Swoop And Squat And SCURRY AWAY!
One rainy afternoon, I was on my way back from the pet store where I had just gotten Zeus and Baldur fitted for new harnesses. Zeus and Baldur are our German shepherds. Combined, they tip the scales at just under 160 pounds.
I am sixty-six, and most days, I resemble Grandma from a 1980s sitcom — silver hair, glasses, pastel tracksuit. I also drive what the younger members of my family scornfully refer to as a Boomer car — in other words, a solid, American-made four-door sedan. It’s nothing flashy, just respectable.
On this particular day, the boys are lying curled up in the back seat and I am concentrating on the slippery road conditions when we are passed and intercepted by a white Hyundai. The driver cuts in front of me and steps on his brakes, and by sheer luck, I am able to stop with my front license-plate holder just tapping the Hyundai’s rear bumper.
The other driver gets out and is on his way back to confront me when two things happen almost simultaneously.
- Zeus and Baldur stand up in the back seat.
- Mr. Swoop-And-Squat does an abrupt about-face and marches very quickly back to his Hyundai.
For readers who live in places where this particular type of crime is not common, “swoop and squat” is an insurance fraud involving someone driving a small, cheap car who stages an accident by pulling abruptly in front of the target vehicle and forcing a minor collision.
Fortunately, I get a photo of the Hyundai — complete with license plate — before he drives away, and I am able to hand it off to the police.
Question of the Week
Have you ever served a bad customer who got what they deserved?
