Having pride in myself
Soooo, today's been a bit odd. I'm usually a quiet sorta person, just bimbling through the day with a smile for everyone. I absolutely hate confrontation and never show anger. I'm an all round INFP.
Today, however, kind of ran away with me. Pulling into a parking spot at my local supermarket, the car next to me started to reverse out whilst the driver was on her mobile phone. It's illegal in the UK to even have your engine running whilst using your phone.
So. I gave her the universal hand sign for phone 🤙 to remind her. Because I liked to think she'd just forgotten or maybe just would then choose to do the right thing.
Apparently she doesn't view the world like I do. Apparently I should mind my own business, go away, and stop interrupting her whilst she's on the phone. Apparently, she wasn't driving, despite now having the car a further metre out of the bay, and wasn't dangerous, despite reversing out of a bay with a wall next to it blocking her view. Apparently, me telling her it was illegal and dangerous made me stupid and interfering.
I'd usually expect me to back off and call it quits. To be stoic. To take it on the chin. To not cause a bother or upset. And, to be fair, at that point I flipped her the V's and turned to walk off, with my wife looking shocked. The woman retorted that it wasn't very ladylike and I may have rolled my eyes.
And I heard her say "but then you're not a lady, are you."
And i turned round.
And I shouted.
"Yes. I. Am."
Gave her the finger and walked away.
I don't do that sort of thing usually. I've always had short hair and dressed kind of not feminine, so all my life (even as a baby by all accounts) people have asked if I'm male or female. Sometimes genuinely, like kids being curious. Sometimes it's been accidental and people have been terribly apologetic (and I really don't mind it). This was one of the very few times it was meant cruelly, and I couldn't let it stand. Not now. Not when some people are starting to feel entitled to show their bigotry.
I might have got home and cried. And maybe over analysed what I'd done, and apologised to my wife for putting her in a difficult situation. But I also reported it to the police as a homophobic hate incident. And thinking about it now?
I did the right thing.
And that's all I can hope for from myself.
