Have I Got a Target on My Butt?

www.suziefloozie.com

I don't know what it is, do I attract disaster? I do seem to have had my fair share recently, crashed laptop, crushed hip, exhausted cooling system, which vacuumed huge amounts of money from my pocket no sooner than I had received it. Well, I can top all of that.

I had spent a pleasant two hours in the cafe, chatting with my wife, checking emails and blogging. A couple of big lattes and I was ready to stroll back home. I unplugged, put everything in my weatherbeaten leather satchel, which had once taken my daughter's books to school and I left. Just needed to buy some milk . So I spotted a gap in the traffic and at a brisk trot, started across Salem Mubarak Street, towards the Sultan Centre. The traffic was moving fast, but there was sufficient room for me to get to the central reservation. But as I trotted rather than walked, the 'D' ring holding the strap to the bag dislodged itself and the bag fell to the road. I stopped, looked at the huge yankee 4WD bearing down on me, looked back at the bag and, knowing I had no chance to rescue it, I jumped onto the central pavement, at the same time, assuring myself that the SUV would easily clear the bag, and I would then be able to get it.

I watched in wide mouthed disbelief as the huge, black and dark tinted windowed behemoth swerved, not to avoid the bag but to hit it directly, with its massive desert tyres, front and back. The impact made a sickening crunch, twice, and bits of the contents of the bag slithered across the road. The driver had made no attempt to brake.

As the rest of the traffic passed, avoiding the detritus, I watched the ****ing bastard recede down the street, as he no doubt swelled in pleasure at what he had done.

There were a few people near me when it happened, but they melted away meekly without any expression of disgust, nothing.

I went to the bag to find the laptop twisted and bent, the power cable destroyed, my sun glasses shattered. The sturdy and flexible bag had suffered only cosmetic damage, which a bit of boot polish fixed. It was even enhanced by its brutal experience.

So, again, for a week or so, I have been computerless until, having bought a new one, I managed to get the internet connection sorted. And here I am.

I simply cannot imagine this experience happening in my home country, nor any of the countries of Europe which I have visited. People there tend to have a greater sense of empathy, respect, care than is often evident here. I do not wish to generalise. I have, however found that this appalling selfishness and disregard for the feelings of others is all too common.