people suck.

this morning I dropped the boys off at school with their bikes
somehow we left out without the helmets
no worry... I will bring them for the ride home when I meet them
really... what are the odds that they will actually "need" their helmets
hopefully not at all


well...
we did our standard several blocks away from school thing
the boys rode ahead and I walked behind with coffee cup in hand
the boys stopped at the corner and waited for it to be clear
while also waiting for me to send them along


Dean and Grant are at a point where I want them to start understanding when it is safe for them to cross the street
at one corner they waited... in the distance it appeared to be clear
I shouted... "go when it is clear"
more than likely they only heard the words "GO"


then at the next intersection the boys stopped and waited
again it appeared clear
I waited expecting them to start off without me
I walked and I waited... no cars were crossing the intersection and no cars appeared to be turning down the street they were on
then just as I was about to give them the same vague instructions it happened


a car came rolling through the intersection
rolling past the stop line
rolling through the cross walk
not yielding to my children
not altering their behavior due to the presence of the children whose turn was next


the car turned right onto the main street
I stepped out into the road and walked towards the car
I took my last sip of coffee and clutched the large cup in my hand
aggravated I had no real plan for what I was going to say or do


the car slowed and stopped in front of me
as I was obstructing its path it was good that it stopped


the woman rolled down her window and stared at me blankly
I told her in a calm collected manner without any profanity how she had run through the intersection without stopping and without yielding to the children on the bicycles... MY CHILDREN ON THE BICYCLES


the woman stared up at me blankly


I could see that she was a mother... a baby... at least one child in her mini-van
I could also see that she was Asian
but I could not tell if she understood me
she said nothing... just stared blankly at me with a stupid expression on her face


I repeated my thought and got the same blank expression back at me
then went back to the sidewalk and walked the final blocks to the school where I helped young Grant lock the two bikes up in front of the school


my heart rate never changed
but I was still subtlety angry


that woman is a menace... just as so many drivers on the road are a menace
she is an accident waiting to happen


I am glad things did not play out differently than they did