Let me just climb on your lap:)

I bought a new vehicle last night, and the dealership let me take a test drive clear to Charleston to see if I could navigate this new monster in my alley at work which is extremely narrow.  I was able to do it, and the deal was done. 
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That said, thinking about trying to fit a Ford Explorer into this tiny space reminded me of an incident I had this summer.  I was driving Tom's Highlander, and there is this parking lot right beside my office that I sometimes park in if one of the girls is in the spot that we own behind the business.  I didn't get there until later in the day, and the business spot was occupied, and so was most of the parking lot, leaving me to try to sneak in between two other cars, keep from hitting poles and dumpsters and other vehicles while doing it.  I saw this spot I thought I could get into, so I back up and try to angle in, back up, angle, back, angle.  I was concentrating really hard on the job, and it wasn't until I was pretty well stuck in between two vehicles with four inches on each side and no way to get out that I realized one of the vehicles I had been trying not to hit (big service truck for Suddenlink with all those side toolboxes and contraptions on it) was occupied.
 
I realize I'm in a pickle and I can't get out of it, and I look up, and there sits this 50-something balding gentleman, totally bug-eyed, watching me move and move and get more stuck and more stuck.  I catch his eye, and he is literally just looking at me like I have three heads.  I start to laugh, and I say, "Well, I'm in a mess here, aren't I?"  He's like, "Uh, yeah, what in the world were you thinking?"  I say, "Well, I just kind of thought I could wiggle around and make it work."  He can see that there is no way I can get in or out of the car (neither driver or passenger side), and I now am so messed up, I can't back out or forward either.
 
We are close to each other at this point, him in his driver's seat facing one way, me in mine facing the other way.  I sit there a minute, and I say, "Well, it looks to me like the only way I can get out is to climb out my window into your window and across your seat and out your passenger door."  Talk about even more bug-eyed!  He goes, "What?"  I said, "Well, can you see any other way for me to get out?  I've got to get to work!"  I'm kind of laughing, saying that the biggest problem is that I've got on high heels, and this is going to be a tricky one.  He acts like he's about to choke, kind of dumbstruck, eyes looking like that crazy frog with those big eyes that sit on the top of its head....
 
I pick up my phone, call the office and tell the girls to tell the client that I'm in the parking lot, just having a little vehicle difficulty, and I'll be there shortly.  You can tell he's processed this idea of me climbing over his lap and out his window while I'm on the phone.  He says, "Well, do you want me to move?"  I said, "Can you?"  He looks over and he's got ten inches or more on his passenger side, and he says, "I think if you move your window in, I can move out of the way and give you some more room."  I said, "Whew, that would be great!"  He starts his mammoth truck up, begins to navigate his way out of his slot, allowing me more room to pull in straight, and then he backs back in. 
 
By this time, I have about six inches in which to squeeze out my door, get my equipment and into the office, still laughing.  He makes a little conversation, you know, the "What do you do," "Is this where you work," that type of thing.  I'm putting the code in the door and he hollers, "Hey, are you always this pleasant?"  I laughed, said, "Yeah, pretty much.  No need to get bent out of shape over the small things."  He says, "Where could I find a woman like you?"  I guffaw, thinking the man must have lost his mind.  I said, "Well, probably not a bar.  Try church!"  I'm walking in the door, and he hollers behind me, "I've tried that - they're the biggest grouches you ever saw!"  I laughed again and said, "Well, good luck with that," and on we go.
 
My husband is constantly telling me that one day I'm going to get burned by having these random conversations with strangers, sharing meals with strangers, but so far, these random "sightings" have added to the joy of my life.  I mean, truly, it is so much easier to laugh than gripe!  Next time you get yourself in a jam (sometimes of our own making), just keep the proper attitude, and it may just turn out to be a witnessing opportunity!