THE FLYING PARKING TICKET

As usual once a month I drive my friend Vivi to the hospital to get her shot in one eye. We left very early because of the traffic. The hospital is located in Brussels in a very posh area and it also had been a very posh hospital and it was a must for the upper class and royals to get their babies here.

In the past years it has become more democratic, but not the parking prices on the street !! There is no parking at all for the people who have to go into this hospital, you have to park your car on the street and for one hour you pay 2 € (2.60 $). If you consider that even in the emergency service you have to wait up to at least 2 h then it can be very expensive and the problem is to find a space not miles away and there is no exception for handicapped people !

We were very lucky we found a space exactly before the exit of the mortuary, there was one mortuary car parked there too and I wonder if it had a parking ticket. I thought it was a real comforting parking space unfortunaely without reduction on the price. Because we were so early we sat in the car and poor Vivi smoked a cigarette, she was very nervous but we didn't see any coffin coming out.

She had opened the window on her side for the smoke and not for the mortuary while I walked down the street to buy a ticket for 2 h and as it was very windy almost stormy I quickly got back into the car closed the door and fixed the ticket under the wire of the GPS so that it wouldn't be blown away when I opened the door again to get out of the car.

I just explained to Vivi that this had happened to a friend when our ticket suddenly whirled over her nose and out of the window, high up in the street and very far away before I couldn't see it anymore. 4 € gone with the wind ! and she had just told me to pay attention because of the wind. We looked at each other and bursted out in laughter ! Then I got out again to buy another one when suddenly I saw from very far away a little white spot laying just in the middle of a crossroad. I ran down the street and yes ! it was my ticket ! As cars rolled over it from all sides, I was afraid it would fly away again. I jumped into the middle of the crossing, picked up the ticket while a lady could just stop her car at my bottom. She was furious, I was happy and waved with my ticket. Then I returned back to the car. This time we payed attention that all windows were closed and we didn't open both doors at the same time ! The ticket fluttered a little when I opened the door but stayed under the GPS wire.

My friend who had the same adventure had her ticket flown under her seat when she got out of the car and as there are always policemen hiding like spanners in the bushes or I don't know where she got a fine for 50 € (67 $), because he couldn't see that she had payed. Quiet an expensive visit to the hospital.