"Ma, Kapara?"

I was driving home to my parents on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway (in the fast lane, naturally), at a speed corresponding to the flow of traffic (and no, I won't confess to speeding... here). As I passed a giant VW van to the right of me, the driver began honking very angrily, incessantly. At me - I thought - and I wondered what I could possibly have done to set him off. He began to speed up, and it seemed like he was going to pass me from the right. My imagination ran wild and in my mind's eye, I saw him chasing me down. I pictured myself turning off at the upcoming exit, and him following me, forcing me to stop, getting out of his car, coming up to mine... and beating me to death with a tire iron.

Ok, I may be slightly exaggerating, but I was really scared and my heart was beating a mile a minute. I sought refuge strategically, and drove into a space in-between two cars in right lane. The giant van swerved recklessly into the left lane, and as it passed me, I turned my head to see whether the driver would signal anything. Intentionally or unintentionally, the passenger next to the driver did a sort of wave with his hand.

And then they were gone.

Relief flooded me. The adrenaline in my blood dissipated, allowing my heartbeat to slowly return to normal.

I continued driving and took the exit... only to discover the very same giant VW van up ahead, waiting at a red light.

The driver had his window open. So I thought... Ok, I'm calm now. Let's find out what he was honking at!

I pulled up next to him, rolled down my window and asked.

Surfer-dude in the driver's seat looked at me and said, "Ma, Kapara?" [Given the surfer-dude context, I'll translate that: "What, babe?"]

I repeated my question: "That honking back there, the angry, continual honking..."

"Oh... maybe someone wanted to get in and you weren't letting them in...?" he replied, uncertainly.

Me, very definitely: "Nope, no one was trying to get in front of me."

Him: "Oh, well... I don't know..." And then, conversationally: "So... where you headed?"