Rear Ended

So this morning as I am leaving Diego at school in the morning I get rear ended by some lady.

There's only one way into the parking lot and one way out. At the exit there are 3 lanes. One for people coming in, one for making a left turn and one for making a right turn. I make a left so I get to the stop sign make my stop, and as I am letting a car go by before I turn... BAM! The lady smashes into the back of my mom's van! Now before you freak out and start sending me flowers (hey I can wish people would send me flowers right?) it was nothing hard enough to even make me like fly forward or anything. So I look in my rearview and she's trying to go around me because at this point I have put the car into park and am blocking the exit of the school. When I notice her trying to bail like nothing happened I get out and assess the damage... in a yellow long nightgown shirt that says "I'm not the smartest tool in the box" with no bra... my hair everywhere... and black mascara smeared under my eyes. Highly unpretty. Did I mention I was almost late dropping Diego off at school. Usually I am clothed and cleaned up a little.

So I realize we are totally blocking the exit and tell the lady to pul over to the side. She follows me and I get out again... embarrassed? She should have been, she was standing with an annoyed lady in yellow nightgown! Oh me? Nope I wasn't embarrassed. She gets out apologizing to me in spanish and trying to speak english too thinking I didn't understand her. So I cut her off and say, "Well thats fine but this isn't my car it's my Mom's let me call her and see what she wants from you..." I could tell the lady was shady so I immediately looked at what kind of car she was driving cuz up until this point all I noticed was it was white. And while the phone is ringing and I am waiting for my mom to pick up I look at her license plate number and memorize it. I get that from my mom... she always memorizes license plate numbers like a stalker or something.

After I talk to my mom I get the lady's name, phone number, address and I ask her for her drivers license number and insurance info. She hesitates and starts going on how this was not a big deal and the impact was nothing and that she was sorry and yada yada yada. So I cut her off again and say "Lady, I understand but this is my mom's car, not mine, just give me what I asked for and we'll be on our way..." She tells me she doesn't have her license with her or her insurance either because she just got it and it's a home. Hmm... a likely story. I am Mexican and I know mexican people... and that translates into "I don't have a license or insurance and I just don't want to tell you that." So once I have all the info I tell her my mom will call her so we can get this squared away.

As she starts to walk away I pushed dial on my cell phone (while on speaker) and right away a recording picks up saying the number was not in service. I had a feeling she was giving me the run around and I walk over to her door but by this time I am angry. My throat hurts... I am in a nightgown on the side of the road (well actually that wasn't so bad but it adds to my story don't it?)... and she gave me false information. So I knock on her window. She rolls it down and I say "Your number is incorrect" but I know she knew I was mad. She hesitates and asks "How do you know?" So I tell her I called the number and a recording picked up. She says they must have just shut off her service... blah blah blah. I tell her nicely to give me her real phone number because I already have her license plate number and I will stand there and call the police if need be. I explain to her that I was trying to be nice but now I am annoyed that she gave me false information... I can feel my voice getting louder... and that I have no problem involving the police since I wasn't the one who hit me. She immediately gets out of the car again

and looks at the bumper of my van. She apologizes again, gives me a new number, and then starts telling me that she doesn't even think that she caused the damage because her car is small and my car is big and that she can't even be sure that it wasn't already there before and that no one is hurt. Midway between her speech I start calling my mom again but she thinks I am dialing for the police. I say, "Lady it's plastic! Of course you can cause that damage... you HIT me!"

See Exhibit A:

And a close up:

My mom answers and I vent to her about the stupid lady. My mom is furious she gave me the wrong number and asks to speak to her. Right away I know my mom was yelling... and being the intimidating woman that she is... and the lady's face got pale and she changed her tune. After about 15 minutes I got everything I needed and took off.

When I got home my mom told me she told the lady that I wrote down her license plate number and we'd find her if she had still given us false information. And I knew the lady got scared. She told my mom she has insurance but wants to settle it between them privately. She's supposed to call tonight so we'll see what happens...