Old People From Planet Weird

Okay...so my 11 year old came down with pink eye over the weekend. I stayed home with her on Monday and got her the antibiotic eye drops from the doctor. Then, she woke up on Tuesday with a sore throat...so I took her back to the doctor, they swabbed for strep and told us it was negative and that what she had was most likely viral. They gave us the whole "lotsa fluids, rest, yada yada" speech, and sent us on our merry way for $20 thank you very much.

Since I worked from home on Monday and Tuesday, and decided my bosses would probably not like it very much if I worked from home yet AGAIN today, I asked my grandparents if they would let Beana come to their house today. She shouldn't be contagious anymore, but it would give her another day to rest.

My grandparents live in Fountain Hills which is about a 30 mile drive from my house, so what we usually do when the kids are going to come over, is meet in the middle at a restaurant called the Village Inn (read: Old People Mecca). So, that is what we agreed to do this morning.

I get to the Village Inn, and I usually meet my grandpa in their side parking lot because it's less crowded than their main parking lot. But not this morning. This morning, there were about 3 dozen old people STANDING AROUND IN THE PARKING LOT. They were standing in parking spaces in clusters of 4 or 5 little old people...and they refused to move for my large, intimidating Ford SUV. So, I found a little pocket of spaces that was only being occupied by 2 little old people, and began to park. I mean, I had to park SOMEWHERE.

Those two little old people stared me down at first, and then moved to their right about 3 feet. I could not complete my parking job, because I would have ended up about 3 inches from their rear ends if I would have straightened out in the space. They knew this, but then continued to stare at me like "How dare you try and park in this clearly marked parking space that we were standing next to, and then proceed to park crooked!" Then the rest of the little clusters began to stare.

Beana and I sat in the car and waited for my grandpa to arrive. I told Beana, "If these people don't move for your Papa, he's going to get out and give them what for." But of course when he gets there, he parks on the opposite end of the lot. So, Beana and I get out of the car, and walk over to my grandpa's car...through all the little clusters that are still staring at us.

I get to his car, and he says, "Oh...I didn't even see you over there."

I say "Yeah, we had to park over there because all these people are just standing in the parking lot!" (I must admit, I said this quite loud enough for them to hear)

So, Beana gets in my grandpa's car and off they go. As I turn around to head back to my car, I'll be damned if 3 or 4 clusters didn't walk directly over to where my car was parked and STAND THERE!! I say as sweetly as I can "Okay, I'm going to back out now, and I don't want to bump anybody." The little old folks just sort of stare at me, and make some shuffling motions with their feet. I back out, as all eyes are still scrutinizing me for having the audacity to park in a parking lot...so, as I drive away (with my windows rolled down) say "This is a PARKING lot, not a STANDING lot" (under my breath, but no, not really).

I could not believe that had just occurred! It was the STRANGEST thing! Whenever I happen to be in someone's way, such as when I'm getting all my kids out of the car, and they are standing in the adjacent parking space...I do my best to let the driver know that I see them and that I'm trying to get my children out of the way as quickly as possible. And what was even stranger is that they were ALL oblivious...like stubborn cows that would not move. Normally, if someone is oblivious to the fact that someone is trying to get by, one of their friends will say "Oh, Mabel, someone is trying to get by." To which that person will usually perk up, as they realize they are in the way, and say something like "Oh I'm sorry" or "Excuse me" and will move!! But not these people...it was like they were from another planet or something. Or they were uber-territorial and thinking to themselves, "Doesn't this lady know that we congregate in the Village Inn parking lot on Wednesday mornings, and that we don't allow outsiders?"

Weird I tell you...very weird.