An afternoon at the valet

Yesterday afternoon, I opted to valet park my car at the Keystone Mall. Usually, I don't like to valet park the car for a few reasons. First of all, my car once came back with a large scratch I'm certain came from the valet. And another time, I got home only to find someone else's keys had fallen from the valet's pocket into the black hole between the driver's seat and the door. I returned the keys to the hotel where I'd been staying, but not before some poor soul couldn't retrieve his vehicle because his keys had been lost in someone else's car.

So when given the choice, I park and walk. I admit I'm a little neurotic about my car. I love this vehicle, and I don't want anyone scratching it, or worse, losing my keys. But yesterday afternoon, we were running late and the parking lot was a mess of traffic.

When I took the ticket from the valet, I relayed the key story to the young man about to get in my car. He assured me that he wouldn't lose my keys. Then, I pointed out to him that I have a very specific starter. The key fob itself simply pushes into the dashboard, so there really is no "key." He assured me that he understood how to start the car.

I apologized for being high-maintenance about my car. The valet told me that I was not the worst he'd seen. And then he said, "Usually the high-maintenance drivers are men, and they drive much more expensive cars than yours."