The jerk, the jackal and the jaybird...marketing in modern times.

Let me set the scene...

I'm driving down a hill. A guy wants to reverse out his driveway onto my side of the road. He looks at me coming down the hill and reverses out anyway and STOPS. I go around him and keep going. I get to an interesection and am waiting to turn left, he is waiting to turn right. I go through a break while he still waits. I then turn into the nearby gas station - he must have seen this and decides he'll Confront me.

I am out of the car pumping gas when he comes screetching into the gas station, car at odd angle, gets out of the car and starts yelling at me. My gas cap is on the right of the car and as he approaches I swap holding the pump with my right hand and hold it with my left - so my right hand is free and not restricted by being close to the car. I also have the hose between me and him.

He comes right up into my face yelling and screaming and carrying on. I am Calmly looking at him. No adrenalin rush. Totally calm. And figuring Where I will strike him if I need to - I decide it will be the throat.

After he yells for a while and sees I am unphased by him he says, "Don't you have anything to say for yourself?"

I take a half step Toward him, hold his gaze and look him square in the eyes and say, "You're not worthy a response."

He went nuts! He stepped Back, started ranting about his Mate at the police station, ran inside the station walked behind the counter! Grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down my car's Plate number telling how I'll be getting a Visit from his mate at the police station. Then got in his car and roared off.

When I paid at the counter I asked the Attentend about their Friend and whether he loses it often like that. She said he was not a friend, just a regular customer. Though I can think of no customers who can just walk behind the counter to grab stuff.

That was a funny one.

Michael Ross