A recurring nightmare for me – in life not in my dreams, is trying to remember where I’ve parked the car, especially when I go into town and use the carpark above the Sovereign Shopping Centre. We’re only quite a small town (although growing quite significantly year by year. I just checked what our population is and was surprised to find:
- 2021 Census: 82,418 (parish) / 84,628 (built-up area)
- 2011 Census: 76,143
- 2001 Census: 71,761
- Parliamentary Constituency (2024): ~100,609
So, I retract that last comment, we’re not a small town any longer, we are now classified as a large town. Back to parking my car – I’ve written here about “losing” my car, and on one occasion even having to enlist the carpark chaps to look on their CCTV to find it (made more difficult for them because I’d forgotten the registration and was hazy on the make and not 100% on the model). They were very kind and helpful and although they smiled, they only cracked out the chuckles once they were out of my earshot.
The other night car loss occurred not just in reality, but in my dreams:
I’d parked the car in a large outdoor carpark – obviously a demolition site because the surface wasn’t tarmacced. It was rough but not dangerously so, more like chippings than rocks. There was a low paling fence round the outside, and there may have been more fencing within the parking area, but just as a general guide to bays. It was late afternoon/early evening, heading towards dusk. There weren’t many vehicles in the large area and no memorable features to remind me where my car was. It was our previous car, the Meriva, a peculiar dull colour. I thought it was grey/brownish or brown/greyish – I never could decide.
I walked confidently into the parking area through the open gateway, for once pretty sure I knew whereabouts the car was. There were a few people about, going to their cars or walking away to the nearby shopping centre/mall, or maybe to work in the nearby offices.
It felt a safe ordinary place and I had no feeling of anxiety or discomfort… Except I couldn’t find my car, couldn’t remember where in this large area I’d parked it. I was annoyed, and frustrated with myself that once again I’d “lost” the car.
Feeling cross and slightly anxious I wandered about the almost empty place as daylight began to die. There were a few other people about, casually leaving or returning to their cars. There was a woman, maybe twenties/early thirties, Afro-Caribbean, with a small child who was tired and awkward, dragging his feet. He was waving a blue fairy wand and was wearing white knitted hat, probably made by his grandma. I smiled sympathetically at the woman as I hurried past but she didn’t notice. I heard someone suggesting (or maybe it suddenly occurred to me) that I press the key fob. I pressed it and thankfully the car lights flashed. It was parked beside a very noticeable, big white and blue van, and although I was very relieved to see it, I was cross with myself that it had taken so long to find, and I’d been so anxious. I hurried over to it. I may have exchanged words with other people as I hurried to the car… but the ending of the dream became somewhat blurry.
It’s bad enough and annoying enough that I forget where I parked the car in real life, it really is the limit that it happens at night when I’m asleep too!!
