A few weeks ago, I had to leave work early to fetch
my mother from the airport (she was coming home from a two-week trip overseas).
My father was busy organising his life, as he was leaving for his trip a few
days later, and my workplace is literally a ten minute drive from the airport.
In my haste to get to there on time, I bumped
into a colleague’s car. I am not one to shirk responsibility, and so I called
her out of her classroom to tell her.
I was barely driving, and all the damage my own car
sustained was a paint scratch. Her fender, however, sustained a definite dent.
Thankfully though, no other damage was done (by me, at any rate), and would be
quick to fix. She, however, lost her shit completely (and while I understand
her upset, I think the reaction was out of proportion to the offence).
I also offered to pay to fix what I damaged, even though
she was illegally parked behind me (not in a parking bay).
I’ve tried to live my life by one fundamental rule,
and that is to take responsibility for my actions. In this case though, it
seems to be biting me in the ass, because this woman is dragging this process
out and trying to extort me. It was an accident, and somehow she’s made
me feel like I rammed into her car on purpose. I even contacted a mechanic to
come out and assess the damage – who agreed to fix her car at a reasonable cost
to me and at her convenience – and she responded by ignoring my messages,
ignoring me at school and sending me obscene quotes for damages I was not
responsible for.
I’ve been dealing with so many other difficult
things, and her reaction just pushed my already high stress levels into
unmanageable territory (this is probably why my hair is still falling out and
why I can’t sleep).
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