Studly Doright and I drove over to Jacksonville last Thursday afternoon to purchase a 2010 Honda Goldwing he’d found on Craigslist. Even though Jacksonville isn’t terribly far from Tallahassee, Studly arranged to take Friday off from work so he wouldn’t be driving home from Jacksonville on an unfamiliar bike after dark.
Craiglist purchases always make me nervous. After all, there have been cases in which the person placing the ad just wanted to murder and rob someone by luring them to a meeting spot. As a proactive measure once we got to the designated location I stayed in the running car with my finger poised to dial 9-1-1. Studly shook his head and laughed at me. I get no respect.
Once we had the bike and title in hand, I set the car’s GPS for our hotel address and with Studly following on the Goldwing we set off across Jacksonville. Studly had instructed me not to worry if we were separated, assuring me he’d find the hotel on his own if necessary.
As soon as we got on the interstate a car cut in between us and in spite of Studly’s instructions I slowed a bit to allow him to catch up. Before long I spotted him in my rear view mirror making a move to catch me. Unfortunately, the driver of the car fell victim to a bad case of road rage and I watched in horror as he attempted to intimidate Studly.
Now, my husband is a former motocross racer. His reflexes and instincts are still sharper than those of most people I know, but this angry driver was incredibly aggressive and determined to teach Studly Doright a lesson.
When our exit popped up I hoped this person would stay on the interstate, but no, he came off right behind my husband. We immediately hit a stop light, and the driver stopped beside Studly. I was watching intently in case I needed to intervene. Studly was nodding. The driver was yelling; although, I couldn’t hear what he was saying.
Apparently, the angry man finally felt vindicated and took a left turn as soon as the light turned green. Studly and I made it to our hotel without further incident.
Once in our room I asked Studly what had happened. “Oh,” he said calmly, “he threatened to shoot me.”
My knees buckled. To think I’d been so concerned about the Craigslist seller and only mildly worried about the road rage guy. I didn’t sleep well that night.
In the morning we left the Goldwing at the hotel and headed to a diner for a great breakfast. Much to my surprise Studly suggested we find a beach, so we followed the signs to Hanna Park, a gorgeous two mile stretch of powder soft sand. The tide was out, and we plucked a handful of delicate, intact shells from the beach.
The walk and the clean tang of salt and sea cleared my head. All was right in the world, and I banished the potential violence of the night before from my mind. After taking Studly back to his bike we parted ways for the rest of the day. I drove down to St. Augustine to see what the outlet stores had to offer and Studly headed home to Doright Manor.
I hope that stupid driver came down with a bad case of diarrhea followed by extreme constipation and excessive gas. Otherwise, I wish him well.
Peace, people.
Praying for Eyebrowz 
You should have written down his license plate number. There are many reasons why he wasn’t able to control his temper.
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If I’d realized exactly what was going on I’d have gotten it. Of course David was on the bike and couldn’t write.
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Near miss, I would say
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Too close.
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That’s very scary! People with such anger issues shouldn’t be allowed near a vehicle.
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And it’s Florida, so he probably thinks he can shoot with impunity and claim stand your ground laws. I live in nutsville.
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Scary, scary… 😦
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Of course some of my gun nut friends have said, “that’s why I always carry a gun.” Yep, cause there’s nothing like a shootout on a crowded street in Jacksonville.
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So true! Bullets flying in random directions isn’t a prospect that would make me feel very safe.
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OMG, some people are such idiots, I would have been terrified too. We have our fair share of idiots down under and it is quite scary. I am always telling me kids off for yelling at other drivers when they do something wrong, because you never know HOW they will react. I once got followed by some guy and he kept trying to cut me off, I made a beeline to the nearest police station – that scare him off
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Modern living. 😢
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