About
a week ago I had a minor fender bender in front of the main hotel. There were a few taxi drivers parked in
the vicinity but none of them seemed to notice – likely because years of driving
a taxi have turned them into mindless drones.
I
was tired as I had worked through the previous night and the sun had come
up. It was about 10 a.m. When you are attempting to work a
double shift the fatigue often doesn’t hit you until the sun rises the next
morning. Perhaps the transition
from night to day, or the transition to the morning drivers. They’re absolutely awful. Never in my life have I seen such a sad
group of undignified, undomesticated, misfits. Shameful.
So
back to the case at hand. I was
probably on my 16th hour or so and I glanced against this guy’s car
as I was pulling to the curb. Once
I scraped against him he slammed on his horn. Did he think that I didn’t realize that my car had collided
with his? The horn would
have been best applied proactively.
More often than not the wailing of a car horn is doled out as more of a punitive
measure than a preventative one.
So
we get out and he’s pissed. Sonny
was his name. I wish that I could
provide his full name, but alas, I cannot. He really was a little bitch about the whole thing but I
think after a few he came to realize that these things do happen and that it
would just be best to exchange insurance information and keep in touch. We agreed that this was a matter that
could be best dealt with off of the books. Out of sight, out of mind – no need to let Catherine know
about things.
There
was only minor damage, just a little scuffed paint and a small scratch on the
bumper. I called him a few days
later to follow up and try to arrange a time to get things fixed. He did not return my call, but rather
left me a call several days later demanding, more or less, to know when I would
take care of his damages. I
addressed him politely, albeit sharply, and explained how I had attempted to
resolve this earlier. Then he
tried to show me some $1,100.00 estimate that a mechanic had written up. I explained that the figure was much
too high and that I would not be willing to pay out such an outrageous sum for
a bumper - a figure that a friend of his had likely come up with.
Sure
enough I was able to get an estimate for $240.00. Then he complained that he had trouble getting rides to work
and had to get a rental car and all.
I explained to Sonny that if we had decided to take the insurance
company route that would have been possible. In an attempt at appeasement I offered additional
compensation to help him out.
So
today I went met up with Sonny at the scene and handed him an envelope with
$300.00 and a contract stating that this would be the end of our discussions
and that we had agreed that no further action would be taken. He agreed but turned his nose up at the
$300.00 and stated that he thought, “he would be compensated” for his troubles. I explained that he had and I had paid
out $60.00 above and beyond what his repairs had come to.
Sonny
was disappointed and in a desperation move he stated that his son was sick and
in the hospital. I explained that
I was sorry to hear that and went on my way. Really? Trying
to capitalize on your sick son (if this was in fact true). How much more did he want? Would an extra $50 dollars have been
enough to carry him through his financial difficulties? I think that I was pretty fucking nice
about the whole thing. After all,
I could have just told him to get lost since there had been no police report,
and that it was pretty much my word against his. By now, chances are that I know the traffic court much
better than him and I have days off.
If Sonny had decided to go that route there would be grey skies ahead.
