Ha! I think we should get a trip together. Could go thru Maxton and pick up a guy I know near Pernell Swett HS.
If we had a Prius to ride in ...
Yes, I can supply the Prius. It's clean, very economical, fairly comfortable and has such a good radio. Of course, I'm happy to assist.
There is something you should know, it's also a lightning rod for road rage. Honestly, it's peculiar how my fellow motorist hate it. For me, a guiding principle when things go wrong is to first look at myself. The older I get the slower I drive, but frankly, I never was a speedster. Until March of 2021 my POV was a 2003 Ford Expedition. Not once can I remember anyone riding my bumper because of my slow driving, blowing the horn and yelling obscenities, not once. At the risk of sounding boastful I'm a careful driver.
So, enter one casket gray Toyota Prius and things go to hades. every single week and usually on multiple occasions someone gives me the devil by hollering, tailgating, gesturing and always blowing the horn. In the mornings when I go out for coffee I wonder if there is a chance I WILL
NOT provoke another driver.
Seriously, it's bad enough that I've had to develop methodical defenses when (not if, but when) drivers approach me after I've pulled into a parking lot to go into an establishment. Thank God, no one has tried to physically assault me as I'm too old to for that but I have had them come towards me yelling and cussing. One of my defenses when I'm driving in heavy traffic and having to stop for the light is to let my mouth hang open and lean real close to the steering wheel and just look straight. Usually they blow their horn real hateful and drive on.
Now, if they pull into the same parking where I'm getting out I pretend to have a real hard time getting out of my car and I make my hands and head jerk, then I shuffle towards the business I'm going into. If they're really mad and keep coming closer I do my coughing fit, and between the hacking and wheezing I lowly articulate cuss words as though I can't hardly catch my breath. I've never had anyone come any closer after I do that. They assume I'm going to vapor lock or that I'm infected. I'd recommend that to anybody over 65 who has a close encounter.
Lincolnton is my home. I grew up, here. I've served the people of Lincolnton and Lincoln county the entirety of my adult life and even though I'm retired now, I'll always serve them. It's who I am, and generally speaking, people here have been good to me and are very, very tolerant, so this is why I think it's my car and nothing personal. Why so many people hate a damned Prius is beyond me. It's a great car and you can drive for three weeks without filling up and rarely is the cost of fuel over 30 dollars, but people hate this thing.
Please indulge me for a moment and try to find time to click on the link below. It's a new movie or one about to be released starring Tom Hanks "A man called Otto". If you don't have time to watch the entire trailer please fast forward to the
30 second mark. Here, he is trying to teach a new neighbor how to drive when she almost runs into the back of a another car. Listen to what he Otto (Tom Hanks)
says and you might have to freeze it to see it, but please also notice
what kind of car they almost run into.