Is it P1 or P2?

This is going to be an embarassing post.

I always think that it would only happen to the aunties and I always snicker at their bewildered and lost expression. But on that faithful day, I too, joined their ranks as a "Disoreintated Parking Member".

It all started when Mrs Banana, her sister and I decided to go to Ikea on a public holiday. Bad move. The parking lot was packed and it was clear that we were not going to get a space at all, so I crawled towards the exit. When all hope seemed to be lost, a car zipped out of a parking space just in front of us! Horray!!! Without wasting a second, we parked our car and laughed at our luck.

I'll skip the shopping part, suffice to say that I had contributed enough to boost our economy on that faithful day. The problem started when we were in the lift. Hmmm.... where did we park our car? Was it at P1 or P2. Normally, I would look at the level and aisle number, but because of the euphoria of getting a parking space earlier, none of us took the trouble to remember. Oh, never mind, I think it's at P2.

We walked, with heavy shopping bags, towards the exit direction. (that was where we park our car, right?) But aisle after aisle, we couldn't find our car. It was very hot in the parking lot and with the loads, I was sweating all over. It should be just over the next aisle. But still we couldn't find our car.

By then, I knew we were in trouble. I told Mrs Banana and her sister to wait at the elevator area with our prized huntings, while I whizzed through the parking lots again. This time, I pulled out the car alarm control, and pressed the panic button frantically, hoping to hear the alarm. But I still couldn't find my car.

By now, other drivers were trailing me, just like those vultures circling the dying a zebra. "Hey brother, where's your car?" some smartass asked. He was not amuse when I told him I don't know. Probably he was thinking I was making fun of him.

By now, I had covered many aisle already. Should I go up to P1? Maybe. Or perhaps it is just a few row in further up? Or someone had stolen my car? So many decisions, so confused, so baffled.

Then something caught my eye. I remembered we saw a poster of baby chair on sale. The same poster was right in front of me. I turned to my right, whizzed through the horde of idling cars (and their annoyed drivers) and voila, I found it!

I pressed the alarm button to disarm my car, but nothing happened. I pressed again. Nothing. Turned out the alarm battery had ran out due to my frantic pressings earlier. Never mind, I'll just use the key to unlock the door. But the moment I open the door, the deafening siren roared like a hungry hyena. Shit.

I tried to start the engine (the alarm was still on, mind you), but the engine was immobilised. Great, just what I needed. What was the override pin code I set 3 years earlier? Or did I even set the pin code? Oh, let's try the factory setting, 1234. I entered the pin code and it beeped once. The siren was still blasting away. Strike one. Two more tries and the system will lock down. Ok, let's try this one, ****. As soon as I entered the last digit, the siren stopped. By now, the driver of the silver kenari waiting for my lot must be wondering whether I was the righful owner of this car or a car thief who had just disabled the car security system.

Was it the end it? No. The entire ordeal lasted more than 15 minutes. When we paid the parking ticket, we were to exit the car park within 15 minutes. Luckily my sister in law remembered, and ran to the parking machine to validate the ticket again. Or else, we would be stucked at the exit barrier. So much for a lucky day.

The moral of the story? Don't laugh at other people's agony, you could be one of them when you least expected.