The" Parallel Parking" Story

It was an ordinary day. I was eating breakfast at a sidewalk cafe, watching someone parallel park their car in a very small spot across the street. Wow, I can't believe he really did that. He did bump the car in the rear and front of him a few times each, but when he was finished it was a perfect park job with about 10 to 12 inches in the front and back. No lie! I never saw anyone do a job as good as that. I learned to parallel park in the alley behind our house on North Queen Street. When I was 15 years old my dad would park the car in the back alley after work and when supper was over I was allowed to drive the car back and forth in the alley which was a half block long. I look back on those days and can't believe he actually let me do that. Back and forth I would go. Alley was never wide enough to turn around in it, especially with a station wagon, but I was able to back up and then pull the car forward in front of our rear yard. Many times I would set our trash barrel and our neighbors trash barrel along one side of the alley and practice parallel parking. I would stick at it until dark some evenings. Got really good at it after a year and the day I turned 16 I applied for my learner's permit. My dad took me out in the car for a few times and after 3 weeks told me it was time to get my driver's license. I went to the Lancaster State Police Barracks along Route 30E and entered the building. I first took an oral test with an officer and then we got in the station wagon. The boat was tough to drive; had no power steering. I had to travel the course, stop a stop signs, going around a corner and some cones. Then he told me to park the car between the cones along the curb. Pulled up to the cones and in two swipes I was in the parking space. Really aced it. He looked at me and said, "Good job, son. Who taught you that?" I just looked at him and gave a shrug. We entered the building and he stamped my application "Passed." But, he couldn't understand how I could be that good after only three weeks of practice. Never gave him an answer either. Getting back to the parallel parking, I always took pride in being able to park a car, no matter what size it was, but I got to tell you, the guy who just parked his car across the street right now was a real pro. He must have practiced in his back alley for a year and a half. Don't think I could have done it myself, but I would have liked to try. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.