.118 x i feel ridiculously like crap
This morning when I was leaving for work I backed into Alli's car. I went to look at it, and at first glance I didn't think the damage was that bad... noticeable, but only if you're looking. If you're in a hurry, you'll miss it. I went inside to tell Danny anyway, and he said not to worry about it right now, so I went back outside. I looked at it again and decided it was worse than I'd first thought. It was noticeable, but I didn't think it would interfere with anything. I hit the back of the front tire well, but it also dented above the well a little even though I didn't touch that. I went ahead to work, but when I got there I tried calling Danny first thing and ended up having to leave him a voicemail. I said I'd looked again and it was worse than I thought, and basically that I didn't know what to do. But he never got that voicemail, apparently.
Justin called me at work and asked me what happened, and I said I don't know, I guess I didn't judge the distance right, I don't know, and (I think) something along the lines of Alli was asleep so I didn't want to wake her right then, I wanted to wait to tell her. He just gave me her number and said I needed to call her. He was surprisingly cool about it. I called her right away and she was pretty cool too, said the problem was her door wouldn't open now and she needed to meet some classmates for a group project. She was handling it and said we'd exchange insurance information later on. Which we did, and then on my lunch I called her again to apologize for not waking her right then. I hadn't realized it would cause any real problems with the car (like the door not opening) and I thought it was something that could sit until she was awake and I was off work, but I should have told her right away anyway. She said it was okay; she wished I had told her right away, but it worked out in the end.
So I just got home and called Danny to update him on all this. I told him I was most worried about talking to Justin even though he was cool on the phone earlier... and Danny said when Justin got home from work, he input the password on the video monitoring system on the property and they watched me back into her. I'd made it sound like I judged the distance wrong, but what really happened was I blanked on the fact that she was even home. I was concentrating on not hitting this ADT sign that's always next to my car and just not paying enough attention to what was behind me, so it wasn't just that I didn't turn the wheel enough, it's that I hardly turned it at all -- hence why I hit her front wheel well and not the back end of the car. In the end it's my fault either way, whether I judged the distance wrong or wasn't paying enough attention... but it still makes me feel worse. Especially from talking to Danny. "We watched you just ram her car, you didn't turn the wheel at all." I could see Justin being pretty angry. But I'll deal with it. I didn't handle things as well as I should have, but it's not like I dodged responsibility or anything. And I feel really badly. I would pay for it myself if insurance couldn't -- I have money for it. And I did learn that these things can't just sit -- they have to be handled right away. You never know -- I mean, it didn't even occur to me that her door would be affected, but it was.
So I'm really hoping I'm never in the situation again, but if I am, I know to tell the owner immediately, even if it means calling in late to work or whatever else. And of course, just to be more careful! I can drive alright now, but I still have my insecurities, and I should know better than to pay too little attention when backing up. I'm not that good at backing to begin with!
D= Well. Now to shower. And likely to talk to Justin and Alli first -- it sounds like they're home, and I haven't seen them face to face yet.
Edit: Justin just came in to talk to me, he was completely fine about it. He joked about watching the video of it and mimed Alli's and my reactions to it... and Dennis walking out and checking it out, and then Danny. Haha. So I guess in the end the worst reaction I get is from Danny... and it wasn't that bad, I think it's just because I'm more sensitive to what he thinks about whatever I do. Even my mom was completely cool. She just said she backed into some woman's car at a gas station in Germany once. Basically everyone said, "It happens to everyone at least once."
Justin called me at work and asked me what happened, and I said I don't know, I guess I didn't judge the distance right, I don't know, and (I think) something along the lines of Alli was asleep so I didn't want to wake her right then, I wanted to wait to tell her. He just gave me her number and said I needed to call her. He was surprisingly cool about it. I called her right away and she was pretty cool too, said the problem was her door wouldn't open now and she needed to meet some classmates for a group project. She was handling it and said we'd exchange insurance information later on. Which we did, and then on my lunch I called her again to apologize for not waking her right then. I hadn't realized it would cause any real problems with the car (like the door not opening) and I thought it was something that could sit until she was awake and I was off work, but I should have told her right away anyway. She said it was okay; she wished I had told her right away, but it worked out in the end.
So I just got home and called Danny to update him on all this. I told him I was most worried about talking to Justin even though he was cool on the phone earlier... and Danny said when Justin got home from work, he input the password on the video monitoring system on the property and they watched me back into her. I'd made it sound like I judged the distance wrong, but what really happened was I blanked on the fact that she was even home. I was concentrating on not hitting this ADT sign that's always next to my car and just not paying enough attention to what was behind me, so it wasn't just that I didn't turn the wheel enough, it's that I hardly turned it at all -- hence why I hit her front wheel well and not the back end of the car. In the end it's my fault either way, whether I judged the distance wrong or wasn't paying enough attention... but it still makes me feel worse. Especially from talking to Danny. "We watched you just ram her car, you didn't turn the wheel at all." I could see Justin being pretty angry. But I'll deal with it. I didn't handle things as well as I should have, but it's not like I dodged responsibility or anything. And I feel really badly. I would pay for it myself if insurance couldn't -- I have money for it. And I did learn that these things can't just sit -- they have to be handled right away. You never know -- I mean, it didn't even occur to me that her door would be affected, but it was.
So I'm really hoping I'm never in the situation again, but if I am, I know to tell the owner immediately, even if it means calling in late to work or whatever else. And of course, just to be more careful! I can drive alright now, but I still have my insecurities, and I should know better than to pay too little attention when backing up. I'm not that good at backing to begin with!
D= Well. Now to shower. And likely to talk to Justin and Alli first -- it sounds like they're home, and I haven't seen them face to face yet.
Edit: Justin just came in to talk to me, he was completely fine about it. He joked about watching the video of it and mimed Alli's and my reactions to it... and Dennis walking out and checking it out, and then Danny. Haha. So I guess in the end the worst reaction I get is from Danny... and it wasn't that bad, I think it's just because I'm more sensitive to what he thinks about whatever I do. Even my mom was completely cool. She just said she backed into some woman's car at a gas station in Germany once. Basically everyone said, "It happens to everyone at least once."