Bumper Thumper

Do you know about the Texas Roadhouse Steakhouse? They have the most amazing rolls ~ browned morsels of sweetness that melt in your mouth. In our area they also have a special deal Monday through Thursday from 4 to 6 pm when several of their meals are priced at $7.99, and that includes as many of their delicious rolls as you want.

Ken and I were headed there last night when the car behind me thumped my bumper. I was on an exit ramp, slowly trying to yield into oncoming traffic. Thump! I looked in my rearview mirror to see a woman with her hands in the air and her mouth wide open. I got out and she got out. She made it sound like it was my fault. Really? We decided to pull off into a gas station just feet ahead. Ken told me not to worry about it because anyone could see what happened.

There was a state trooper parked in the gas station's parking lot, finishing up a report from another accident at the very same spot. So we waited and while we did we watched the woman in the other car. She had pulled up to the right, parallel to the gas station. Then she moved her car to park right next to the building. A few minutes later she pulled her car past the gas pumps to park in the middle of the driveway to exit the parking lot. She had to move from there when a large construction truck needed to leave.

While she did all of this parking and reparking, she had her cell phone in her hand. She was on and off the phone the whole time we waited. Her car had a variety of creases and dings. I sat there sending her peaceful thoughts because she was obviously stressed, to the point of distraction.

Ken and I sat quietly and chatted while we waited, which I was able to do after my initial panic. I had pulled into a parking spot behind the state trooper's car, where he was working on his computer. My first thought: I sure am glad I don't have any outstanding tickets or he would find a warrant out for my arrest. My second thought: Oh, no, we're going to miss the specials at Texas Roadhouse!

The damage to my car was minimal, the left side of my rear bumper is scuffed up and missing some paint. Ken and I were both wearing seatbelts, so no harm there. The officer who took the report was matter of fact about the whole thing, handed me a single-page print-out, and told me to call my insurance company.

We did miss the deadline for the specials at Texas Roadhouse, which we now know for sure are really good deals. However, we still got the rolls, and I brought home leftovers for today's lunch.