Okay, now, where were we?
Oh yes. The car was backing up and I'd nowhere to go.
The car was a large luxury car, not new but nice. I got a very good, close up view of its back end. Before I could even honk my horn, we were hit on the front driver's side bumper.
Now, I have to tell you, it's not easy to damage a Saturn. You've got a steel frame under a polycarbonate outer skin that tends to "pop out" any dents. She hit just right, and damaged the polycarbonate, peeling a small section of the color applied. The only good thing about this is that at least it won't rust.
After the hit, the car pulled forward, back into her parking place. Normal, right?
Then, she started to back up again.
By that time, 'Pup had gotten out of the car ( a WHOLE lot faster than he usually does--adrenaline does that for you), and was close enough to the woman to get her to stop before she hit me again.
I think his words were something along the lines of "Lady, What thinkest Thou?"
(Okay, translate that into something a little more current and perhaps a little more...scatological. Perhaps a lot more.)
"Don't yell at me!", she said, "I'm 87 and I'm sick."
Somehow, that didn't impress 'Pup all that much. He doesn't take kindly to people hitting cars his Bodacious ('dat's me) is driving.
"Well, I'm 56 and I'm DYING!" (Technically true as several of the things 'Pup lives with will kill him someday, and a lot sooner than 87.)
We started exchanging insurance information and soon the mall cops joined in on the fun, gathering information. They asked us to move my car, as it seems we were blocking people from going down that aisle. You know, considering what happened to us, and the fact that the lady was still sitting behind her wheel, they should have been glad we were.
After 'Pup took the car and parked it nearby, the mall cops moved in and parked right behind the lady's car.
Then, we'd finished exchanging the needed information and the lady announced that she was going to go home. She started up her car and started backing up.
Remember who was parked behind her?
Oh, don't worry, we stopped her before she came into contact with the SUV. You'd have thought the mall cops would have been more appreciative of that. On the other hand, perhaps this was the highlight of an otherwise rather boring day. Who knows?
We helped the lady leave, after first stopping ALL traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian, in both directions. We did have a little concern for the cars parked in the spaces behind her, but there was little we could do for them. It was close, but she left without causing any more damage. I hope she got home okay.
Then the mall cops told US to drive more carefully. US?? I pointed out---not yelling, but anyone who knows me would have been backing up---I can use "teacher voice" with the best of them.
"We. weren't. driving. WE were stopped. What are you talking about??" (okay I was a little testy at this point. And hungry. Let us not forget hungry. It plays a larger role in the coming incidences in this adventure.)
The mall cop did show enough intelligence to back away from me (a five foot tall, round red-head, and he about 5'10 and somewhat muscled--he liked himself, I think, but that's only speculation and I wouldn't want to be accused of slander or anything), and lamely say, "Well, sometimes you have to drive more carefully by watching what other drivers are doing and you know, uhmm..."
Then he started walking away. I don't think I was growling out loud, but I could feel my blood pressure rising. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
After all that, we thought we were pretty much done with the drama for the day.
We was wrong.
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Plant a seed!