Duel

Last night, in the dream: a burning tram and a burning train entering a forest – an image that echoed the tragic air crash (involving a burning Concorde) that occurred near Paris, about ten years ago. Each day breaks news regarding accidents caused by careless driving, careless cycling, and careless walking. This morning an old friend – a prosecutor - phones me from Bucharest (he is currently living and working there) and breaks bad news: last night one of our mutual friends had an altercation (yelling and pushing) with a bluecoat, resulting in his short term arrest - on grounds of verbal and physical violence. The fight was apparently caused by a nervous breakdown (on the part of our friend), and by loftiness (on the part of the officer). This is how I see the picture from a distance. The bigger picture is, of course, grimmer and Kafkian, but this is all I know so far. A few days ago, another friend of ours (who has been an experienced driver for years) ran into a drunken cyclist. Typically enough, the victim had to be persuaded into being taken to hospital. Fortunately, that immature and irresponsible cyclist had only minor injuries, but our friend got scared…Under these circumstances, the three of us are about to increase the number of car owners. For the time being I do not drive, I am still driven. And I do hope to overcome the tension caused by traffic and by not having this skill yet.