Yesterday morning I was scooting in to work. Normally when I turn onto West Bay Road from my driveway, I turn into the center turning lane jst because that's what you're supposed to do. I usually scoot down the middle lane to the other side of the Ritz-Carlton and then integrate myself into the (now) moving traffic. Usually there's another knot of traffic around The Strand, so I maneuver around it and then integrate back into traffic again. I did this again the other morning.

Once I got past the roundabout by the Lone Star, there was a couple cars in front of me and we were moving along at about 25mph. The car in front of me slowed down to turn in to the Esso and I slowed down so I wouldn't run up her backside. After that, it was wide open so I opened the throttle a little and got up to about 35mph. The speed limit is 40, but I could see traffic stopped up ahead again, so what's the point in accelerating just so I can slow down quicker? That's when I heard a horn honk behind me. I ignored it, figuring it was someone honking 'hello' at a friend in oncoming traffic.

Then she honked again, a more sustained, plaintive wail than a light pap on the tooter. I looked in my mirror only to see this woman scowling in my direction and waving at me to move out of the way. I sped up to 40mph, the speed limit, and she honked again. I checked my mirrors again wondering what the hell was going on. At this time she floored the accelerator and passed me in the turning lane (a big no-no according to the RCIP's newest 'push' on safe driving) while giving me a dirty look. Did I mention that I was doing 40mph, so that to pass me she had to be doing at least 50mph in the 40mph zone?

No sooner did she get back in the lane in front of me when she had to hit her brakes hard, becase traffic was backed up and sitting still just by West Shore Center. I did what scooterati do and went around the traffic and integrated myself back in near the stop light. Some cars turned and she was now two cars back of me, and then they turned off, and here she came, zooming up my arse again. She passed me in front of Fidel Murphy's going at least 55mph (the speed limit here is 40, and slows down to 25 less than a quarter of a mile away) and got in front of me and started pulling away... until she caught up to the next knot of traffic. Traffic slowed as people changed lanes in front of TCBY and KFC to go straight into George Town, rather than stay in the left turn lane onto Eastern Avenue. Once again my nimble little scooter went through the traffic and integrated back into it ahead of her.

Once again, the honking started and she passed me again doing at least 50 up Eastern avenue, where the speed limit is only 30. She got maybe 50 yards ahead of me before having to brake to make the turn onto.. whatever that street is called where the Texaco is. At this point, she slowed to a stop and put on her signal (shocking, I know) to turn into the Texaco.

There was no house on fire, there was no woman giving birth in her back seat, there was absolutely no emergency that required driving like a maniac all the way down West Bay Road and Eastern Avenue well above the speed limit, and there was CERTAINLY no reason to honk and scowl at me. There was DEFINATELY no reason to speed or pass me illegally three times. Did I mention that when she finally was turning into Texaco, I passed her again? Even if she had stayed behind me at the speed limit, she wouldn't have gotten to Texaco any faster. Stupid bitch.