lost Underground

I stopped off at Canal walk earlier in the week for a bite to eat. I shared a wonderful chicken chop suey with my thoughts as I pondered some business strategy for my own business.

I would like to think that I was still deep in thought as I rushed out of the shopping centre. I should have known that something was wrong when I went past Pick n Pay on my way out. My brain pointed out that it should have been a Checkers. But it wasn’t.

In the parking lot, I headed for my car, and it wasn’t there. I replayed my mental car parking movie and knew it should be there. Ten spaces to the right of the entrance, probably the closest I have ever parked in a shopping centre!

Thinking I had exited at an exit further than where I had parked I walked along the parking to the previous exit. I did not have to go too far to realise that it was not the same at all. I then walked to the next exit and that was just as unfamiliar. I walked back to the place I first exited just to make sure. And sure enough my car was not there.

I then replayed how I had entered the garage. From a traffic light and straight through the garage, I just had to find the traffic light and I would find my car. Being underground was a problem, so I walked all the way back till I could see the road. Then I understood I was far from where I thought I was. I then walked past the first exist, past the second one, past a third one, and there stood my car. I had exited the shopping centre two entrances early.

By now I had been wandering in that concrete bunker for almost thirty minutes, and even my parking ticket had given up and expired!

Man, I cannot believe that I got lost in a shopping centre parking lot! My wife tells me that I just don’t shop enough!