Basic Human Decency

Today I went to visit a buddy of mine who is in both banking and real estate (don't be surprised if I blog about these issues at length, they shit me beyond belief.) I wanted to chat to her about my plans to get a mortgage / apartment before marrying Yvy in [gulp!] 16 days.

She gave me some excellent advice, and paid for lunch too (I was planning on doing the latter, as a thankyou for her valuable advice, but she insisted since she will not be able to get to Malaysia for the wedding). Anyways, afterwards I wandered back to the car-park where i had to park my vehicle ('99 Sports Magna for anyone who cares) and tried to pay the girl at the parking station. Being a city car park in Sydney, the world's favourite city, this was not coming cheap.

"Are you with the film crew?" the girl asked.

3 or 4 more inane questions later and I realised she wanted me to pay by the machine, and had no real intention of doing any work that day. Fair enough, she was quite cute.

So I start sticking money in the machine.

Trouble is, I have some commemorative coins (machines struggle to recognise them) and the machine is struggling to recognise them (ok, I just said that). I put in a 50c piece (the most commmonly commerorativised coin in Oz) and the machine spits it out twice. The alternative for me is a $20 note, so I keep trying. The machine finally SWALLOWS my 50c coin, leaving me some 20c short of my $13 fee (thieving bastards. 2 hours parking, $13. Fuckers).

Anyways, I am looking around at this point & wondering whether to ask the cute girl to break a $20 note. I am also wondering whether to ask the lady in line behind me to spot me the 20c, since this is easily the easiest way out of this dilemma: but not the one you might feel most comfortable pursuing, no? A perfectly lovely looking blonde mature aged lass, I might add.

After me groaning, looking around, searching my change wallet like it might mysteriosouly uncover some coins previously missing etc for several seconds, the lady comments on my situation.

"I had 50c but the machine ate it", says I.

The lady offers me 20c (looking over my shoulder to see what the machine is demanding and what the holdup is).

I say, "well if you don't mind, that is the easiest way out of this".

She says, "well I want to get out of here sometime today" and hands me a 20c piece (no 'quarters' here in Oz).

So I thank her profusley, pay 20c, get my parking ticket back, and we both get on with our lives.

Folks, this is the way life SHOULD BE.