Parking

I don't know why I thought of this, but when I did, I got the giggles and had to share.

This has got to be the most boring ride home I've ever been on, I thought, sulking against the cool window of the church van as we zipped down highway. For what seemed like the hundredth time, I pressed my nose against the window and squinted my eyes, trying to see some resemblance of scenery in the inky darkness. Not even a loose cow on the side of the road. That would cause some excitement. I heart pounded as I saw the scene unfold in my head.

"Look out! Cow!" someone in the van would scream. The yelling would upset the driver, who would loose control of the bus, we'd hit a light pole and--

Never mind, we don't need that much excitement, I shuddered.

"Psst. Hey Deb, are you asleep?"

I turned in my seat and stared at my friend Carmen. She and I were sophomores at the same high school, went to the same church, and now was returning home with the rest of the church youth group from the skating runk in a nearby town.

"Are you kidding?" I quipped. "I'm too bored to sleep."

"Yeah, me too. Tell me," she asked, scooting closer, "have you and Danny ever parked?"

Danny was my new boyfriend who conviently lived in the town we had just skated in. I indulged myself briefly as I closed my eyes and thought of his sapphire-colored eyes, dark hair, and chisled features.

"Are you kidding!" I yelped, "I'm not going to talk about parking in a church van. You gotta be cr--"

"I thought I told you kids to keep your voices down," the youth director barked from the front seat.

I made a face at youth director, but lowered my voice. "As I was saying, you gotta be crazy. It's none of your business anyway," I hissed.

"Don't get all rowdy," Carmen cooed. "I was just thinking with someone as hot as Danny, you'd--"

"Church functions are not the place to discuss this," I said firmly. I envisioned God hurtling a lightning bolt from the heavens and smiting me where I sat.

"What's the big deal about parking?" a voice behind me yawned. Carmen's sister, Gabriella, poked her head over the back of our seat. Gabby was two years younger than Carmen and I, but we both had mischievous souls and I loved her my own kid sister.

"Oh Gabby, what do you know about parking? You're just a child," Carmen said, waving her hand dismissively.

"I know a lot. I park all the time."

"Oh you do, do you dear sister? Then pray tell us with who."

"Dad."

"No you don't. How dare you spread lies like that!"

I stared in disbelief at the sisters. There was definately a dark side to their dad that no one knew about.

"Uh huh. We park all the time, everytime we're together. We go to Target and park, Wal-Mart and park, the chicken place and park, to church and park."

"Even at church?" I gasped.

"Yep. I park all the time with my mom too, even parked with Carmen before."

It hit Carmen and I at the same time about what Gabby meant. Despite the warnings of the youth director, Carmen and I both burst into gales of laughter.

"Oh, Gabby," Carmen gasped, "do you know what "parking" means?"

"Yeah. It's whenever you're driving, you stop the car and put it in park."

"No. The kind of "parking" we're talking about is when you make out with a guy."

"I definately don't do that," Gabby said indignantly. "I going back to sleep."

Carmen and I giggled the rest of the way home.

Oh the joys of youth. How I miss it sometimes.