SuBee
master brummie
It was 4pm, cold, and the snow was falling thick and fast. Heavy laden with shopping and pushing a pushchair with two toddlers in tow, I was pleased to see the Royal Angus Hotel neon sign - it was my beacon. Why I had chosen to park in that multi story car park baffled me now. It had seemed such a good idea at the time, a nice easy exit after an afternoons shopping in town.
The lads were restless, tired, cold and hungry. 'Nearly there' were my words of comfort to them..........it seemed to work when we were on a long journey, so my expectations were the same as we approached the lift to the car park.
Tip toed, little fingers pressed all the buttons to summonds the lift. We all piled in and the same fingers did the same proceedure again. My relief that we were one step nearer to home allowed me to cope with the lift stopping fruitlessly on every floor. The bell rang for the 4th time and we all bundled out and marched like soldiers on the last leg of their journey, to the car.
My heart stopped.............No car. 'Maybe I'm tired and made a mistake' I thought. My eyes flitted around the 4th floor of the car park, before I had the sinking feeling that my car had been stolen.'Wheres the car Mom' said my eldest, who had already sensed something was wrong, his nose and cheeks were red and as young as he was - I could see in his eyes that he had that sinking feeling too. 'It was definately the 4th floor' I couldnt believe it - why my car? - why now? Finding a little more energy, I made my way to the Car park Attendants office.
'My cars been stolen' I blurted out.
Out popped a mature, fragile looking man in his NCP uniform with a pen in his top pocket. as he approached me I noticed his limp. I immeadiately thought of the comedians on TV, who portrayed car park attendants charactured by limping - as funny as that seemed as I sat infront of a fire in a warm room, now I just visualised him as my knight in shining armour.
Calmly, he took his pen out of his pocket and took the details of my car. My lips were a quiver...partly because it was cold, partly because the reality of having my car stolen had hit me. he took me to his hut, there was barely room for us all, but the kids climbed in and I continued relaying the story to the atttendant.
'Was I sure I parked it on the 4th floor?' 'Had I left the ticket in the car?' Was I in the right car park?'...........all these questions were meant to assist in the recovery of my car - to me they were doubting my ability to park and locate my car. My upset turned to anger. 'OK OK..........not a problem' said the attendant - who obviously had experienced a few women angry before and did not want to traverse that road again,'I'll go take a look for your car, you all stay here and I will be back soon'!
I quickly realised that 'Soon' is a relative term, and 'my soon' the 'lads soon' and the 'attendants soon' were not compatable at all.
About half an hout later he returned.....no car.
'I have checked all the floors, I have to before calling the police' he told me. 'Are you sure you didnt leave the ticket in the car' he asked again. this time I produced my ticket as proof that I hadnt. 'Its just that you cant exit without a ticket' he explained. 'I think what has happened, is that your car has been stolen and another stolen car has been left in the car park in its place'. Evidently this is what car gangs did. Bring a 'hot' car into the carpark and leave it, but steal another car and use the 'hot' cars ticket to exit the car park. So now my car was 'hot'.
The attendant looked tired and cold too now, and I felt deeply sorry that at the end of a long and bitter cold day he was having to sort all this out for me. The kids were warmer and less fretful as they played in the hut. 'Well' said Bill, we were on first name terms at this point 'its a police jobby now'.
By this time it was 5.30pm, and as Bill finished reporting the incident to the police, I asked if I could phone my husband to inform him that I was safe, but would be late home, and what had happened.
'Hello.................its only me, dont worry, were ok, but im afraid I have some bad news' my eyes filled a little 'my car has been stolen and Im waiting for the police to arrive'
'YOUR car?!' came the response 'You mean MY car' (I gulped) 'I took your car for its MOT today remember? You borrowed my car to go to town'
Most of the shop workers had collected their cars at this time, so the 4th floor looked nice and empty now, so it was really easy to spot my husbands car. Bill had walked up with me and carried my shopping, the police had said it was an easy mistake, yet their eyes carried an air of 'typical woman' look in them. This is a look that only women who have seen it before will recognise. Bill packed the shopping in my boot, folded the pushchair and said it was nice to have met me, but his eyes carried the same look too
Next True Car story - The day I ran into the back of the same man TWICE!
The lads were restless, tired, cold and hungry. 'Nearly there' were my words of comfort to them..........it seemed to work when we were on a long journey, so my expectations were the same as we approached the lift to the car park.
Tip toed, little fingers pressed all the buttons to summonds the lift. We all piled in and the same fingers did the same proceedure again. My relief that we were one step nearer to home allowed me to cope with the lift stopping fruitlessly on every floor. The bell rang for the 4th time and we all bundled out and marched like soldiers on the last leg of their journey, to the car.
My heart stopped.............No car. 'Maybe I'm tired and made a mistake' I thought. My eyes flitted around the 4th floor of the car park, before I had the sinking feeling that my car had been stolen.'Wheres the car Mom' said my eldest, who had already sensed something was wrong, his nose and cheeks were red and as young as he was - I could see in his eyes that he had that sinking feeling too. 'It was definately the 4th floor' I couldnt believe it - why my car? - why now? Finding a little more energy, I made my way to the Car park Attendants office.
'My cars been stolen' I blurted out.
Out popped a mature, fragile looking man in his NCP uniform with a pen in his top pocket. as he approached me I noticed his limp. I immeadiately thought of the comedians on TV, who portrayed car park attendants charactured by limping - as funny as that seemed as I sat infront of a fire in a warm room, now I just visualised him as my knight in shining armour.
Calmly, he took his pen out of his pocket and took the details of my car. My lips were a quiver...partly because it was cold, partly because the reality of having my car stolen had hit me. he took me to his hut, there was barely room for us all, but the kids climbed in and I continued relaying the story to the atttendant.
'Was I sure I parked it on the 4th floor?' 'Had I left the ticket in the car?' Was I in the right car park?'...........all these questions were meant to assist in the recovery of my car - to me they were doubting my ability to park and locate my car. My upset turned to anger. 'OK OK..........not a problem' said the attendant - who obviously had experienced a few women angry before and did not want to traverse that road again,'I'll go take a look for your car, you all stay here and I will be back soon'!
I quickly realised that 'Soon' is a relative term, and 'my soon' the 'lads soon' and the 'attendants soon' were not compatable at all.
About half an hout later he returned.....no car.
'I have checked all the floors, I have to before calling the police' he told me. 'Are you sure you didnt leave the ticket in the car' he asked again. this time I produced my ticket as proof that I hadnt. 'Its just that you cant exit without a ticket' he explained. 'I think what has happened, is that your car has been stolen and another stolen car has been left in the car park in its place'. Evidently this is what car gangs did. Bring a 'hot' car into the carpark and leave it, but steal another car and use the 'hot' cars ticket to exit the car park. So now my car was 'hot'.
The attendant looked tired and cold too now, and I felt deeply sorry that at the end of a long and bitter cold day he was having to sort all this out for me. The kids were warmer and less fretful as they played in the hut. 'Well' said Bill, we were on first name terms at this point 'its a police jobby now'.
By this time it was 5.30pm, and as Bill finished reporting the incident to the police, I asked if I could phone my husband to inform him that I was safe, but would be late home, and what had happened.
'Hello.................its only me, dont worry, were ok, but im afraid I have some bad news' my eyes filled a little 'my car has been stolen and Im waiting for the police to arrive'
'YOUR car?!' came the response 'You mean MY car' (I gulped) 'I took your car for its MOT today remember? You borrowed my car to go to town'
Most of the shop workers had collected their cars at this time, so the 4th floor looked nice and empty now, so it was really easy to spot my husbands car. Bill had walked up with me and carried my shopping, the police had said it was an easy mistake, yet their eyes carried an air of 'typical woman' look in them. This is a look that only women who have seen it before will recognise. Bill packed the shopping in my boot, folded the pushchair and said it was nice to have met me, but his eyes carried the same look too
Next True Car story - The day I ran into the back of the same man TWICE!
