Not even an hour ago, I stopped at a store. Parked next to the entrance in a handicap spot was a vehicle idling and without a handicap placard in the window. As I pass by the car, I look back and forth at the handicap sign and car with a confused look on my face.

Turns out the driver didn't like that.

2 minutes later, a 40-something year old man walks up to me saying "I don't like how you looked at me back there." He then goes on that he is, in fact, handicap (and a cop) and pulls out his wallet to show me. Upon showing me the card, I apathetically reply "That's nice", standing my ground and holding frame. He tells me that if I did that in his hometown, I'd get punched in the mouth. As he walks away, I ask him "Which town is that?". "New Jersey", he replies.

As I walk out of the store, he's still in the same parking spot, and I give him one final glance while heading towards my own car. Right as I get into mine, he pulls around the parking lot and waits -- I'm guessing because he was still infuriated at this point and was "scoping" me out. He left before I did.

What on earth are you supposed to do in a situation like this? How did I handle it?

My biggest concern is that when things like this happen, my body immediately goes into fight or flight mode. My heart doesn't really race, and I don't shake, but my legs and chest always feel light and even weak. It's not that I don't think I could defend myself -- I do exercise and box even; I just want to know how to control my adrenaline and know how to react.

Am I just an angsty young adult? (I'm 21, by the way.)

Any help is appreciated.