Well that's four years you're not getting back.
And I'm not getting back either.
Hard to believe that's how long has gone by since I started this. Happy Anniversary everyone. Thanks for sticking with me.
Four years! Where did the time go?
I drove to Battersea this afternoon to play tennis with some friends. I realised that I had no change for parking and even though I was in danger of being late I quickly pulled into a petrol station to fill up my tank and get some coins in my change. The bays were quite narrow, just room for two cars side by side and as I approache a large van was reversing in front of me, leaving me just enough room to squeeze into a space next to a black cab. I got in OK and filled up and went into the shop to pay. As I was handing over my money I saw the taxi driver somewhat pointedly waiting by his cab. I realised that I had parked a bit too close to him, meaning that he could not open the driver's door of his car. My car wasn't too far from the pump, but in such a tight space a misjudgement of a few inches had made all the difference.
I caught his eye by waving at him to acknowledge that that was my car and I was on my way out. He returned a grumpy look with perhaps a slight shake of the head. I imagine he was thinking, "You muppet". I bet you anything I am correct about that.
I hurried out and apologised to the short, bald, somewhat chunky caricature of a cab driver. "Sorry," I said, "I hadn't realised I had been that close."
"What?" he replied.
"I didn't realise I'd parked that close to you. Sorry. It's a bit of a tight space anyway."
"You should get down the gym," was the slightly cryptic reply. I don't know if he was changing the subject and commenting on me being a bit fat (look in your mirror pal) or whether he thought that going to a gym would increase my spatial awareness. I was in my tennis gear. Maybe he guessed that I was going to the gym and was just reminding me in case I had forgotten. I don't know. I didn't bother following up his comment.
He was giving me the whole wide-eyed disbelief all this time, as if he found it that unlikely that someone was capable of making a slight error of judgement in their driving. Most drivers do this, I suppose. They are incredulous at the mistakes of others, whilst fail to acknowledge it when they perhaps make a slight error of judgement. Cab drivers, professionals as they are, are probably more guilty of this, but I wouldn't be surprised if he had slightly contributed to the situation by parking a bit too far out himself. In any case if he was in such a rush, would it really have been a problem for him to get in the passenger door of his cab and shuffle over. Slightly inconvenient perhaps, but not exactly difficult. But of course then he would have missed the theatricality of having to wait for me to come out, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head. It made him feel better as a human being to have the opportunity to chastise someone else for a very minor error, to make me feel like I had wasted a few moments of his day. Maybe he just wanted to imply to me that I was fat.
I didn't point out to him that he had the opportunity to enter his car by another door. I thought I'd let him have his few seconds of superiority. He almost certainly is a better driver than me. I drove off, giving him another apologetic wave and he again raised his eyebrows and shook his bald head. And again I am sure was thinking "You Muppet!"
WIN a PSP
Question 25
I script edited on the Grumpy Old Women stage show. But which two women wrote that script?
