Near Miss!

One of my biggest issues with the Pandemic Pacings is remembering to pay attention! I forget that I’m out walking in the middle of the street and a car could run me over. Or that a particular yard may have a ferocious barking dog in it that is ready to jump out and attack me! Or that a silent speedy masked person on a scooter could mow me down?

            What?

            I will grant you that this time, I was NOT paying attention when I started across the street.

            I was distracted by a Tabby Cat!

            Yeah, it’s stupid, but I spied a big tabby sitting on his perch in the window of a house across the street. He was calling to me. Well, at least it seemed that way with his round emerald eyes following my path across the street.

            “TABBY! You’re a PUDDIN!” I called out to him, starting across the street when out of nowhere…..

            The scooter! It was completely silent. One of those that runs on what? Electricity? Must be. That is silent. And it was going fast! I mean, It musta been going at least as fast as the cars that zoom past me. 25 miles an hour? Do scooters go that fast?

            Fortunately, I stopped in time. Before it mowed me down. “WHOOOOAAAAA!” I cried out.

            Scooter Operator made no response. Just plowed ahead, completely oblivious? Probably. Why would they expect a Distracted Tabby Cat Event to happen on their way to wherever?

            I remember when I worked in The City, these scooters were everywhere. Zooming down the sidewalks, causing much fear in pedestrians. I didn’t really have any near misses like I had this morning, but I had read about these accidents in the SF Chronicle. How there were moves to ban them from the sidewalks. To no avail. That people would stop and yell at them to slow down. Yeah, right!

            I had a student at GGU.  From Russian. He rode one of these scooters into class every week. Hop off and balance it against the wall of the classroom. I thought it was kinda cool. But then again, I thought it was kinda weird too. I mean, who rides a scooter into their Graduate Writing Class?
            So, today, when I was nearly mowed down by this scooter, catching my breath as it whizzed by, I counted my blessings. That would have ruined my day if I’d been hit by a scooter! What kind of injuries might I have incurred? Many for sure. Plus, it’d hurt. And I have a very low pain threshold.

            I have to be more careful. I have to pay attention. I’m not in the indoor pool blissfully swimming laps with no hazards to watch for.

            I’m outside. And I’m at risk.

            “Hello!” Two Peas in a Pod hail me from across the street. “How ya doin’?”

            Should I tell them about my Near Miss with the scooter? Warn them? After all they are seniors. Though I bet they don’t cross the street for Tabby Sightings.

            I don’t tell them. Holler back that I’m fine.

            “You think we’ll beat the rain?” he asks, grinning.

            “I can’t wait for the rain!” I yell back.  “But there are still patches of blue. I think we’ll be fine.”

            They nod behind their masks. I hurry down the street, the wind whipping up the leaves into swirling miniature tornados on dead grass lawns. A stray black plastic bag tumbles down the middle of the street.

            I’m distracted. For sure. But from now on, I will try to be more aware of silent scooter hazards.

            Damn, I miss the pool!