We are a breed apart, we women drivers, I mean. We are extra-cautious with our driving, follow traffic rules diligently, pay our fines for traffic offences religiously, concentrate hard to be polite to our fellow drivers, and even apologise to smug dudes who crash into our vehicles from behind and start yelling at us for no fault of ours. No wonder my hubby fails to understand the psychology of women drivers, especially mine. But, is it my fault that my heart bleeds for the tiny pups and kittens on the road and hence slam the brakes suddenly to allow them an easy passage? Also, isn't it perfectly normal to stop the car in the middle of the road whenever pedestrians desire to cross the road?
C'mon, pedestrians too have a right to use the road, don't they? As a law-abiding citizen, I also stick to the left side of the road, no matter how narrow it is. I follow the speed limit specified earnestly, even if the road is wide and traffic-free. I refuse to overtake, even if my life depends on it. I'm unruffled, even when cyclists pass me by with wide smiles, taunting me for my 30 km/hr speed. I just smile back at them. I even turn the indicator on, almost a kilometer ahead of the turn I take, to let other drivers know well in advance. My fairer approach to driving irks him.
Whenever I'm behind the wheel, his right hand casually caresses the hand brake, to cajole it into action the moment the situation demands, which, according to him, are too many to even attempt listing them. According to him, it's a crime to turn my head, even by just 180 degrees, to check on my darling daughter in the back seat. Being a mother, shouldn't I be concerned about her well-being? Well, he doesn't understand my motherly instincts, I realise. Also, is it my fault that I sometimes get stuck on the road, all alone, with a flat tyre? I agree he's tried teaching me the fine art of jacking up the car to change tyres. But, being a firm believer in the axiom — job opportunities for all — I never paid attention to his lessons. After all, even mechanics need their job, don't they? He fails to comprehend the simplest of simple logics. As far as I remember, the traits a good driver needs to have are an alert mind, attentiveness, practice and good training only, and not technical skills. The fact that my skills to impress fellow drivers into helping me out of the mess my vehicle lands me in are almost nil, is beside the point. So is the fact that ultimately it is he who comes to set my car back on the road again, on all four wheels.
Whether the male fraternity likes to admit it or not, we women are renowned for our multitasking abilities. Just the other day, the traffic in front of me was moving at a snail's pace and my phone rang. It was my aunt who wanted to share the new bendekai gojju recipe she'd tried. Even as I was making a mental note of the ingredients, he pulled the hand brake and forced me to pull over to the side of the road so that he could take over. But, isn't getting the recipe right more important than negotiating traffic? He fails to see reason. Am convinced he's jealous of my multitasking abilities. Uff! Men will be men. There's no doubt about it.
C'mon, pedestrians too have a right to use the road, don't they? As a law-abiding citizen, I also stick to the left side of the road, no matter how narrow it is. I follow the speed limit specified earnestly, even if the road is wide and traffic-free. I refuse to overtake, even if my life depends on it. I'm unruffled, even when cyclists pass me by with wide smiles, taunting me for my 30 km/hr speed. I just smile back at them. I even turn the indicator on, almost a kilometer ahead of the turn I take, to let other drivers know well in advance. My fairer approach to driving irks him.
Whenever I'm behind the wheel, his right hand casually caresses the hand brake, to cajole it into action the moment the situation demands, which, according to him, are too many to even attempt listing them. According to him, it's a crime to turn my head, even by just 180 degrees, to check on my darling daughter in the back seat. Being a mother, shouldn't I be concerned about her well-being? Well, he doesn't understand my motherly instincts, I realise. Also, is it my fault that I sometimes get stuck on the road, all alone, with a flat tyre? I agree he's tried teaching me the fine art of jacking up the car to change tyres. But, being a firm believer in the axiom — job opportunities for all — I never paid attention to his lessons. After all, even mechanics need their job, don't they? He fails to comprehend the simplest of simple logics. As far as I remember, the traits a good driver needs to have are an alert mind, attentiveness, practice and good training only, and not technical skills. The fact that my skills to impress fellow drivers into helping me out of the mess my vehicle lands me in are almost nil, is beside the point. So is the fact that ultimately it is he who comes to set my car back on the road again, on all four wheels.
Whether the male fraternity likes to admit it or not, we women are renowned for our multitasking abilities. Just the other day, the traffic in front of me was moving at a snail's pace and my phone rang. It was my aunt who wanted to share the new bendekai gojju recipe she'd tried. Even as I was making a mental note of the ingredients, he pulled the hand brake and forced me to pull over to the side of the road so that he could take over. But, isn't getting the recipe right more important than negotiating traffic? He fails to see reason. Am convinced he's jealous of my multitasking abilities. Uff! Men will be men. There's no doubt about it.