My First Accident

Well, I knew it would happen eventually, my van is too big and this place is too small. I had my first accident today. Now by definition of an accident, it was very very small. I side swiped a bumper with my van tire. However, I was a little shocked when it happened, I was in a parking lot, and it was very full. So I had to go around to the other side of the lot to park, it was a bit far from the car I hit, but I wanted to get somewhere fast and stop. So I parked. Well, wouldn't you know, I left my PHONE AT HOME! Anyway, now I am sitting here trying to figure out what to do. I decide that it would make more sense to go back and try and wait for a spot closer to the car so I could see when the owner came out of the store. I had Daniel with me and I wanted to keep him buckled in. I knew it was wrong to flee the scene and I knew that people saw it happen and there is only 3 non-Japanese families in this town...... Right at that moment there is this man knocking at my window.

Well, at first I am glad, this must be the the owner of the car. So he is yelling at me in Japanese and I am trying to ask him for a phone. So he walks away in a hurry (good he is going to get his phone). He returns and is talking on the phone. When he is done I ask him again for his phone to call my teacher (I am pointing to myself and saying denwa (phone) making my hand into a phone and saying sensei (teacher) and then pointing to his phone. He does not get it and it asking me all these questions and he is angry. Then he just keeps saying "Police, Police, Police"! Now, I know that he has called the police, but I still need help, someone, at this point anyone, to help me. I sit there for a minute while I try and think of something. He is still yelling at me and saying Police. Then he points to a scratch on my car. It is a scratch I put on it a while back on my terribly narrow driveway. So I get out and try to find the place where I hit him. It is a very small scratch by the rear door. Okay, he is still talking at me and I am starting to get upset. So I try and ask these two young women with kids for their phone, they looked scared and just shake their head no. I ask another lady and she gives me "the bots" which is making your two pointer fingers into an "X" and saying no at the same time. Now I am upset (not crying) and wondering what I was going to do. Then someone points to the store and says Denwa. I am parked at the last space in the back of the lot. So I get Daniel out and head to the store. VERY LUCKILY Kelley (one of the other OAP Americans here) was having class with her teacher and she lives just down the road. I call her and tell them to hurry.

I walk back out and sure enough, the police are there! Just one. They are both now talking at me and asking me for stuff. I manage to get the insurance stuff out of the van, find my "green card" and my International Driver's license. The policeman goes back to his car. Kelley and teacher show up.

The teacher starts to talk to the man. FINALLY SOME COMMUNICATION! He wants me to give him money and he will just fix it himself, since it is ONLY A SMALL SCRATCH. I tell him no, we have to go through insurance.....blah blah. So then we are just standing there. Daniel has fallen asleep. It takes about 20 minutes for the policeman to write up the report. The man starts talking to the teacher. He ends up being pretty friendly and somewhat embarrassed about yelling at me. He apologizes through the teacher. Then I find out he is a nurse at a hospital in Tokyo, he has 3 kids 5, 4, and 1. Two boys and a girl. He has to go to work on the 2pm train.......just a regular conversation. He asks all about me and where I am from, etc.

Then the policeman comes back with a ton of questions, etc. Then b/c he has all these odd documents (green card and driver's license) he needs to run to the 7-11 to copy them. Off he goes. Then the man says he needs to take a smoke (ALL Japanese men smoke). He comes back with an apple drink from the vending machine for Daniel. I think this was his way of saying sorry for being mean.

So after 45 minutes the police say I can go and the guy suddenly is gone, I did not get to say sorry or goodbye (although the teacher said that several times to him)!

VERY minor, but it was enough excitement for Kim today!

I hope that never happens to me again, but if it does I will have my phone with me!