I do deliveries around our town, and as such I need gas to do so. There is one gas station I hit up every morning before work because the gas is cheapest, it is on my route to work and it has a better selection of breakfast snacks and drinks than the others around it. Since I have been stopping off there a minimum of 3 times a week for the last 6 years I have gotten to know the owner and a few of the long time staff there. They are all good people and treat me nicer than normal employees do. So I try to treat them with as much respect as I possibly can.

One morning while I am filling up, one of the female employees (we’ll call her Rachael for this story) was standing idly by one of the pumps. She has a few mental problems but is one of the nicest people I know. So while my gas is being filled, I strike up a conversation. She tells me she ain’t doing so hot, because she is supposed to take out the trash from the outside bins and put it in the dumpster around the side of the building.

The way the building is designed, there is only one way to get to the dumpster to put anything in it, and that way is clearly marked with signs and paint saying, do not park here or block the dumpster. I look over and there is a caravan of about 5 minivans parked around the area. Most were in legit parking spaces, but the biggest one with a massive roof-rack was parked awkwardly in front of the dumpster, completely blocking it off.

I asked Rachael if she had asked them to move and she said they would move when they were done, and that was over 30 minutes ago. I feel for Rachael and her sad face at that time so I tell her I will make it up to her. After getting the nozzle put back up and got my car ready, I drove over to where the van was parked and parked my car in the first open parking spot behind it, effectively completely blocking it in.

I get out of my car and walk about 5 steps away when a screeching Karen pokes her head out of the front window of the van. “Hey! Can you move your car, I’m parked here!” Me: “Oh, but that’s not a parking spot” Her: “Well, yeah, that’s why I am trying to get out of it.” Me: “OK, but hold on. I’ll just be a minute.”

I proceed to walk inside the store to get my morning meal, as I hear Karen screaming for me to come back. As the doors shut in the store, I noticed the place is over run with families buying travel snacks. They are all milling about but a few are looking out the window saying, “I wonder what Karen is yelling about?” They are clearly all in her caravan.

By the time I grab my food and drink and make it to the check out line, she has stormed her way in and is trying to tell me to move my car now. I tell her “I can’t leave, that would be stealing,” so I am going to buy my stuff and leave. She huffs at this and notices everyone in front of her is a member of her traveling party, so she just glares at me the whole time.

I finally make it to the front after like ten minutes and go, “Oh wait shoot this isn’t what I wanted, I’ll go put it back and grab what I really want.” Luckily I was still very early for getting to work so I was milking it for all it was worth. Karen is fuming. When I make it back to the line someone else is getting in line in front of me and Karen is trying to tell him to move so I can go first. The owner (we’ll call Jess) tells her she isn’t allowed to talk to customers that way and one more out burst from her and she will kick her out of the store. Karen mutters to her self but is silent.

I go up to check out, moving and talking as slow as I can, and ask for a lottery ticket as well. After paying, since no one is behind me I scratch it off, what do you know, I won a free ticket. So I buy another one and proceed to scratch it off. Karen to that point had been mildly tolerable, but then she let out this unholy screech and told me to stop wasting her time. To which Jess told her to leave. Karen started to refuse and Jess picked up her phone threatening to call the cops. Karen is then swift to leave at this point, now yelling at her caravan as to why they have to wait.

I thank Jess for all of that she has done so far and explain what was going on, still really slowly. She laughs and tells me how much she hates people who park there, they get all defensive when you tell them that they can’t park there, but this is the first time anyone got their comeuppance over it.

I left and saw Rachael standing near my vehicle, doing her best not to laugh. I load up my car and asked if everything is better and she nods enthusiastically. I move my car to the other side of the lot and watch them all leave one by one , but not before Karen pulled out in front of someone and almost wrecked.