Minky & Me

A few weeks ago I blatantly broke the law by leaving my car parked where there was no meter. The lack of parking in that part of town is so bad that I am convinced that many a person has gone mad while endlessly circling for a spot.

That particular morning I was not in the mood to waste time driving around. I figured, since I had seen other cars parked in the same place weeks before, if Coco and I made it quick we’d avoid getting a ticket.

Quick with a three-year-old is quite a bit different than it is when you’re by yourself. Rarely does the pace get above a meander. There are all sorts of things to study along the way: the bike racks, the cracks in the sidewalk. Once we made our purchase, we used the potty, and then got a drink. Realizing a half hour had gone by, I hustled Coco out to the car.

As we turned the corner, I saw a man standing next to his tow truck, trying to jimmy my lock a half block away. I looked down at Coco and shouted, “run, honey, run! They’re going to tow mommy’s car!”

Off we went holding hands. “I LOVE running fast. I LOVE it!” Coco yelled, as the wind blew through her hair. The novelty of mommy breaking into a run for no apparent reason clearly delighted her. To this I replied, “FASTER HONEY!”

Running with a three-year-old is not the same thing as running by yourself. You never really get above a canter, but in this case it was good enough. The guy didn’t tow us and actually apologized for the ticket.