Tsukuba Monogatari: 30th post
The subject of women drivers came up at lunch the other day in a conversation related to the weather. The unusual snowfall last Thursday made traffic conditions quite hazardous, and claimed David’s car (among others) as a statistic. Although it only snowed one day, it was cold enough that the snow remained on the ground for several days; and as non-Californians know well, hardened snow is even more hazardous than fresh snow.
Yamazaki-san remarked at lunch that he had witnessed two accidents that very day, both involving women drivers. I gave him a dark look. Yamazaki-san is very sensitive to but totally undeterred by dark looks. That is, he never misses nonverbal signals flashed his way; but they seldom stop him. He’s from Hokkaido. He proceeded, “It’s usually women,” he said. Noticing my second-degree dark look, he added, “This is not prejudice―this is fact.” Randy interjected, “David is a good example.”
Perhaps I should explain that, in my eyes, Yamazaki-san can do no wrong. He has, over the course of our two-and-a-half-year acquaintance, achieved the status of sainthood. One of the privileges of sainthood is that one can get away with making remarks about women drivers to me and live.
Then he gave his supporting data. Just that morning he had seen a car in a snowbank right near B1. A woman, he said conclusively. Jennifer and I exchanged looks.
“That was me, Yamazaki-san,” I said.
How embarrassing. I’d been hustling to make an 8:30 teleconference, and took the turn to B2 a little too quickly. The sausage egg MacMuffin on the passenger seat went flying; and as I instinctively reached out to try to prevent its flight, I oversteered into a snowbank. Unfortunately, there was a chain link fence behind it. That power steering is incredible! Wouldn’t you know Yamazaki-san would be driving by just as I was backing out of a snow bank? (When I dutifully reported the incident to kuruma-no-Yoshida-san, he asked, “Does it need to be repaired?” I said, “There’s just a little crack in the bumper.” He said, “Can you drive it?” I said, “Oh yes!” He waved his hand. “Daijobu” (the equivalent of “Don’t worry about it.”)
“Hazarous conditions.” Courtesy of Ian Britton. Licensed under cc by NC 2.0.
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