2003-04-05 - 1:54 p.m.

Today started out like any other Saturday:slept in, watched some tv, got dressed, and ran some errands. Unfortunately, that's where my day took a turn for the worse and I'm now home, so shaken up that I don't want to leave my home.

I was going to the bank, specifically the ATM (this is relevant), and had pulled into the parking lot and prepared to get in line. Well, there wasn't a line per se, just a car in each stall and a blue minivan sitting about 3 car lengths back, looking like he was doing his checkbook. Well, since he hadn't pulled into a stall, I took the initiative and pulled in to do my transaction. That's when Mr Blue Minivan became Mr Road Rage. He jumped on his horn and pulled in behind me, and hit me (didn't know that bit until I got home, as I thought I had just stalled). He then backed up enough that he could get out of his car if he chose to, and continued to scream at me. "Would you do that at a grocery store?!?!" he screamed. I replied calmly "No, because at at grocery store, you choose a lane." At this point, he screamed some obscenities and then proceeded to scream (and point at me) "YOU DESERVE TO BE SHOT, YOU KNOW THAT?!?" I didn't say anything in return but completed my transaction (to the soundtrack of his horn) and drove through. Apparently he felt that his banking matters could wait, because he proceeded to tailgate me through the stall and onto the street, through a light, and a good quarter mile before I turned off and pulled over (to which he ran his light and kept going on Pacific). I hadn't realized that another bank customer happened to be driving along side me and turned off when I did. The couple pulled up along side me in the parking lot and asked if I was ok, to which I said "Yeah" even though the shaking had begun. We had a couple of words, and she had expressed that if she had gotten his license plate, she would have reported him. Thing was, he was following me so closely that I was afraid he'd push me into traffic, and I couldn't see his plate. I took a few seconds to try to collect myself, got something to drink, went to the grocery, and then came home. That's when the tears began. The shakes became quakes and I called Greg at work in a panic. I don't know quite how to handle this, I mean, I've never been on either end of road rage like that before, and I've certainly never been told I "deserved to be shot".

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