Ready, Set, Go!

Everyday I drive to pick up my son from school. There is a disabled section right in front of the school. I am new to the area so I don’t want to upset anyone as I begin to learn the rules for picking up the kids at this new school. The school is only a few blocks away from the house. I have always put my baby on my lap and pushed to the school to walk my kids home. As it has gotten cold now, I drive instead. The setup is almost great except for one thing. Right in front of the school there is an area for about two vehicles to park if you have disabled plates or a placard. There are three of us always trying to get one of these spots. The one person picks up her son who appears to have cerebral palsy and uses a walker. The other person is an older woman who does not appear to be disabled at all. If I cannot get to one of these spots, I have to get the baby out of the van so my kids can see where I am parked. One day I asked the older woman if she REALLY needs to park in the disabled spot. Before I could explain I use a wheelchair and have a baby, she began to yell at me. “I AM HANDICAPPED!!!!” I just laughed and decided to come a few minutes earlier the next day. The next day when I arrived, she was already parked and smiled as she waved hi. Everyday I would leave earlier, and earlier. One day I arrived about 30 minutes with my laptop to kill time. She was already there reading a novel. I did get my spot, but I began to feel bad for the other woman who showed up to pick up her son with a walker. Later that night at the dinner table I began to laugh out loud as thoughts were traveling through my mind. My wife asked, “What is so funny????” I told that I have a plan to piss that lady off. I told my wife that the next day, in the morning I will park both of my vehicles in that spot and leave it there for the whole day. This was just a thought. This was just talk. But I have to say it is funny how this woman and I began to compete for this spot. It is sad how people easily get these disabled plates and placards and have no sympathy for the ones who really need them!