A Moron in a Mehari

(and not a superstar in a Ferrari)

 Walking up the mountain this afternoon, on my usual 6 kms circuit, I heard a car coming up behind me. As it grew closer, I heard a Michael Buble song playing, Beautiful Day. I love that song and, years ago, I did a dressage freestyle to it. I thought, “Oh, how cool to be playing that, it’s such a good song, perfect for a nice drive up the mountain! I bet they’re really nice people.”

Within seconds they were zooming past me in a bright orange, open-topped Mehari type car, except it may not have been a Mehari because it was new, and I don’t know whether Mehari still make cars, but it doesn’t matter. Anyway, as they passed me, again I thought, “Oh, what a cool car! They’d be super fun to hang out with!”

And then the driver, a man, reached an arm over his door and flicked a cigarette butt onto the road.

What the….?

It made me so cross! We’re up the Jura on a country road, surrounded by nature, with views so gorgeous I get goose bumps. Plus, it hasn’t rained much for ages, so everything is dry, and the news is full of apocalyptic visions of raging forest fires all over the planet, and some twit doesn’t know any better?

Believe me, were I thirty-odd years younger I’d have sprinted after them, yelling, but that clearly wasn’t going to happen with my wonky hips.

So instead, I kept my eyes on the road, found the cigarette butt, and carried it in my hand right down the mountain until I found a bin. Don’t worry, it was definitely out because it’s a hot day, and I had a long way to walk before I got to the bin, and my hand was all sweaty from holding the damn thing.

And now I’ve got to retrain my brain to associate that song with the dressage program I rode, and not with a cigarette throwing moron in an orange kit car. Please tell me you think it can be done…

My romantic comedy, Just Like a Movie, is available on all Amazon sites.