I am driving in a car park. I was with someone, my family or friends, I cannot remember. I dropped them of at the entrance and go to get a park. All the spots are full, but I don’t mind, I just keep driving, taking my time.
I go through multiple levels and drive around endless corners. Eventually I get to a part where the car park is getting renovated, there are cones everywhere, bits of walls missing, pillars in the middles of the lane. The parking lines no longer make sense.
I drive getting slowly uneasy; I round a corner and am left with no option but to take an exit. I slow down to try and figure out how best to get back into the car park, but see none.
I drive down a short driveway and end up at a toys-r-us. The entrance is just below ground level, so you drive down as though to go into an underground garage, only to be faced with the big glass sliding doors.
The entrance is big enough to allow a car, and somehow it seems logical to drive in since there is nowhere else to go. I slowly drive in, and continue down a strip that is big enough for a car.
I’m surrounded by toy bins, colourful posters, and kids music playing on the speakers, but mostly all the parents and children that are shopping. Some enjoy themselves; others are dragging screaming children to the exit.
I quickly realize I'm not meant to be there, at least not in my car. I crank it into reverse and try to steer straight (something that isn’t so easy).
I manage to manoeuvre to the front door without hitting anything, my heart is pounding and my palms start to go sweaty. The glass doors open, but one of the toys-r-us employee’s runs over and taps on my window.
I wind it down and he starts chatting to me. What about I have no idea, I’m not listening but trying to figure out how far I can get by reversing before another car comes up behind me.
I finally manage to satisfy the worker somehow with my nods and grunts, so he steps back and waves as I reverse down the front step (which I don’t remember from my entrance). I reverse back to the side so I can drive straight again.
I can’t drive back into the car park because there is a gate. I take a turn just before, going through a really tight spot that shouldn’t fit a car.
But somehow my car is small enough so it just fits. I didn’t slow down so I zip through the gap. Either my car breaks don’t work, or I’m too nervous, or my legs wont respond to my sluggish thoughts.
I drive on down the path, small pylons on either side, until I get to another small gap, through which I can see the parking house again.
I drive through and see many parks available.
I’m too nervous so I drive past a few before I can slow down enough to turn into one.
Just as I am getting out of the car I recognise one of the pedestrians as my old neighbours, they stop for a chat.
My parents come shortly after and load my brothers and shopping into the car. Niki grumbles at me ‘can we go already’. I get in and reverse out of the spot I only just managed to get.