The Free Space Dance

Parking sucks in the city I work in.

Like most large cities parking is very pricey and can be upwards of a bajillion dollars a day.

Now, let me say that I certainly don't prefer driving in to the city. I was doing my part to protect the environment and unclog our overcrowded freeways but was forced back in to driving my car and mortgaging my home for gas because I needed to drop off the twins at family member/care provider's home in the morning.

Prior to having the twins, I bussed it in to work. Once I returned to work I realized that taking my two little bundles o 'joy on the germ ridden , crazy people attracting public transportation in my city would not not be an option.

So I sucked it up and shelled out the extra dough for monthly parking. Almost 4 years later parking costs have skyrocketed and I refuse to succumb.

So it begins, the Free Space Dance.

One day I ventured from our normal parking garage and drove a few blocks away in an effort to see what kind of fees other parking lots were charging.

Lo and behold about 10 blocks away I stumbled on shh...free street parking.

Of course I had to arrive at just the right time because most of these spaces were occupied by the tenants of an apartment complex nearby. But, if I arrived at just the right time I would grab a spot that a tenant vacated as he/she went off to work.

Score, I thought.

I began to get really good at The Free Space Dance. I was observant, I noticed who drove what car and about what time they left and it was great. It was soooo great. I even went so far as to notice where certain cars parked in the evenings so that barring a late night excursion by that particular vehicle I'd know what spaces to target in the morning.

It was great, sooo great. Until, others discovered my secret. First it was just one person that I noticed creeping around in the same places "waiting" for the spaces to become available. Then it was two. Then it was three, four... I eventually got to know their cars and knew that it would now be a competition for the available spaces.

So it continued. Driving around to see who could get to the available spaces first.

I would not let that little bastard Hyundai get the best of me and I was faster than that red Toyota. Huh, and the white Cutlass, puleez, she had nothing on me.

I would win out in the end right ?

Until this morning. I arrived on said street and dammit all if there weren't "No Parking" signs posted on one side of the street. My street. How dare they?

What would I do this morning ?

I sadly resigned myself to taking out a loan to pay for parking for the day when I noticed a space open up. I started to turn around so I could go nab the space and lo and behold that bastard Hyundai comes creeping along. What tha ? I thought. Where did he come from ?

I knew I had to be quick because he was getting closer.

I started to sweat as I watched him linger. Suddenly, I noticed his turn signal pop on and he headed in the opposite direction. It was then that I realized he must have seen the "No Parking" signs on the side of the street closest to him and hadn't noticed the other side was not marked "No Parking".

Alone in my car I let out a loud "Yes". Revelling in the fact that I had won. I was the coolest , smartest , best dancer of them all.