I pretty much drove our car everywhere even if just for the sake of driving. With my driver’s license in my pocket I actually welcomed the opportunity to get stopped and asked for my license although it never seemed to materialize. One day I was driving down Pesian Street in an area with a number of shops. Apparently the businesses had attracted quite a number of cars parked on either side of that stretch of the street, making it a bit narrow for cars passing through. As I approached, a car coming in the opposite direction flashed its lights at me, indicating it wanted to go through first. I hit my brakes and stopped the car.

The other driver inched forward but ultimately realized that I was already too close for him to be able to squeeze out at the other end of the narrowed section. He stuck his head out of the window and yelled at me, “Didn’t I flash my lights at you?”

“You did and as soon as you did I stopped my car.”

“Well I can’t get through.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Back up your car.”

“No, you back up your car.”

“I flashed my lights at you. You need to back up.”

“And I stopped when you did. If you were so adamant about getting through before me then you should have flashed your lights sooner.”

“Well I’m not moving.”

“I’m not moving either.”

With that being said I pulled my emergency brake, grabbed a sports magazine from the passenger side and began reading it. Realizing that I had no intention of moving, the other driver said, “I’m gonna try to get through but if I hit you it’s gonna be your fault.” Figuring that he wouldn’t wanna damage his own car I called his bluff and simply shrugged and resumed my reading. Gradually others gathered around us to resolve the issue.

“Well he says he flashed his lights so you should have stopped,” one pedestrian reasoned with me. I explained I had but he had flashed them too late.

“Why don’t you just back up and let him get through so we can end this?” someone else asked me.

“Because I’m facing downhill and have to give it some gas to back up. All he has to do is take his foot off the brakes.”

After realizing I had in fact stopped when he flashed his lights and supported by my downhill argument, people gradually took my side. They went to the other driver and urged him to back up to dissipate the growing traffic jam. He loudly resisted for a while, insisting that since he had flashed his lights he had the right of way. Eventually he relented and backed up. As I slowly drove past his stopped car I made eye contact with him. I thought about making some kind of snide remark but I figured the smirk on my face was sufficient to keep his blood boiling for some time.