Well, this post is going to be dramatically different than I expected. I am absolutely sick and incredibly saddened this morning by something I witnessed after dropping the kids off.
Our weather is starting to get a bit warmer and, with the warmer air, we are seeing more and more birds, ducks, and geese in the area. It's very common around here to find families of geese making their homes in the ponds around office buildings or in creek beds along the edges of the woods. And it's also very common to see pairs of ducks in the same areas and in neighborhoods. Many of us know where the feathery families tend to settle and often find ourselves braking while they cross the roads.
This morning, a pair of mallards were downtown. And, as they are likely to do, they stepped off the sidewalk and started to cross the road. It was a four-lane road and everyone on both sides stopped and made way for them. I can't imagine why or what would compel a person to do this, but apparently the woman driving the car in the lane next to me suddenly decided that she was not going to wait any longer. One minute she was sitting there in her car with the rest of the lanes and the next minute, she took off and ran over the male mallard.
I gasped, then screamed, and then sat there in horror, along with a bunch of other people in their cars, while she took off and the poor male duck struggled for life. The female duck had been ahead of him and she stopped in the middle of the road and looked back at him. It was one of those moments that I'll never forget. She just stood there watching him and then very slowly continued on her path to the other side of the street. Eventually, once she was safe, the other cars slowly started to move again. The male duck was still by then and I had no choice but to continue onto home.
What could have possibly compelled the woman to do what she did? Was she late for work? Was she just in a bad mood? Did she get an emergency call? Or is it possible that she just didn't care? I don't know the answer but I don't think I've ever witnessed such intentional cruelty before and I can't help but be shocked that someone could possibly be that cruel.
I don't even know what the point is of this post. Except that I'm devastated by what happened and can't stop being shocked.
