parking

The woman came out of nowhere and said “I was waiting for that spot” with a raised voice, slight accent and an angry look. “What. But.” We were already exiting the car. She pointed to her white Tesla Model X, the same one that had been backing out of another “add-a-spot” location at the head of the alley between the strip mall buildings when we arrived. “I was waiting for that spot” she said again, forceful, frustrated, even domineering. This was not a conversation, but what does one say in this situation? Possession is nine-tenths of the law? You already have a spot, is something wrong with it? Get yours, I got mine? I offered to let Ali, Jeff, and Jan out here while I went to look for another parking spot, but they refused, said, no, no, let her have it. We aborted exiting the car, made to leave, to go search elsewhere, to hope for another parking space.

She was an Asian woman, possibly Korean but I’m assuming, late-middle-aged, maybe in her fifties, and wearing solid makeup, a white fedora with a white short sleeve blouse and black knee length shorts. And black leather loafers. Dressed up. Is it me, or did her outfit match her white Tesla? Someone in the restaurant’s mother, or mother in law, surely.

A red Tesla Model 3 was queueing up for the space that we were obviously about to vacate, blinker on and everything, claiming it. Inside the car, we all boisterously hoped they would get it before the belligerent. It seemed likely, he just needed to make a left into the spot. We were rooting for him, but didn’t see the resolution as we drove off in search of another space. The strip mall parking lot was packed, other folks were looking, everyone was looking for a place to park. We continued to debate the merits of various methods of parking space reservation and parking space dispute resolution, and marveled at the 100% full lot.

A lot this full is not something you see every day, the Mitsuwa parking lot being the only other one that I know of to routinely completely fill. Well, and the H Mart on De Anza. Surely there are others, but this random strip mall on El Camino with the Sulbing, our destination, is surprisingly hard to park at. Nonetheless, we find a spot before the second aisle of our search is finished. Why was that fedora lady so fixated on that spot in particular?

And they said to find street parking.

jg

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