Yesterday was Hari Raya Adil Fitri - a public holiday and celebration after a month-long fast by Muslims throughout the world.
I happened to wake up early and decided to venture to my usual market at Tiong Bahru (about a ten minute drive away) to replenish some supplies ahead of the weekend.
There's not much traffic at 7:45am on a public holiday and I was cruising towards the market when a car suddenly veered into my lane. Fortunately I was wide awake and pulled the steering hard right to avoid being side-swiped.
The lady driver in the black Toyota that cut me up had done so when she suddenly saw that a car in her path was not moving.
(It was parked alongside double yellow lines, most likely because it's owner was breakfasting at the nearby corner coffee shop. Why the coppers allow this to happen every single day I do not know.)
Anyway, as the lady driver seemed quite oblivious to what she was doing, I thought I would let her know how dangerous her manoeuvre was to other road users. So I followed her. She hesitated before passing up several street parking lots and eventually came to the end of the dead end street.
Seeing her do a three point turn, I surmised that she was going to park in one of the season parking spots and so I stopped and prepared to get out of my car when she shot off again - in the opposite direction! I hastily fastened my seatbelt again and followed her up into the multi-storey car park, circulate it and then down and out.
I figured it would be more prudent (and safer) to wait for an opportune moment to address her as I did not want to run the risk of being side-swiped or run into. She did not drive very fast, but in her haste to get away, she neglected to stop at some stop signs.
The roads were clear, so I was happy to follow at a distance rather than risk my car. So led me on a drive and eventually arrived at a street called Killiney Road. She stooped her car and I pulled in behind her; she avoided making eye contact, locked her car and scurried away.
I sat contemplating what to do when she emerged from the neighbourhood police post with two young policemen in tow!
What happened next must have provided these two young men much amusement and made for story-telling to their colleagues and friends later in the day.
She might have told them that she was being followed and threatened by the driver of another car, so the first thing I said to her was, "why did you run away?"
I then proceeded to ask her if she knew how dangerously she drove and emphasised that pulling out as she did - without any warning - could have resulted in a collision if I had not reacted fast enough.
She muttered that when she realised she had cut across, she had raised her arm in a 'I'm sorry' gesture, to which I replied that I didn't see it because I was busy avoiding her car.
Then she made the excuse that a car has shot out in front of her. I picked up on this and pointed out that that the 'offending' car was parked on the side of the road.
Anyway, I guess she was so relieved that I wasn't a gangster or someone exhibiting classic signs of road rage that she kept saying she was sorry. Each time she said this I told her she was not listening to me and that I was not after an apology but to make sure that she understood the serious consequences of her driving.
Whether or not the she truly understood I will never know.
But I left her and two bemused looking policemen and set off for Tiong Bahru and my marketing again. This time the journey was uneventful and the public holiday rush for parking spaces had not started. Whew!
Oh, and by the way, her parting words were, "God Bless You". I did not have the heart to say I would need all the blessings I could get if she continued to drive the way she did.
Come to think of it going to market can be quite exciting, even perilous, in Singapore - just the other week one of my friends slipped and fell as we were meeting for our morning coffee and bean curd.
Fortunately she was not seriously hurt - she only sustained a hairline crack of her right cheekbone, black eye and some bruises. Nothing life threatening.
The life of a Singapore housewife is never dull!
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