My mom encounters RA

My mom has been playing tennis for years.  She's strong, competitive, and completely fair.  She plays to win, but enjoys after-game chats and connection with her opponents.

Two weeks ago, she was playing doubles on a women's Wednesday night league.  Her opponents were losing.  After the game, they walked up to my mom's teammates.  The opponents said, pointing at my mom and her partner, "Are those women known for cheating?"

The teammates reported this story to my mom and her partner.  The partner, irate, walked over to the teammate and started a verbal argument.  The word fuck you flew back and forth.  The last punch of the conversation was when one of the teammates asked my mom's partner if she was married.  My mom's partner said, "No."  The opponent said, "That makes sense, I can't see anyone ever wanting to be with you."  Ouch, what a jab.

My mom, of course, was rather dumbfounded.

Two days later, she was waiting in a car line at a bank.  The woman ahead of her was taking a long time.  The woman behind her was getting annoyed, honking her horn periodically.  Finally, she got out of her car and started screaming at the woman ahead of her.  The word bitch was flying back and forth.

It seems Relational Aggression (and aggression in general) is alive and well in the community of Delray Beach, Florida.