Dream of: 12 March 1998 "A Lie"
Driving a car along a narrow gravel road, I was searching for a house which I had heard was for sale and which I was thinking of buying. One other person was sitting in the front seat with me, helping me with my search, looking over the houses on both sides of the road. However it was difficult for me to concentrate on the houses, because the road was so rough and rocky. As if the disrepair of the road weren't enough, people had set some of their belongings out in the road, and I had to try to avoid hitting them. Suddenly I saw a vacuum sweeper sitting right in the middle of the road, and unable to stop quickly enough, I plowed right into it. I immediately stopped the car, and both my companion and I stepped out.
The man who owned the vacuum was standing by the side of the road. He immediately walked over to the vacuum, picked it up and examined it. The vacuum was obviously broken. The hose seemed to be broken at the juncture where it connected to the vacuum. The man looked at me accusingly, and I began thinking about whether I was liable for any damage. I quickly saw the problem — although the man should not have left his vacuum in the middle of the narrow little road, I would probably be held liable, since the man would claim I should have stopped. And that is exactly what he did — he turned to me and said the accident was my fault, and asked me if I had my liability insurance card with me. At first I thought I would have to show him my card; but then I suddenly changed my mind. I knew if I were held responsible for the accident, my insurance rates would increase. And since I didn't think the accident was really my fault, I didn't want to pay more for insurance. I was just about to tell the man I wasn't going to show him my insurance card, when for some reason he said he didn't want to see it anyway. I was unsure of his motives for not wanting to see the card, but I knew he still intended to hold me liable. I asked the man if he thought he was completely free of responsibility for the accident and he indicated he thought it was completely my fault.
I realized if the accident were reported to my insurance company, the man would be paid because the amount wouldn't be worth fighting over. The insurance company certainly wouldn't want to have a trial. But I thought I had the right to go to trial if I wanted. And I thought I might just defend myself. My only problem was I didn't know how to explain why I didn't stop when I had seen the vacuum cleaner. Suddenly I thought I had an idea — I could say the man had abruptly shoved the vacuum cleaner out in front of my car. Of course this would be a lie, but if it were believed, the accident would be blamed completely on the man, in much the same sense as if a person suddenly ran in front of a car the driver wouldn't be held responsible. I didn't like the idea of lying, but if it were the only way I could win this case, I thought I would do it.
Copyright 2002 by luciddreamer2k@gmail.com
