The Tale of the Tail Light
July 19, 2004 PM/Mountain View
My riding buddy and I didn't sneak out the door for a ride until later in the afternoon. I think it was about two in the afternoon. There was a lot of traffic on California Street, and after a tough morning our minds were elsewhere when my buddy bumped into the taillight of the small white Honda in front of us. His break lever left a small scratch, but luckily missed his fingers.
The driver got out, a small Chinese lady. She was silent. It was a relatively new car. She didn't take her eyes off her car until I said, "Hello?". To make a long story short my buddy offered her cash, or his address so they could take it through insurance. I could see the wheels start to turn in her head. Take the cash? Or should she file the accident report and take it to a dealership for an estimate and the possibility of more money? The scratch is so small that leaving the car at the shop to get fixed had already been dismissed. That much is obvious. All that's left is a price. I could hardly watch. It was like trying to talk to someone with a large wart on their nose. You don't want to ignore them, and you don't want to stare. You're left trying to ignore the obvious. I wasn't doing so well.
She made a couple disconnected comments about the newness of the car. But really she was playing for time while she calculated again if it would be worth going to a shop. After that she factors in if a bump with a bicycle will even be covered by the insurance. The time it would take to fill out the report. Finally I could stand it no longer, ignoring her wart like calculations was getting old. I prodded her with a reminder that the ball is in her court and she needed to come to a decision. A few more random comments are made and she finishes her tally. She counters with a larger cash number and it was settled. Off to the ATM.
As we finally ride away, my buddy mentions he hopes she buys herself a nice pair of shoes or something and dismisses it. Good for him. I was just glad to be putting some distance between us and the uglier side of human nature, revealed.