I Had a Moment of Unfortunate Road Rage. Then I Got to the Office and Was in for a Rude Awakening.

Good Job Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by LogO/Adobe Stock and ARAMYAN/Adobe Stock. Good Job is Slate’s advice column on work. Have a workplace problem big or small? Send it to Laura Helmuth and Doree Shafrir here. (It’s anonymous!) Dear Good Job, Last week, I was driving back to work and needed to turn left onto the street in front of my workplace. I stopped to let traffic go and then waited for a black truck with black windows to continue. I waited and waited with my blinkers on. All I could see in the front window of the truck was hands motioning me to go. I did after I waved my hands and said, “Oh, my God,” with great frustration. When I got to work, I noticed that the truck was already parked in the parking lot. A few minutes after I walked into the office, my boss came in and said laughingly, “Well, I won’t be getting you coffee anymore!” I yelled, “That was you? I couldn’t see you inside your truck!” He laughed and told my co-worker what happened—but gosh, in his telling, I really sounded like a frustrated road-rage driver! He said he was just trying to be polite and let me turn left. I feel really bad that I obviously got frustrated. I feel very uncomfortable, and I feel like I should apologize for being rude. What should I do? I’ve really been thinking about about how I drive and if I drive angry, and if I need to talk to my therapist about this. —Road Rage Dear Road Rage, I know you’re probably spiraling right now but I want to just say—breathe. It’s going to be OK, I promise. It seems worse because it was your boss, but as someone who has to navigate the freeways of Los Angeles on a daily basis, I can assure you that this one was pretty benign. Of course it feels awful because the guy in the black truck turned out to be your boss, but he was joking about it, and I think you should try not to dwell on it. If you want to apologize, you can, but keep it brief and don’t go into too much self-flagellation. View it as a one-time slip-up and move on. To address your worry about whether you “drive angry,” it’s hard for me to say because I don’t know if this is a pattern for you. But it’s good to be aware of the dangers of road rage and why it happens. I would say that if it’s concerning you, it’s worth bringing up with your therapist, if only to understand why this particular interaction got under your skin so much. Maybe work on some techniques to stay calm in the car such as listening to something calming, like classical music or a meditation, or even just try driving in silence. You’ll be a happier driver, and a happier person, if you can learn how to just let these things go. —Doree Classic Prudie I don’t want my best friend to get married. “Christine” and I have been close since we were 8. Now we are in our early 30s. Christine and I have dated other people for a long time, and we both love our partners very much. She is getting married next month and I want to be excited for her (I pretend to be so excited!). Actually, I feel heartbroken. Never miss new Slate Advice columns Get the latest from Prudie and our columnists in your inbox each weekday, plus special bonus letters on Saturdays. Advice Workplace Jobs