Watch Out

Yesterday, the entire city of Dallas was covered in Ice. By lunch, most of the main roads were good enough to drive on so Diana and I carpooled into Dallas and went to pick Erin up for lunch in downtown Dallas. This turned out to be a bad idea.

Scene: a silver Saturn Vue is heading South in the crowded downtown of Dallas. High rises surround the driver and his wife. The curbs and sidewalks are littered with a combination of ice, salt and sand from the freak ice storm that covered the city overnight. As the driver, Trinity, makes a left turn onto a shadowed street two African American ladies are jaywalking across the road.

Both middle aged, one is stranded in the middle lane attempting not to slip due to the hazardous conditions that nature has delivered. The other stands in the right lane of traffic where the Vue has just turned. Without thinking, Trinity taps the brakes in an effort to slow down enough to let the woman get onto the side walk.

Instead of slowing, the wheels of the car halt while the Vue itself continues towards the woman. Due to the suns position, the ice that was dropped the night before had yet to dissipate, leaving a road of frozen dangers. The woman holds her position as the Vue slowly slides towards her. Trinity turns his wheels to help guide the car towards the curb to try and avoid hitting the woman.

Ass cheeks clinch in the car as the Vue begins to slow. Will the woman get onto the curb? No, she positions herself in the street with no attempts to move. Her face remains calm, more focused on staying upright than worried for her life. In the car, the driver and passenger sit wondering if today they will run down a person like roadkill. The car hits the curb with a thud and ricochets, the force slowing them. The Vue comes to a halt, mere feet away from the woman.

She doesn't move. The car is stuck until she decides to step onto the curb. The driver motions an apology. The almost victim looks to her friend still standing in the turning lane of the road. "I almost fell" she exclaimed. Her friend replies "I don't think it matters". Finally she steps to her left to reveal the reason she wouldn't get on the curb. Freezing water was in the lip of the street and she did not want to get her feet wet. Her friend joined her and the two shot angry glares at the driver.

This story is true and begs the question, "What kind of stupid bitch sees a car sliding towards her and doesn't step out of the way just because she doesn't want to get her feet wet?"

That is all,

Newt