For a birthday present, I received a sinus infection with all the perks: fever, congestion, runny nose, and cough. So through all the packing and moving, my body ached not only from the sudden increase in physical activity but the fever as well. Some years you just wish for coal in the stocking…

As luck would have it, though, I had already scheduled an appointment with my doctor. I figured I would just be catching him up on the last few months, including the stroke. But the stars lined up just right so that I could be sick as a dog for the visit.

The visit went well and I left with a handful of prescriptions.

At any rate, I left the appointment, got in my car, and proceeded to the exit. Well, I’d parked in that lot before and know that it costs $2. It didn’t have a personal attendant but rather a machine.  So I drive up to the little arm and go to pay. I have a one dollar bill and several dollars in quarters. That’s when I see the sign taped over the coin slot indicating that it no longer takes coins (it used to and I’d remembered that). I rustle through my belongings and, nope, no more one dollar bills. Ironically, I do have two 20 dollar bills and a hundred dollar bill but no ones. So I put the car in reverse and park again.

I look through my things again and no bill magically appears. So I think to myself, “Trapped in a parking lot again.” I gather up $1.50 in change and get out of the car. I approach a couple who is exiting the parking lot. I explain that the machine doesn’t take coins but the woman cuts me off. “It takes coins.” I clarify that it appears to have stopped that practice.

Well, it is clear that this little old lady thinks I’m begging for change or looking to con them. The little old man, however, is actually listening to me. “Whatcha need? A dollar bill?” I turn to respond to him. “Yes, I need a dollar bill. I have $1.50 here in change that I’ll give you for a bill.” I’m thinking it’s a win-win situation. I get to leave and he gets some spare change.

But his lady companion wont have it. “Don’t you give that girl nothin’. Now you go over to that attendant.” I reply that there is no attendant; it’s a machine. “No, no, not that ole thing. Over there in that parking lot. Go there to the attendant.

Well, the truth is that I didn’t want to walk to that parking lot over there. I was achy and feverish and just had a good quantity of my blood drawn and had been up all night with the cough that accompanied this sinus infection. I was tired, my body hurt, and I wanted to go home. So when he repeated, “All you need is a dollar bill?” I looked at him hopefully but his companion grabbed my wrist and turned me in the direction of the other parking lot, way over there across the street (over the hill and through the woods)…

“She’ll get her dollar from over there.”

Holding my wrist she proceeded to walk me across the street and point me over to the lot. I found myself feeling like a scolded child and resenting this woman who had made me put forth more effort than I had wished and had jipped her companion of fifty cents. Once I realized that I was holding on to the negativity, I chose to breathe it out and let it go.

I walked to the valet’s window and exchanged 4 of my coins for a bill and let myself experience the happiness that came from knowing that soon I would be on my way home.

That’s the end of this tale but I would love to leave some advice.

If you have a parking lot machine attendant that doesn’t accept a particular currency after having previously accepted that currency, please post it as the person drives IN to the lot, not as they are trying to get OUT.