Chavs

I had a run in with a chav today. I was trying to turn my car round after picking up Celyn from school (her school is in a cul-de-sac...Victorians didn't think about such things as cars when they built schools...such lack of vision, don'tchafink?). Anyway, it was proving a nightmare because people kept walking behind the car (it's got its reverse lights on and it's obviously horizontal in the road... but there you go - sigh). Anyway, fiiiiiiinally there was a space and I reversed the last foot I needed to get back, so I could do the 3 point turn, when I heard someone bang their fist on the back of the car. This lady (despite the fact that I'd been moving) had walked behind the car. Well, of course I was mortified. My head spun round immediately to apologise, but I was greeted with a string of obscenities worthy of a late night Channel 4 drama, many of which were of the four letter variety and starting with an alarming array of different letters.

Well, I just don't do people treating me like that, so I turned back and carried on moving the car round. She then came and banged on my window. "Wind your window down!! Wind your window down!!" she was yelling, peroxide blond hair flying about and a plethora of gold earrings jingling. Will I heck as like, I thought, imagining a fist leaving a sovereign ring indentation in my face. I did concede to lower it about 4 inches however. For my trouble (tsk!) I received another torrent of swear words, from which I couldn't get a word in edgewise (I don't think she even drew breath for about 6 sentences).

All this abuse, with swarms of children now flooding out of school all around her, and Celyn sat in the back of the car, looking on in (quite honestly) horror. We just don't ever talk to each other in such a way in our home, and she'd never seen the like of it. We even have a rule that Eastenders (etc.) is not watched if Celyn's up because we don't think the way they talk to each other in that (and all the other) soap(s) is appropriate for a 3 year old to be watching.

Anyhoo, as the chavette walked away I calmly said, "I'm sorry but I don't respond to people who shout and swear at me." She just carried on screeching as she walked off and Celyn said, "Mummy, that lady didn't listen to you" and then "and she didn't say sorry".

It really made me feel sad that people are so aggressive. A member of the Scrappers Unlimited team had a similar thing happen to them last week, except he opened her car door and it was a bloke, which must have been even more intimidating. She was completely shaken up for days after.

Ah well. I had a big hug off of Celyn when we got home "because that lady wasn't very nice to you". I'll turn the car round before I park tomorrow I think!