Childproof and Ticketless

Sometimes you just get yourself in predicaments and you have to wonder, has anyone else ever done this?

Take me for example – last week the husbands Da was in town from Ireland and we had rented a cottage in upper Michigan for the week.  I dropped the boys off at a renowned golf course and thought – I’ll go into town and get a pedicure – that sounds like a great idea!

So, into the cute town I went, got a coffee and started wandering around to find a salon that was 1) open and 2) gave pedicures.

Success on block two, indeed there was an open salon.  Went in and inquired about an opening, sure enough they could get me in at 11:00.  Great, I’ll be back at 11:00!

Now it was not eleven, it was nine something and I already had a coffee and been through the town, so I decided to nap in the truck.  I pumped the parking meter full of quarters, crawled in the backseat, set the alarm on my phone and laid down for a nap.  

I was awoken by the sound of the “meter maid” (who was actually a man) printing out a ticket on his little hand held device.  I tried to let myself out the back door of the truck, but it is childproof – there is no getting out without release from the front driver’s seat.  I was not really near the front driver’s seat and the “meter maid man” was on the sidewalk.  I leaned over, opened the passenger door and the car alarm promptly went off.

I’m hanging out the front passenger door from the back seat with a blaring car alarm while being stared at incredulously by the “meter maid man” who is holding the bright yellow ticket.  I mumbled something about napping and kid proof doors, alarm still roaring, grabbed the ticket and shut the front passenger door to start my dig in my purse for the car keys to shut the alarm off. 

He walked away.

I scanned the ticket, saw if we paid early it would be half off and put it in my purse, with the keys I had finally found to turn off the alarm and checked the clock to see how close it was to pedicure time.  

Knock, knock, knock – on the window, I lean over, open the front door again, alarm goes off, fumble to back seat, find keys and start my spiel about kid proof doors, napping and getting a pedicure, all the while being stared at by the ”meter maid man” like I had three heads.

He said – ‘Could you put some quarters in the meter’? I said ‘Sure’, got to the driver’s door to unlock my childproof back door, grabbed my purse, got out and started to fill the meter – again.  He just stood there looking at me, so I reached in my purse and handed him back the ticket – which to my amazement - he took back!

And there you have it – he has a story about some lady locked in the back seat of her truck, from the inside (I’m sure he has many stories on just about everything…) and I have a new rose colored pedicure and no parking ticket – life is good, isn’t it?!