Angry Passat

Last Sunday morning (November 30, 2008) we’re taking the dog to Baker Park in Canandaigua, the place we can let her run loose.
I’m stopped at the red-light at Route 65 and 5&20, about to turn left (east) onto 5&20.
A car is behind me, fixing to go straight, and two back is a silver Volkswagen Passat four-door sedan, signaled like me to turn left.
The light changes, so I turn left.
I see in my mirror the car behind me go straight.
Suddenly I hear a roar, and the Passat is arcing widely to my right.
Oh well, what else is new?
At this intersection each section is four lanes wide, although 5&20 goes back to two lanes in about a hundred yards.
Passat is blasting madly past on my right, a move that would get him ticketed by the N.Y. State Police.
We used to get moves like this all the time driving bus. Angry intimidators committing all manner of insanity and illegality to get by.
“What was that all about?” Linda asks.
“Desperate,” I say. So desperate he turned into a driveway shortly after passing me.
“Don’t blame me. I voted for Big Mac and the ‘Cuda.”

Our current dog is “Scarlett;” a rescue Irish-Setter. She’s three-plus, and is our sixth Irish-Setter.

“5&20” is the main east-west road through our area; State Route 5 and U.S. Route 20, both on the same road. 5&20 is just south of where we live on State Route 65 in West Bloomfield, NY.

For 16&1/2 years (1977-1993) I drove transit bus for Regional Transit Service, the transit-bus operator in Rochester, NY.

An “intimidator” is the average macho driver, named after Dale Earnhardt, deceased, the so-called “intimidator” of NASCAR fame, who used to tailgate race-leaders and bump them at speed until they let him pass.

“Linda” is my wife of 40+ years.

“Don’t blame me. I voted for Big Mac and the ‘Cuda.........” is a bumper-sticker for John McCain and Sarah Palin. —My siblings are all tub-thumping REPUBLICANS, but I’m not, so I’m reprehensible and stupid.