she looks like someone's beloved grandmother, her face sweet and round, but her face is contorted with rage
she tailgates me for miles, and in my rearview mirror, i can see her shouting behind her windshield
and repeatedly giving me the finger with whichever hand happens to be free
i stop at a red light and get out of my car
don't do this, by the way
it's not a reasonable or safe thing to do, but i get out because i have a question
she threatens me with pepper spray and i stay far away
i ask her, what did i do
my life matters too, bitch
i realize she's talking about my bumper sticker
i look at her and say, yes, that's right
suddenly she laughs at me, not the genuine kind of laughter that is pulled out of you, but the harsh, forced kind that you push out of your mouth,
the kind that says, look, this is me laughing
she calls me another, different name, so i pull out my phone to take a picture, and she quickly drives around me and away down the hill
you know how when you've met someone somewhere, and had a nice time, and it's time to leave, so you finish up talking and say your goodbyes
and then it turns out you're both walking in the same direction,
so now you're not sure
is the conversation over now, or isn't it? it's awkward, right?
is she still shouting? i'm behind her now, so i can't tell
but it's a narrow road with no cross streets, so here we are, me following her down the road, her giving me the finger some more
until our paths finally diverge and i wave goodbye
