Hey! I'm PARKIN' Here!

The Universe continues to conspire against Val.

 

Let the record show that I choose parking places for T-Hoe that leave room for the driver's door to fully open. It's a 2008 Tahoe, by cracky! Those doors are huge, and only have two notches. Not far enough, and all the way. If I only open the door to the first notch, I cannot bend my right knee enough to get my foot in. That's not a function of my giant clown feet! It's due to my right knee barely bending to 90 degrees. So if somebody parks too close to T-Hoe, I have to wait until they leave to get in. 

 

Country Mart has a space at the end of the store, in a little notch where the pharmacy section sticks out. There's a single parking space, with unlimited room on the driver's side, because the door opens onto the sidewalk area. On the right, the drive-thru pharmacy customers queue. A perfect spot for Val to park T-Hoe. It's usually open, because it's far from the main door, the other set of doors having been permanently locked to provide space inside for deli customers to eat.

 

Anyhoo... I was happy to see this parking space available on Wednesday. As I pulled in, a gal was pushing a cart along the sidewalk, with a toddler boy in the child seat. She turned it to the corner of the store, where her bicycle with a build-in child carrier was waiting. I paid them no mind, getting my lottery money ready, and checking my phone to see what was new. Nothing. My own pharmacy had sent me a text right after I picked up my meds.

 

WAIT A MINUTE! I grabbed T-Hoe's door handle to get out, and saw THIS!

 

 

What in the NOT-HEAVEN? She already had her kid in the bicycle seat. But no. She had to stop right next to my door, so I couldn't get out!!! With me in the special parking place made just for me, because it always allows me egress and ingress with no issues from people blocking me in! Until now.

 

Oh my gosh! She fiddled and faddled with that pink backpack! Trying to attach it with a bright orange carabiner to the back of the child seat. Yes. I watched. What else did I have to do? I surreptitiously took this picture, thinking she was getting on her bike to leave, and not wanting her to get away without a blog post for me! 

 

Silly Val. There was all the time in the world to get a picture. 11 MINUTES! I know that, because when looking at the time stamps on my photos, this one was taken at 3:58, and this next one I took as soon as she left, to show the corner where she'd parked and put her toddler on the bike, was taken at 4:09.

 

You can see how much room was available. She could have parked over by that bench to do her fiddling about. Or in front of the store. Or even in the empty parking space that was next to me, set back by T-Hoe's bumper. Or done it before leaving the corner area. Why get right up against T-Hoe's door for this failed attempt to hang that backpack? She obviously KNEW I was in the car. She saw me park as she wheeled her cart up to the corner.

No, I didn't put the window down to ask her to move. You can't be too careful these days. People are bat-crap crazy. Not saying this gal was, but you never know. Perhaps it was a scam to make me open my door, and then claim that I hit her! Or maybe she was just a young mother getting exercise while riding her kid to the store. I wasn't willing to find out. 

I keep to myself, and keep my mouth shut. 

And I keep my distance from people parked in cars.

_________________________________________________________________________

My title inspiration came from these two short clips (1 minute each). Yes, I have seen both movies in their entirety, more than once.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c412hqucHKw  Midnight Cowboy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9db4o8c5X0I    Miss Congeniality

_________________________________________________________________________