Truckers!

A friend of mine from New York was in LA for work this past week, leaving early Saturday morning. I was able to drive out there Friday night to get dinner and drinks before heading back home. I had a pretty free and easy road on the way there, so I expected the way back to be more than a breeze, and it was... until somewhere around Puente Hills I hit massive, massive traffic (past midnight!) due to construction. The lanes kept merging, and I kept getting over, thinking we would stay at 3, until it came down to merge yet again into two lanes.

I got stuck in a very awkward spot, and the Jeep Liberty next to me was being absolutely awful. I tried to speed up to go ahead, and they would speed up enough so I couldn't get in, then slow down to go behind them, and they would slow down. It was unreal. I wasn't trying to be rude and cut her off (and believe me, I've been aggressive; once in Manhattan leaving the Holland Tunnel I had a showdown with a really rude cab driver and I leaned out and slapped the hood of his car, and he stopped after that) but I couldn't get in here. It was so bad, I started to wonder if this lady even realized I was there, because I wasn't seeing what my options were and what she expected me to do with her acting like this, but because of the merge I was already a quarter of the way into her lane, and still she wasn't letting me in anywhere. I rolled down my window and stuck my head out, trying to make eye contact because, come on lady, but she didn't so much as glance in my direction.

Then it happened. I saw her gasp and slam on her brakes. I saw a huge diesel truck from the lane to the left of her had crudely cut her off from the other side. All the action and surprise made me slam on my brakes too; what did they need to get over for and what was going on? There were two of them, a driver and a passenger in the diesel truck, and they stay angled, half in her lane, and honked, getting my attention, smiling at me and waving me into the lane. Apparently they had witnessed this ridiculous showdown and helped me out by forcing her to stop and allowing me into the lane! I was so happy and so thankful! I wished I could have given them something, like told them a joke or performed a magic trick or given a hug, but I had to settle for a honk of thanks, and all of us waving and smiling at each other as I got in the lane. Who ever said California was full of mean drivers?

And then I got a glimpse of the meteor shower on the rest of the drive home. It was pretty. It had been a long time since I had seen a falling star.