The set up.. the off ramp of our expressway is directly accross the street from my stepdaughters' high school. I'm driving out of the school where the only way I can turn is right and I excell after the cars on the left have stopped and I have a green light. I turn wide to get into the turning lane (entrance to the expressway a block away) and drive for 5 seconds before I notice that a man had fallen off of his motorbike behind me. I said "OMG, was that me? Omg!" So I stopped the vehicle on the painted median, put on the emergency lights, grabbed my cell phone, Drivers' license, and headed over to see if the biker was okay. On my way to him, another driver had stopped in the narrower part of the median and told me that I'd almost killed the man. I started panicing more and then ran over to see about him. When I got there, I'd seen him getting up, and checking his camoflage pant legs and found a hole, (he had a cut on his knee.) I'm so shaken and worried about him that I can't think straight so I tell him how sorry I was ...he says "No problem, I'm still alive...I didn't see you"...And I told him, "I didn't see you in my blind spot (which I check constantly) either." I said, I want to give you my information and he agreed to give me his...
As I was walking to the vehicle for more paperwork, a police officer met me there and saw me out of sorts and informed me to calm down. He allowed me to get the paperwork needed and I preceded back to the scene.
We exchanged info, but not before I'd forget another peice of info...so I head back to the vehicle and my purse...but before I opened the door, a man in a white car pulled up next to me and said "Good Job, Devil!" Then he drove off.
The outcome of the accident was that there will be no charges filed nor insurance companies called because by my state's law, since the vehicles didn't hit each other...he'd fallen off of his bike probably 10 seconds after I'd passed him (which is weird because if I'd turned too wide, even if he didn't turn correctly, we'd have collided. Anyway.. I expressed how sorry I was and that I'd like to buy him a new pair of pants and help him out with medical costs. He said that it was no problem...but that he'd call me if they decide to amputate his leg. (joking.
) I was still nervous about the whole situation but I managed to shake his hand and wish him well. I'm happy that he wasn't hurt seriously, but I'm still worried about him. I'll call him later.
I'm still a bit shaken up because I am not accident prone. I drive very carefully, and I know that I had the right of way because I had turned right when the light turned green. There is more to this story..I'll share later...but my main point for posting it was to say something.
The biker was a white man, and the cop was a white man as well. Eventhough I assumed responsibility for the accident the biker chatted me up positively and didn't get angry with me. Not that I'd blame him if he did. But he forgave me for my mistake and the police officer was nice and courteous also, he helped to calm my nerves a little bit.
On the other hand, the driver who stopped his car next to me and said "Good Job, Devil" is the "Special" person I am referring to in the title. He's special because he came out of nowhere 5-8 minutes after the fact to tell me what he told me...all because I'm black. What I got from those three words was that I, a black woman purposely caused an accident that hurt a white man. This is what I'm expressing to you that hurts here.
Sure, its something I can get over, being called names but it still stings. Some other person's assumption of me as a black woman is that I'm 'the devil' just because I'm black. But I feel like this... "The Devil" would have kept going instead of stopping to see if the person is okay or not. "The Devil" would have said, the hell with them and wouldnt' give a second thought to how that person feels. I Am NOT "The DEVIL", I'm human. I make mistakes. And I atone for them as well. This is the one thing that has me crying now. That someone who dosen't know the situation nor me would find that an opportune time to play racial tag.
With all of that said, I plan to invite the Marine who I suppose I made lose his balance on his bike to Christmas Dinner. And I plan to buy him a new pair of cammies, no matter how many heads of hair I have to braid to get the money.
I stand my ground that just because one white person called me a racial slur, I don't hate all white or even most white people because I still have yet to meet all of white America.