Thursday, January 29, 2015

Dear Parkway Authority

On the evening of January 27th, I switched cars with my brother – he took the Toyota Camry I usually drive, and I took the ’86 Nissan pick-up he usually drives – so he could have a respectable car to go to an interview and then on a date.  I parked the truck outside my residence, and he drove off with the Camry.  I completely forgot that the Camry had a parking permit sticker, and the truck did not.
The next morning, I left my apartment to go to work.  I hopped in the truck, turned the key in the ignition, and …. nothing.  The car wouldn’t start; instead there was just an ominous clicking sound.  I was going to be late for work, so I arranged a ride and resolved to deal with the broken truck later.  I finished my shift at work, went straight to class, and later that night when I finally finished everything I needed to do on campus, returned home.  Before going inside I decided to check on the truck to see if the battery had somehow miraculously recharged itself.  And that is when I found the boot.
The moment I saw it I realized my folly: the magic little parking sticker on the Camry flashed into my memory, the total absence of such a sticker on the truck suddenly so obvious.  I called the number on the warning taped to my driver’s side window, and the really nice guy who answered walked me through the process of getting it taken off and submitting an appeal.  He even told me it was likely that the agent who removed the boot would have jumper cables and could help me get the truck started (which did in fact happen, the next day – Thank you, Ta’an).
So, here I am.  I moved the car to a legal parking area until I can switch back with my brother, then came to campus to make copies of my receipts, write this note, and work on the necessary paperwork for this appeal.  I’ve learned my lesson – that Nissan truck will never again grace the pavement of the residence parking lot, at least not without its own parking permit – but I would really appreciate as many of the sixty-three dollars back as possible, seeing as next week I have to pay rent. 

  Please be merciful and generous. 

                                                                     Thank you,
                                                                                Annie