This morning I took Brooke and Raegan to the airport for their two week humanitarian trip to Peru. I pulled up to the curbside drop-off and we unloaded their luggage. I soon realized that they had 5 big bags to pull, but only 4 hands with which to pull them into the airport. Two of the bags were filled to capacity with pots and pans, yards of fabric, soccer balls, baby dolls - things to donate to these people who have so little.
I stood there for a minute, knowing darn well that you are NOT supposed to leave your car unattended. I didn't know what else to do, so I quickly grabbed Adam out of his car seat and with the other hand grabbed a bag and ran for the door into the terminal. I got the girls and the bags inside, said my good-byes, and quickly dashed back out to my van....only to find a TICKET on my windshield! I was gone for one minute at most. How ridiculous. As I ran to the car, the "Airport Parking Nazi", er, I mean the officer who wrote the ticket yelled over to me....
him: Mam, is this your car?
me: Yes
him: You can't leave your car unattended.
me: My two daughters needed help carrying in their bags. I was gone for one minute.
him: That doesn't matter - you can't leave your car unattended. And in another 30 seconds I was going to have your car towed away.
me: Are you kidding?! Would you rather that I had left my 4-year-old child in it so that it wouldn't be "unattended"? Would that have been better?
(Adam hanging off of my hip with his crusty nose and fuzzy footed pj's still on.)
him: No mam, that would be unsafe.
me: Exactly.
He starts to walk away. I follow him and try to explain my situation more clearly....
him: I'm sorry. You left it unattended. There is nothing I can do!
me: My daughters are flying to Peru this morning to help build schools for children, to paint orphanages, to pour concrete for homes for people who have none. Won't you just help me with this?
him: (still walking away) Those things don't matter. What matters is you left your vehicle unattended.
Well, to me and the people in Peru "those things" matter more than he understands. Thanks for your help, officer #L21.
