Why do I do this? Why do I believe the unsolicited ads which appear on my computer screen. But I do.
I took a free Circuit car to Galleria Mall, determined to find some blouses because they were gorgeous on line and cheap as chips. Not so. Apparently what’s on line is not what’s in the stores.
So I bought an overpriced cup of coffee and sat near a black young Santa. He didn’t have white hair or a beard and he was very thin, with a lush red hat and a very lush Santa dress, cinched tightly at the waist with a wide black belt He also wore tights and boots. He looked pretty.
I was organising my coffee and wondered how he might react if I asked for a picture but he disappeared before I found the nerve to address him. Wonder what he was doing at a coffee shop inside the mall? He wasn’t employed there, I don’t know of any gay bars nearby, and I can’t image any kiddies sitting on his lap and spilling their Christmas guts about presents.
So I wandered in and our of stores, and finally called anotherfree Circuit ride from the Mall’s portico. In the meantime, before Fancynancy, the circuit driver, arrived, I watched car after car drive in and hand their keys to the Valet, to the tune of $12.00 or $25.00 VIP.
The people emerging from the cars and looked ordinary enough. No mink coats but of course, this is southen Florida and warm weather. But I didn’t see any designer clothes or expensive cars —- just ordinary folks like you and I, wearing ordinary clothes like jeans, T-shirts, shorts and shirts.
They are paying $12.00 for someone to just park their car? That’s 2-12 cups of coffee! When my friendly circuit driver arrived I told her about the valet parking. I had her tip of 4 quarters clutched in my left hand. Fancynancy and I have ridden together before and so we were very chatty. She told me that the normal tip for the valet was $5.00. I gasped. She also told me that she has some customers who give her $20.00 because they are so pleased they don’t have to drive across town. Circuit cars only go 2 miles in any direction from the center. My fingers around the four quarters got a little sweaty. Then she told me about some of the big spenders she carts around; and the lavish tips they give her without a blink. Now I am quietly digging in my purse for more money. By the time we arrrived at my door, I have 2 one dollar bills and 4 quarters ready for her. If we hadn’t arrived at my home so soon, she probably would have received an even larger tip.