The Unbearable Handicap Of Parking

The very next day after that Gray Truck Guy angle-blocked me for the fourth time, I encountered another weirdo at Country Mart.

Country Mart has two main doors. The doors on the right end have been blocked off since THE VIRUS. They are using that part of the store now for something else inside, and have a bench in front of the doors outside. There is a yellow-striped no-parking zone in front of both sets of entrances. They take up the space of two parking slots.

There are 12 parking spaces along the front of the store. On each side of the main entrance, there are three handicap spots. On the far end of them are three regular spaces on the left end, and the yellow-striped no-park zone, then three regular parking spaces at the right end. There are also four handicap spaces across the main drive in front of the main entrance.

On this day, ALL the handicap spaces were empty. It was incredible! I'd never seen such a sight. In fact, only ONE car was parked in those 12 spaces in front of the store, the last one on the very far left. Since there did not seem to be any chance of a handicap parker going without a space, I put T-Hoe into the third handicap space on the right side of the entrance. I cheated over into the yellow-striped zone a bit, to make sure T-Hoe's driver's door could open all the way if somebody parked in the handicap space to the left of me.

I went in to buy bananas, tangerines, a loaf of bread, and slaw. When I came back out, a lady was parking a large brown not-very-new sedan next to T-Hoe. All other handicap spaces were still empty. I didn't notice if she had a placard or special plates. You'd think if she did, she would have taken one of the parking spaces closest to the door. 

Anyhoo... I'm not making judgments on anybody parking in the handicap spaces when 8 others were available. But I AM making a judgment on Brown Car's parking skill.

SHE PARKED ACROSS THE LINE SO THAT I COULDN'T GET T-HOE'S DOOR OPEN!

I'm not saying that was her prime motive. Maybe she doesn't have vision in her right eye, and couldn't tell how close she was. But still... she had all that room on her left side, where nobody was parked. And I was already WAY OVER on her right side. If she'd parked within the lines, it would have been fine.

I couldn't believe she did that! I had to push my cart/walker across the front of T-Hoe, and go down the passenger side to get to the trunk. I don't think the cart would have fit between the vehicles.

As I went around T-Hoe's front bumper, and down the side, I was muttering, 

 

"I can't believe you did that! I parked just right to get my door open, and now I can't. I guess I'll just sit in the passenger seat and wait until I can open my door wide enough to get in. Why in the world would you park like that? You're all the way over the line!"

 

Let the record show that I was not yelling. I was muttering under my breath. I looked at that car pointedly as T-Hoe's hatch was raising. I was planning to get a photo as soon as I put my groceries in. A photo standing there at the back bumpers, showing the tires over the line, and the amount of space between the cars. No license plates.

 

Oh, I was definitely stewing! Brown Car had gone inside the store as I was rounding T-Hoe's front bumper. I saw her with my peripheral vision, since I DO have sight in my right eye. As T-Hoe's hatch closed, and I readied myself to pull the phone out of my pocket, 

 

HERE CAME BROWN CAR LADY!

 

Huh. Was she done so soon? Maybe she ran in for lottery? I didn't see anything in her hand but the keys. She got in her Brown Car, and 

 

BACKED UP AND PULLED IN STRAIGHT BETWEEN THE LINES!!! 

Sweet Gummi Mary! Had she heard my mutterings? Why did she run in the store and then come back out to re-park, but not leave?

Maybe she was in a hurry to use the bathroom. I think they took down the sign saying it was closed due to THE VIRUS. But if she was in that much hurry for the bathroom, she should have parked in the closest spot.

I can't explain why she went in and came out to re-park. But I'm sure glad she did.

Maybe Even Steven programmed her brain on my behalf...

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Close-parkers always remind me of this scene from The Heat, one of my favorite movies, starring Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock. I took my mom to see it at the theater, and we laughed until we cried. Though not specifically at this scene. [42-second clip]

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