This is quite long. If too long and you don't use it, no problem. I've been meaning to write this down for BBC Radio 2 confessions. It's 100% true.
About 5 years ago, me, my then GF who has sadly passed away, and our daughter went to the cinema. It’s one of those purpose built jobs that has shops, restaurants of varying quality, cinema and a multi-story car park. The car park requires you to take a ticket. As the designated driver for the evening, I took the parking ticket from the machine and paid absolutely no attention to what I subsequently did with said parking ticket.
So, we go to the cinema, I forget what we watched so probably not that great, and whilst queuing for overpriced snacks I looked down and saw a ticket on the floor. “Oh, what a silly sausage. Someone has dropped their ticket on the floor” I thought as I gave it a little kick with my shoe and dismissed it.
As the credits rolled and we left the cinema, I vaguely noticed a couple with their children having what can only be described as a “Public spat”. The father/husband was getting an almighty ear-bashing but I didn’t really pay any attention. Do you know why?
By this point, walking to the car, I began to consider the location of the parking ticket in order to escape the car park. Mild panic sets in as I can’t find it in my pockets. I open my wallet and in amongst the receipts for meals of varying quality, the ticket isn’t there.
Immediately, I realise the “Silly sausage” was me and it was my ticket on the floor of the cinema’s entrance. I rush us all back to the cinema, find a young lad who really doesn’t need the grief and grill him over any handed in parking tickets. Low and behold, a ticket is produced having been found on the floor. “That’s our ticket” I cried and felt this overwhelming feeling of joy that we would finally escape and I wouldn’t feel quite so foolish.
However, all was not well. My GF says “It’s not our ticket” “Don’t be silly” I said, “Of course it’s ours, I saw it on the floor and ours is missing”. My GF studied the ticket again and said “The date isn’t right, we got her after 4pm”. By this time I had switched off from everything other than getting us out of the car park and no manner of discussion was going to dissuade me of my task.
We got back to the car, ticket in hand and as we got in I spied something on the floor of the drivers’ foot well. A small white piece of card with time, date and welcome to ABC car parks. All the clues instantly fell into place. The ticket I had taken from the lad in the cinema wasn’t our ticket. My GF was right, it wasn’t our ticket. Our ticket had been in the car all along. The ticket we had was the couple’s ticket and the father/husband, who I noticed was still in the car park arguing with a microphone speaker affair by the gates whilst his wife looked on in disgust.
I didn’t say anything. I used the couples ticket to escape. Stared blankly at the couple as the gate lifted and we sped off into the night. I don’t know how long it took that family to get out of the car park.
Cheers