Good Samaritan of the (Yester)Day

Every Saturday, a majority Americans spend a good portion of their day locked in a seemingly constant struggle. They pray, curse, fidget, stall, hunt, and race for the most coveted of all Saturday possessions – the parking spot. It’s a ritual repeated over and over, and it’s not for just any parking spot. It’s for THE parking spot – the one closest to their shopping destination, with the least amount of walking distance and most convenient route to the desired location. I was among those repeating the ritual this last Saturday…

I went to the Best Buy yesterday near my apartment and was looking for a space on the bottom level of the parking structure. I have a regular routine I use to find a space, but decided to alter it and start down a different aisle because there was some traffic where I normally start. BIG mistake. I ended up behind a guy who didn’t know what the hell he was doing trying to find a parking spot, inching along and braking anytime he saw a person walking to their car. I finally got fed up and drove around him, turning down my normal aisle from the opposite end.

I had my window down and was following a gentleman in his late forties who seemed to be headed out (tip: it’s always best to follow men, since they usually know where they park, take direct routes there, and don’t fiddle around a lot once they get in their cars). He turned to me, pointed to the next aisle over, and said, “I’m over there.” I figured he was just being nice and letting me know I could move on. Then he said, “If you want to go around, I’ll wait for you.” Huh?!?

Who does that? I’ve only encountered maybe two other people in my lifetime who said anything like that. I asked him which car he was in, then drove down the aisle to turn into the next one. I’d spoken to him at the end of one aisle, and as I rounded the corner and saw three or four cars looking for spots, I figured there was no way that he was going to wait for me. I drove down to where I thought he said his truck was on my left and didn’t see him in it. Meanwhile, there were cars looking for spots driving opposite me.

Just then, the guy appeared from my right, smiled at me, got in his car, and I ended up getting his parking space. It seems he’d just walked across the aisle to clear out any cars that might be waiting for him, so he could give me his spot, as he promised. Wow. I was floored. It’s made more amazing that this happened in Southern California, near one of the biggest and best shopping centers in the area. It would only be more amazing if it was Christmas…

Pay it forward, as they say…