d fly up to stop signs, then suddenly slam on the brakes. When it was time to go she’d just PUNCH it. I mean, this is in a residential area!
At one point, as she slammed to a stop at a stop sign, I laughed nervously and said, “You drive just like Rick!”
She “giggled,” then said, “You mean like this???!!” She was turning right and she just punched it around the corner as hard as she could. She doesn’t even know the f*****g vehicle or how a top heavy SUV is different from driving the passenger car she’s used to! She almost lost it, wildly over correcting, and almost plowed into a line of parked cars along the road.
I got pissed, and snarled, ”STOP IT!!” Not only was it dangerous, but it was not her car yet.
She giggled nervously. A little further on, with the slamming on the brakes, and the punching it, and just generally not paying attention, her cell phone rang.
She grabbed it and I said, “I swear, if you answer that phone and keep driving I’ll get out and walk home!”
She just said, like a bratty teenager, “Whatever,” and blew me off.
I finally decided to just shut up and pray that we get home in one piece, which we did.
The emotions I had, in this order, were:
1) Anger. I was really angry.
2) Fear. In some situations, fear and anger are kind of interchangeable. Have you ever noticed that?
3) Extreme frustration
4) Part of me was disgusted. Maybe because she’s a grown woman, not a kid whose had their license for 6 months, but that’s how she was driving.
What would your emotions have been?
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