The Bird

So, today I got the “finger”. You know, that one that flies out of the window when someone cuts you off or honks at you for no reason. Of course, I would expect all of you reading this right now to gasp and say “Well, I never have experienced nor shown such a gesture in my life! I am appalled!”  And all I can say to that is…yeah right!

I didn’t do anything to deserve this gesture. I pulled up behind the guy in his discolored 1995 Ford Taurus (he might have been jealous of my 2005 Dodge Stratus), but we were both parked at a red light. We were there the same amount of time. My horn doesn’t even work, so I know I didn’t honk at him. All I did, when the light turned green, was lift my hand to scratch an itch on my forehead. Then, suddenly, this man’s hand came out of his window with no provocation and he flipped me “the bird”!

Now, he tried to speed away (remember 1995 Ford Taurus), but I caught up to him (2005 Dodge Stratus) and we both stopped side by side awkwardly at another red light. I looked over at him with a smile and he looked back at me with a face only a mother could love…no really, he had such an angry face only his mother could love it. I think he was shocked I pulled up next to him, but his window was cracked as if he was waiting for me to start something. However, I kept my window up and awkwardly smiled as if to say “I’m not sure what just happened back there, but I’m confused.”

As I beat him off the line when the light turned green, as a good Christian would, we went our separate ways. As I went to the interstate and he drove to another location with smoke flowing ever so beautifully from his tailpipe, I couldn’t help but think about the man’s anger. Why did he flip me off? Did he not like my glasses? Did I accidentally flash my lights? Did he not like my history podcast I was listening to (I’m a nerd)? I wanted to know. Or, was he just an angry guy with a story no one has ever listened to?

I started to wish I rolled down my window. I started to wish I would have said, “Hey buddy! Let’s pull over and have a chat about that little finger you showed me. It looks like it has been through some rough stuff.” But, I didn’t. Which probably makes my wife happy, but I wonder what would have happened? Some people are just angry, but some people just want to be listened to. He may have misunderstood the scratching of my head and took it as an angry foreign gesture similar to the finger, but I wish I could have found out.

This man, most likely, has some hurt inside. At least, enough anger to bring him to the point of flipping off an innocent driver of a stratus. His story is just as important as mine. I wish I could have heard it.