My parents have been together for quite a few years, and as you’d expect, they know each other really well. They can predict each other’s reactions and behavior with 100 percent accuracy. It’s good to know they can rely on each other.
Rather than being like two peas in a pod, though, they’re more like a left hand and a right hand that fit together. One is more analytical, the other more artistic. They often have different ways of looking at the same situation.
This sometimes manifests itself at odd moments — such as when they’re crossing the street. Both will go to where the crosswalk is and check for traffic. But if there is traffic, my mom will start to cross the street, while my dad will wait.
My mom argues that, as a pedestrian within the crosswalk, she has the right of way. By making oncoming traffic stop, she is asserting this right. The law agrees with her: the traffic is required to stop and let her walk across. A point for Mom for standing up for her rights.
My dad argues that the traffic might not stop. A driver might be distracted or too slow to hit the brakes. Accidents do happen. A point for Dad for playing it safe and increasing his chances of staying alive.
My brother-in-law has a different solution altogether: he drives across the street in his car. It’s a great big SUV. Sitting high above the traffic in this sturdy vehicle is a bit like being in a tank. Nothing can hurt you. So a point for him, too.
Who’s right? I don’t know. But I do know that it’s possible for more than one person to be right at the same time.
