Ten Dollars

I talk to Kevin on my lunch every day.  Most of the time it's literally making sure he's still alive so it's like a one minute phone call.  Sometimes it's longer if there's something with the fam or the racecar or whatever.

Today was one of the longer ones.  We were talking about Trudeau's re-election when I heard a crunching sound.  I looked in my rear-view mirror and there was a car way too close to mine.

"Kevin, someone just rear-ended me, I gotta go.  I'm fine."  and I disconnect.  He must love being married to me.

I got out of the car and the gentleman who hit me also got out of his.  He was in his eighties.  FANTASTIC.  He had two little dogs in the car.  Super.  I'm certain they weren't a distraction AT ALL.

"You backed into me! Why would you back into me! Who puts it in reverse on the street?"

I actually laughed and thought "So this is how it's  going to go."

"No, I did not back up. I put it in park because you hit me.  *I* was sitting at the stoplight."

"No, you hit me."

"No, I did not." I just stand there smiling and blinking at him.

I notice that he's spun out like my father-in-law gets when he's upset.  What works on him is determined cheerfulness and agree-ability.

"Well, move your car so we can see the damage." he says.

I got back in my car and pulled it forward a bit then got back out.

"No damage done, really so that's good."  I say then I noticed his license plate FRAME is bent.  I pushed on it and said "Well that can be fixed"   He stands there kind of quiet.


"So, what are we going to do?" I ask determinedly cheerful.

He thinks for a moment..."Give me $10 bucks for the frame."

Again, I laughed.  "I don't have $10. I don't carry cash.  What else do you suggest?"

"Well, that's a fine thing" he says.  Is it early 1800's London? Did I time travel?

I try again "What would you like to do, because we need to get out of these people's way." And I gestured to the traffic trying to get around us...in a construction zone nevertheless.

He thinks for a moment..."Oh, just go on then."

"You just want to part ways and we're good?"

"Yeah go on then."

Immediately I says "Okay" then return to the truck. No second chances with me. I started the truck and went on with my life.  The light was green and I paid no attention to where he went.  I just got out of there before he hit me again.

I phoned Kevin back and explained what happened.  He's incredulous.  Firstly, that I didn't get the guy's information and secondly "TEN DOLLARS!?!"

He's incensed at the suggestion that the guy would just ask for ten dollars.  Then he's worried that I'm going to jail because we didn't exchange information.  There was ZERO damage to my truck and little on his so the risk was worth the reward of just getting out of there, to me.

Then he's back at the TEN DOLLARS thing. "Who DOES that!?" he asks.

Upon Kevin's request, once I returned to work, I texted my sister-in-law who works for the police department.  "Call me when you get a chance"

She responds "Should I be scared?"

"Nope"

Then I just texted what happened, she confirmed that there was nothing to be investigated and that I wasn't going to jail.  Actually she wrote "Calm down, KEVIN!"

So I'm not going to jail.