So I woke up this morning ... my husband says let's put some air in your tires before you go to the shore. What a winner he is. Always looking out for his woman. (enough sappy). So we hop in the truck and head to the local WAWA. And when we pull up there's a bunch of SUVs hanging out over at the air pump. They're not pumping air. People are out stretching walking around and chatting. That's cool. We are patient. We go tank up, I even get out and clean the windsheild because why not, we're killing time and damn are there a lot of smudges. Ding ding gas is done, we look over- they are still there. We decide to run inside and get a coffee. We hang out a moment debating breakfast sandwiches. I grab a huge jug of water to take to the beach with me. We go out.
They are still sitting there. Milling around. OK, clearly no one is getting air. There's even an SUV pulled up to that area using trying to use the pump. My husband says we should just go to another place and I'm like why? We drove out here, it wasn't close to the house, because we wanted WAWA coffee and air. We got coffee and gas and why would we leave without the air? So we sit for a moment while my husband researches just how much air I need, what's the factory specs on the model and the tires. Look up- still not moved.
At this point I figured my husband would leave. He's super non-confrontational. He's the level-headed one. MY ROCK. But ya know what - he figured we could pull in front of the spot with the air pump and probably stretch the hose. He's smart. I mean- he knew the truck would be out in the driving lane of the parking lot, but he figured they might be nice enough to say "oh let me move" or something.... OR SOMETHING
So we pull up nice and close on their bumper. We start getting the looks. The 'WTF are you doing' looks. I start to take some things in. They're out of staters, wearing bathing suits, packed cars, they're not speaking English to each other. SO already- I'm assuming ignorance. Because right behind their CARS(two spots) are signs that say "Parking only for Air Pump use". So they are watching my husband with hawk eyes like he has 6 heads as he pulls up, gets out, and starts moving around the car. So he looks at them and says "you know you're not supposed to be parked here, right?" and then the gas attendant sees we are trying to get air and are out in the aisle and says to them "You guys can't park there it's for the air pump" to which they replied "we're just here getting air we've only been here a few minutes".
At this point I roll down my window, and I say "You guys have been here way longer than 5 minutes, we saw you here when we pulled in. We only came here to get air and we've waited at least 20 minutes". Now mind you, I've got my cool- for the moment. And they respond to me to mind my own business. "It is my business we only came here for air and you're still blocking the pump. We got coffee and gas and clearly no one is getting air or anything, you're all just hanging out." AT which point I'm told to shut up and mind my own business. and I said "It is my business, I can read the sign behind your car that says "Parking only for Air" and we need air, can you not read the sign?" I probably should have said... did you not see the sign, and the huge air pump right next to you.
EXPLOSION. We are no longer talking about who should not have parked where or if they saw the sign or whatever. Someone said "I can't even tell if that's a guy or girl we are talking to" and calling me a dyke (because of my haircut). I said why don't you go back to NY if you don't want to do things they way we do them here in Jersey and they are telling me I must be an inbred (which usually people say about people from Pennsylvania not NJ). And I like to drop a goof F bomb in a sentence every now and again, as if it were a filler, and the one guy- who I figured is the patriarch of the family- is telling me why did I do that I'm acing like a child and clearly started a fight because I have a low IQ... while his daughters are yelling slurs at me and calling me the most unholy word in the book- the C word. His wife is saying to me "Oh you're real tough from inside the car" and I get out and say "what does it matter if I'm in the car or not in the car I've still got the same words to say" and all the ladies- his 2 daughters and his wife- jump up and rise to the occasion.
My husband- the whole time- is quietly pumping the air. The guy tells him at least he has some common sense to keep his mouth shut. I find that to be a back handed compliment. Because he's telling my husband- you were smart to STFU when we told you to. My husband says he had nothing to say to them because you can't correct ignorance during a 5 minute altercation. He's really deep and smart (sometimes) .
So here I am being verbally abused and confronted, and the MOTHER of the whole group calls me out of the car, and the father is trying to stay calm cool and collected and articulate in an educated way and I can't even take him seriously because of the circus that is his entourage. It blows my mind that those women- most likely his daughters- who are spewing terrible slurs and profanities, are his spawn .... as he is telling me I'm acting like a child and lowered my IQ in his eyes because I swore while speaking to them.
Then- the guy who actually owns the car that was parked in the godforsaken spot shows up. ANd is laughing. He's like "IDK why you guys are fighting, I'm the one who would have had to move my car. But ya know maybe I'll stay a little while and get some air." Seriously dude? And his wife leans on my car and rubs all up on it to get by to get in her car. Seriously lady? HOW IMMATURE?!
I mean, in the end the patriarch is all like have a blessed day and I'm like I will - you too. Enjoy my state and try to follow the rules. And we leave to a fanfare of fingers in the air from his whole circus crew.
But my point here is- these people come from a culture where they are entitled, they are never wrong, and no one better say anything to them about anything they do. It happens every day in all sorts of scenarios. Ya know, you park in that yellow area on the street and you're only running in for a second and someone says something to you- you might pop off at the mouth like mind your own business. Or I once parked in front of someones house and they called the cops because that's their preferred parking spot for their other car and had my truck towed saying it was blocking their driveway- which it was not. Like, you have a driveway and you had my car towed over a parking spot?? I could not believe it.
I think that in my eyes, I didn't like the attitude from someone who was blatantly being disrespectful. I think it is disrespectful if 2 cars pull up to get air and you're blocking the most convenient route and you don't apologize and offer to move. I think it's disrespectful when a few people ask/tell you to move and you tell them- in essence- to F*** off. I think it's disrespectful that a conversation about a parking spot escalated to name calling, bullying, using the worst words and attacking a person's looks?
I'm not saying I'm a saint. I could choose to keep my mouth shut. But I don't -- I feel too many people keeps their mouths shut all the time.
But my husband ultimately puts it the best- why get all riled up over something so stupid? You are not going to prove a point or change their mind or correct their ignorance int he few minutes you have to interact with them.
They are still sitting there. Milling around. OK, clearly no one is getting air. There's even an SUV pulled up to that area using trying to use the pump. My husband says we should just go to another place and I'm like why? We drove out here, it wasn't close to the house, because we wanted WAWA coffee and air. We got coffee and gas and why would we leave without the air? So we sit for a moment while my husband researches just how much air I need, what's the factory specs on the model and the tires. Look up- still not moved.
At this point I figured my husband would leave. He's super non-confrontational. He's the level-headed one. MY ROCK. But ya know what - he figured we could pull in front of the spot with the air pump and probably stretch the hose. He's smart. I mean- he knew the truck would be out in the driving lane of the parking lot, but he figured they might be nice enough to say "oh let me move" or something.... OR SOMETHING
So we pull up nice and close on their bumper. We start getting the looks. The 'WTF are you doing' looks. I start to take some things in. They're out of staters, wearing bathing suits, packed cars, they're not speaking English to each other. SO already- I'm assuming ignorance. Because right behind their CARS(two spots) are signs that say "Parking only for Air Pump use". So they are watching my husband with hawk eyes like he has 6 heads as he pulls up, gets out, and starts moving around the car. So he looks at them and says "you know you're not supposed to be parked here, right?" and then the gas attendant sees we are trying to get air and are out in the aisle and says to them "You guys can't park there it's for the air pump" to which they replied "we're just here getting air we've only been here a few minutes".
At this point I roll down my window, and I say "You guys have been here way longer than 5 minutes, we saw you here when we pulled in. We only came here to get air and we've waited at least 20 minutes". Now mind you, I've got my cool- for the moment. And they respond to me to mind my own business. "It is my business we only came here for air and you're still blocking the pump. We got coffee and gas and clearly no one is getting air or anything, you're all just hanging out." AT which point I'm told to shut up and mind my own business. and I said "It is my business, I can read the sign behind your car that says "Parking only for Air" and we need air, can you not read the sign?" I probably should have said... did you not see the sign, and the huge air pump right next to you.
EXPLOSION. We are no longer talking about who should not have parked where or if they saw the sign or whatever. Someone said "I can't even tell if that's a guy or girl we are talking to" and calling me a dyke (because of my haircut). I said why don't you go back to NY if you don't want to do things they way we do them here in Jersey and they are telling me I must be an inbred (which usually people say about people from Pennsylvania not NJ). And I like to drop a goof F bomb in a sentence every now and again, as if it were a filler, and the one guy- who I figured is the patriarch of the family- is telling me why did I do that I'm acing like a child and clearly started a fight because I have a low IQ... while his daughters are yelling slurs at me and calling me the most unholy word in the book- the C word. His wife is saying to me "Oh you're real tough from inside the car" and I get out and say "what does it matter if I'm in the car or not in the car I've still got the same words to say" and all the ladies- his 2 daughters and his wife- jump up and rise to the occasion.
My husband- the whole time- is quietly pumping the air. The guy tells him at least he has some common sense to keep his mouth shut. I find that to be a back handed compliment. Because he's telling my husband- you were smart to STFU when we told you to. My husband says he had nothing to say to them because you can't correct ignorance during a 5 minute altercation. He's really deep and smart (sometimes) .
So here I am being verbally abused and confronted, and the MOTHER of the whole group calls me out of the car, and the father is trying to stay calm cool and collected and articulate in an educated way and I can't even take him seriously because of the circus that is his entourage. It blows my mind that those women- most likely his daughters- who are spewing terrible slurs and profanities, are his spawn .... as he is telling me I'm acting like a child and lowered my IQ in his eyes because I swore while speaking to them.
Then- the guy who actually owns the car that was parked in the godforsaken spot shows up. ANd is laughing. He's like "IDK why you guys are fighting, I'm the one who would have had to move my car. But ya know maybe I'll stay a little while and get some air." Seriously dude? And his wife leans on my car and rubs all up on it to get by to get in her car. Seriously lady? HOW IMMATURE?!
I mean, in the end the patriarch is all like have a blessed day and I'm like I will - you too. Enjoy my state and try to follow the rules. And we leave to a fanfare of fingers in the air from his whole circus crew.
But my point here is- these people come from a culture where they are entitled, they are never wrong, and no one better say anything to them about anything they do. It happens every day in all sorts of scenarios. Ya know, you park in that yellow area on the street and you're only running in for a second and someone says something to you- you might pop off at the mouth like mind your own business. Or I once parked in front of someones house and they called the cops because that's their preferred parking spot for their other car and had my truck towed saying it was blocking their driveway- which it was not. Like, you have a driveway and you had my car towed over a parking spot?? I could not believe it.
I think that in my eyes, I didn't like the attitude from someone who was blatantly being disrespectful. I think it is disrespectful if 2 cars pull up to get air and you're blocking the most convenient route and you don't apologize and offer to move. I think it's disrespectful when a few people ask/tell you to move and you tell them- in essence- to F*** off. I think it's disrespectful that a conversation about a parking spot escalated to name calling, bullying, using the worst words and attacking a person's looks?
I'm not saying I'm a saint. I could choose to keep my mouth shut. But I don't -- I feel too many people keeps their mouths shut all the time.
But my husband ultimately puts it the best- why get all riled up over something so stupid? You are not going to prove a point or change their mind or correct their ignorance int he few minutes you have to interact with them.
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