We decided to beat the heat in Palm Springs and head for Idyllwild, in the San Jacinto Mountains. Eighty-two degrees sounded much better to us than one hundred and three. One night turned into two, and we had to go to a market to get a few supplies.
Doug drove there, and I opted to wait in the car in the passenger seat with the air conditioning on, checking my phone for e-mails. I was pretty involved with what I was doing, when the driver's side door flew open, and a skinny old lady jumped into the seat and pressed the Power button! (Luckily this turned off the car.)
I thought, "Wow, she really thinks I'm wasting energy by leaving the motor running, and wants to take it into her own hands!" But then, I realized that she thought that this was her car. I nudged her, and said, "Ma'am! You're in the wrong car!" and tried to shove her again. She didn't even look at me or acknowledge that I was there. I repeated myself louder, as she pressed the Power button on again, with her foot on the brake pedal, and closed the driver's door.
I said, "No! You have to get out! This ISN'T your car!" Trying to shove her to no avail, since the door was shut. I pressed the button to OFF again, and she calmly said, "Don't worry, he's not coming yet." Her long, stringy hair covered the side of her face, and she still didn't look my way. She pushed the button ON again.
Just then, a young man came running out of the store with his groceries and saw me struggling with her. He opened her door and said, "Lillian! This isn't your car!", and to me, "She has dementia. I'm so sorry." She didn't believe him and resisted his pulling her out of our car. After our car door was closed, she kept holding on to the door handle, as he tried to cajole her away.
Finally, he led her to their silver Prius, parked next to mine, and got her to get in the passenger side. I'm thinking, "Ooh! So that's why....she really thought it was her car." But by the time he reached the driver's side, she had scrambled over the console and was trying to start up that car. (I was impressed. She's pretty spry, getting over that console. I would have a hard time doing that as gracefully as she did!) So he pried her out of the front seat and got her to sit in the back, where she complained and fussed with stuff that was on the seat, including a yellow fishing pole, which she jammed up into the ceiling. He got out and removed the fishing pole, etc., to the trunk area, but she was so agitated, that he tried to appease her with some pasta salad that he had bought.
Doug had come out around then, and the man told him, "I'm sorry", but he wasn't sure why. When he got in the car, he wondered why it smelled so bad, like pee, and then our phone rang with an important call, and I couldn't explain my experience till later.
As we drove away, she had convinced him to let her sit in front with him with her salad. I worried about the lady, but especially the man, a relative or caregiver. I can't imagine what he goes through every day. I wanted to tell him though, it's not unusual for a Prius owner to mistake another car for their own. When the door doesn't open for them, they just take a better look inside and realize their mistake. We've actually done it a few times ourselves....
Thoughts keep coming into my head too. What would have happened if he didn't come out of the store? Would she have backed on out and taken me for a wild ride? I try to imagine, how I could stop her. She evidently knew how to drive a Prius, since she automatically put her foot on the brake while pushing the Power button, so that Prius had been hers before she lost control of her life. I had the key in my purse, and I wonder if I would have thought to throw my purse or the keys out the window, and then turn off the car. Any ideas?
Doug drove there, and I opted to wait in the car in the passenger seat with the air conditioning on, checking my phone for e-mails. I was pretty involved with what I was doing, when the driver's side door flew open, and a skinny old lady jumped into the seat and pressed the Power button! (Luckily this turned off the car.)
I thought, "Wow, she really thinks I'm wasting energy by leaving the motor running, and wants to take it into her own hands!" But then, I realized that she thought that this was her car. I nudged her, and said, "Ma'am! You're in the wrong car!" and tried to shove her again. She didn't even look at me or acknowledge that I was there. I repeated myself louder, as she pressed the Power button on again, with her foot on the brake pedal, and closed the driver's door.
I said, "No! You have to get out! This ISN'T your car!" Trying to shove her to no avail, since the door was shut. I pressed the button to OFF again, and she calmly said, "Don't worry, he's not coming yet." Her long, stringy hair covered the side of her face, and she still didn't look my way. She pushed the button ON again.
Just then, a young man came running out of the store with his groceries and saw me struggling with her. He opened her door and said, "Lillian! This isn't your car!", and to me, "She has dementia. I'm so sorry." She didn't believe him and resisted his pulling her out of our car. After our car door was closed, she kept holding on to the door handle, as he tried to cajole her away.
Finally, he led her to their silver Prius, parked next to mine, and got her to get in the passenger side. I'm thinking, "Ooh! So that's why....she really thought it was her car." But by the time he reached the driver's side, she had scrambled over the console and was trying to start up that car. (I was impressed. She's pretty spry, getting over that console. I would have a hard time doing that as gracefully as she did!) So he pried her out of the front seat and got her to sit in the back, where she complained and fussed with stuff that was on the seat, including a yellow fishing pole, which she jammed up into the ceiling. He got out and removed the fishing pole, etc., to the trunk area, but she was so agitated, that he tried to appease her with some pasta salad that he had bought.
Doug had come out around then, and the man told him, "I'm sorry", but he wasn't sure why. When he got in the car, he wondered why it smelled so bad, like pee, and then our phone rang with an important call, and I couldn't explain my experience till later.
As we drove away, she had convinced him to let her sit in front with him with her salad. I worried about the lady, but especially the man, a relative or caregiver. I can't imagine what he goes through every day. I wanted to tell him though, it's not unusual for a Prius owner to mistake another car for their own. When the door doesn't open for them, they just take a better look inside and realize their mistake. We've actually done it a few times ourselves....
Thoughts keep coming into my head too. What would have happened if he didn't come out of the store? Would she have backed on out and taken me for a wild ride? I try to imagine, how I could stop her. She evidently knew how to drive a Prius, since she automatically put her foot on the brake while pushing the Power button, so that Prius had been hers before she lost control of her life. I had the key in my purse, and I wonder if I would have thought to throw my purse or the keys out the window, and then turn off the car. Any ideas?
