What made you smile today?

[Abdula]

Ani, if the wording of your post was misleading that is on you.

No, when I first noticed the truck was parked next to my car, I went outside to see how close he was and whether or not I'd want to move my car. Outside I noticed the truck was indeed parked too close to my car, and that the driver was still in the car.

So I did not misunderstand that. You noticed the truck was too close and that the driver was still in the truck. You thought it was very likely that he was going to ding your car but you took no preventive action. Not even simply speaking to him or moving your car.

What you're suggesting is that I should have walked up to the driver and asked him to be careful not to ding my car, or to move his truck and park properly in the parking space. That is why you live in a dream world. In the real world that kind of confrontation would only cause more problems, as the truck guy could easily take offense.

Ah, I see. Someone who was likely to flip out simply because you warned him not to hit your car would also be, as you said, cautious, consider and courteous enough to take steps to avoid hitting your car.

The way I handled it, I left it up to him if there would be a confrontation, as he did not even notice me walking past and he did not know it was my car next to his truck.

This is just funny. You didn't handle it. You did nothing! That is not handling it. It was your prerogative to protect your car but you left that up to him. It is humorous that you mention he did not know that you were even present or that it was your car. Given the situation I would think that making him aware of your presence and indicating that it was your car would have made him cautious of hitting that car. That would have required nothing move that you unlocking, approaching or entering your car.

I keep walking, waiting to hear a thunk when he INEVITABLY opens his door and dings my car, at which point I'd have to talk to him and make a scene. To my surprise, the truck door opens slowly and cautiously and a big burly guy gets out, but he's taking care not to hit my car with his door. He edges his way out past my car and walks off, leaving me flabbergasted, a bit ashamed for assuming, but mostly happy that people can be considerate and courteous. That made me smile.

As it turns out, I made the best choice, gave the guy a chance to be a good guy, and happily found myself proven wrong (albeit only anecdotally in this one instance) as he showed himself to be a decent human being and considerate of others' property by carefully exiting his vehicle without striking mine. That's the end of the situation, as it should be.

Pardon me for reading your posts and coming to the wrong conclusion.

Seeing Abdula post made me smile

Hey Arch. It does feel good to be back.