Parking

 

He’s Coming Home….

So HE was flying back home last week after several weeks away in the UK.

My part in this is ‘the airport run’, a two hour drive right over the mountain range that divides my part of Spain from the Alicante area.

It’s a spectacular journey and one I always enjoy, with views that leave you feeling you can see the whole world from up there. And since I am heading for the airport more or less during the hour of sunset, it promises a beautiful drive.

However – I’m running a little late because I couldn’t find my bag as I was setting off (run out of petrol in the middle of nowhere, in the Spanish mountains, with no cash? No. thank you). I had my foot down to get there on time, and as I arrived I was perhaps a little flustered.

Going through the barrier, I took my ticket and drove through to park up and wait for HIM.

Now, because HE travels so much, we have the parking down to a fine art. Rather than pay the airport parking fees in the ‘Arrivals’ area. I park in the ‘Departures’ car park, which gives fifteen free minutes. If it runs a little over, I exit the car park within the fifteen free minutes, do a circuit of the airport and enter again with a fresh ticket. And usually it works fine.

So, I check my phone for the arrivals board to discover the flight is running late….

Mmm…..

What to do?

Check clock. Been parked for seven minutes.

Decision: circle airport and re-enter, make a dash for the bathroom and hopefully be back in the car for HIS arrival.

Grab parking ticket and head for exit.

Insert ticket to barrier slot.

Barrier doesn’t move: Message ‘Pago necesario’.

Annoyance……

Jab button: Blart at speaker in ‘dog Spanish’ “Hola. La máquina no acepta mi ticket.”

“Un momento, por favour….” Then in English, “You have to pay.”

“Solo estoy aqui diez minutos.”

The voice insists. “You have to pay.”

Seething….

Back the car up narrow lane, forcing three other cars to also reverse….

Give finger to abusive Brit….

…. ignore abusive German…. after all, he’s German….

Reverse into parking slot…..

Muttering and cursing, head for the pay machine…..

Insert ticket, coins poised in hand, watching display for money required.

Do swift double-take on demand for cash…..

Gape….. Euros 1,856.87  !?!?!?!

Extract card and reinsert….

Euros: 1,856.87

Stab at speaker button for assistance….. No reply….

Stab at button repeatedly…. No reply

Chew at broken finger nail….

Return to car, extract spectacles from bag, peer at ticket in the now failing light.

Fecha: 9 de septiembre

The ticket is dated three weeks prior….

…. The date I dropped HIM off at the airport….

?

?

So how did I get out of the airport that day??????

Never mind: scrabble around dashboard and glove compartment looking for alternative ticket.

Ah-ha! Found it. Check date: 31st September.

Clucking satisfaction, head for barrier.

Insert ticket….

Barrier doesn’t move: Message ‘Pago necesario’.

Check clock: 21 minutes since entry.

Cursing, swearing and threatening destruction to all automatic machinery, reverse car once more, this time against flow of patronising Brit and sarcastic Italian….

Park up again, return to pay machine with correct ticket, pay Euros 2.70, return to barrier and exit.

Swiftly circle airport, re-enter, park up and….

…. HE is there, waiting and smiling at me….

*****