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Monday, December 18, 2006Redefining "Grinch"So I warned my daughters before our adventure began: I hate Christmas shopping on Saturdays in December. I avoid it whenever possible. Hence, I am venturing out under duress. It wasn't optional, though. My little darlings needed to find a special, small gift each for their beloved Daddy. So I gritted my teeth and headed toward the Cool Springs Shopping Mecca. Honestly, I only yelled at other drivers a couple of times. I did sigh a lot. Kept apologizing for being so Grinchy. My daughters were unfazed; their Christmas spirit is indomitable. (Well, Maggie did scold me a couple of times for being irritable behind the wheel, but I deserved it.) After the Cool Springs adventure, I thought I was being truly generous-hearted by taking the girls to Downtown Franklin for a quick shopping jaunt. The only available parking space was on the other side of the street, so I swung around in a tight U-turn so that I could face the right way. Then I plunged into a fruitless attempt to parallel park. I knew something was wrong when my back wheel bumped up onto the curb. Undaunted, I pulled forward and tried again. Moments later, both tires on the right side were resting snugly on the sidewalk. Now, these things happen (especially to me). This time it was especially excruciating, though. Because this time there were several people sitting at tables outside the sandwich shop that flanked my chosen parking spot. And they were watching me. Intently. "Everyone's watching you, Mommy," Maggie said. Yeah, thanks. I really needed to be made painfully aware of that. Determination welled up inside me. I rolled off of the curb, pulled forward, and curled my fingers around the steering wheel. This time, I'd get it right. I'd show those gaping ninnies that I was not one of those vacuous woman-drivers that they had surely taken me for. Bump. My back wheel hopped the curb again. "Everyone's laughing at you, Mommy," Maggie said. That did it. I was tired, I was stressed, I was driving my car into the path of unsuspecting pedestrians. I usually laugh at myself -- but not this time. Not when an audience of bemused sandwich-eaters was busy laughing at me. "That's it," I said. "I'm done." I pulled out of the space with unnecessary velocity. "I'm sorry." Then I sulked the whole way home. I knew if I opened my mouth to say even a single word, I'd cry. All I can say is, I'm glad Eric wasn't there. I made up for it this morning, though. I took Maggie downtown on my mailing-Christmas-packages trip, and we enjoyed popping in and out of shops for a while. I even parked on the first try. (That was probably because I chose a section of curb that had three consecutive spaces open.) I'm never parallel parking again. |
About Me
I am: Mother to five stunningly individualistic children... Writer of young adult fantasy... Passionate advocate for Women At Home... Madly in love with my husband... In need of Organic Gourmet Chocolate on a regular basis. I've got a Paypal account if you'd like to contribute to the cause....
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5of my readers are feeling chatty:
I am so with you on that! I was lucky when I took my drivers test -- since it was raining, my instructor let me parallel park my tiny little compact car in the space they usually reserve for SUVs and the like. Otherwise I would have never made it!!!
I exile myself from shopping (as much as is possible anyway) from November through the second week of January. Because of, well, people.
Sigh.
I shop online. There's no parallel parking in cyberspace. You're always first in line at the checkout too.
Shipping charges? PLLLLTTTT!! It's worth it not to have to go to the mall with all the crazies.
((Jill)) I have been known to vacate the carpark at Target because I couldn't find a spot to squeeze the Expedition into. I wouldn't even consider parallel parking during this season - you were brave!
Hey, what do you think of Eragon? Vince and the kids loved it and it's sequel. Me? Not *so* much. They're hyped about going to see the movie but Saphira makes me cringe, sooo not what I pictured!
Who taught you to parallel park? Janet or Mockie?
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