Honestly, I despair of myself, and on this occasion I can’t blame the boggart, or anyone else except me. It wasn’t as if it hasn’t happened before – because yes it has, and I have even written about it here, but were these previous experiences a lesson learned? No, I’m afraid they weren’t. The previous time I wrote about it I was rude enough to blame our boggart when he was, in fact, totally innocent!
So, I confess it was my fault, no-one else’s, mine and mine alone and I have no excuses except stupidity. I was going to town to meet my two writing friends Mac and Fenja. I zipped into the multi-storey carpark above the Sovereign Shopping Centre, taking my parking ticket as I entered and thinking about our get-together and a couple of things I wanted to mention. Parked up, I went speedily to make our rendezvous, deciding to walk along the seafront, rather than through the town as it was such a lovely day.
We were meeting at a pub which also serves good coffee, cake, light refreshments and lunches – full meals later in the day. Friends found, cola bought as it was so warm, I joined them to catch up and talk about writing. As ever we had plenty to say, and began making plans for various initiatives to help promote ourselves and our books. We’ve decided we need to be more proactive, make more effort to get ourselves noticed – there’s no point in writing if no-one is reading what we’ve written!
Just by chance a friend I haven’t seen for several years wandered in and I leapt up to give him a hug, pat his dog and catch up with his news. As I sat down again I noticed someone else I knew, a member of the Weston Ukulele Players who I wrote about yesterday. It was time to go – things to do, best-sellers to write, so we bade each other farewell and went our separate ways, looking forward to next tine which will be in about three hours at the pub quiz!
I had a couple of things to buy in town, so as I walked back to the car I picked up some toothpaste (not literally, I went into a shop ad bought it) popped in to a travel agent, and bought a couple of Cornish pasties for husband and son for their dinner. I paid for my parking and zipped up the stairs (no taking the lift when I’m trying to get fitter!) and went to the orange zone parking and headed to the car.
Except… (and you can guess what happened next) after fifteen frustrating minutes of going up and down the rows, I realised that I’d parked on the floor above, so back to the stairs and up to the next floor. More wandering around and still no car. I checked a photo on my phone to make sure I remembered what it looked like and its registration number, then went down two floors to the lowest parking zone… And still no car.
Was I going doolally? Had someone stolen it? Had I parked it somewhere other than the Sovereign Centre? Had I plunged unexpectedly into senility, or into another time zone? There was only one thing I could do, find a car park attendant and ask for help. I would go back to the pay station, press the call button and speak to one of the chaps who work here. How embarrassing, how ridiculous, why didn’t I learn my lesson last time I couldn’t find the car… or maybe this time it really had been stolen!
Just as I was thinking this, a blond Viking in a car park uniform strode past and I asked if he could help. Thank goodness he could (obviously it is his job to help idiots, and he was well trained in being kind, courteous and polite to members of the public who are foolish enough to need assistance) and he walked round floors three and four with me trying to locate the missing motor and asking his pal on the CCTV to have a gander at the video.
Joy! Great joy! The car was located! Not on floors one, two, three or four – but up on the roof in the outdoor parking area. “Oh, and by the way,” he said, “You left one of your windows open…”
https://loiselsden.com/2024/08/19/he-was-only-trying-to-be-helpful/
My featured image is of my first ever car which I had when I was 22.
A link to my chums – Fenja Hill and Hamish MacNeil’s books:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Fenja-Hill/author/B07DJQCC8D
https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Hamish-MacNeil/author/B08XS9T7ZT
Lois Elsden 
They say that geniuses are very absent-minded :-))))
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Oh thank you, that is such a very kind thing to say xxx
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