Embarrassing Moments (3) --- Saved by a Busdriver

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My husband, then boyfriend, studied in Florence, Italy. One year when I visited him, he told me that he had to take something to the office in the university. He tried to park the car near the entrance but couldn’t find space. So he did what Italians do in such a case, he double parked, i.e., in the second row like some other drivers had already done. He would only be away ‘for two minutes’, but just in case he left me the key. In case of what? Now you must know that I don’t drive and that we had a German number plate then. Two minutes? I don’t remember for how long I waited, but long enough for all cars which had also been standing in the second row to move away and also for the ones in the first line, meaning that our car was the only one standing all alone nearly in the middle of the street. And then a bus came and couldn’t pass! I was sitting helplessly in the passenger seat. The bus driver waved at me to drive away. I got out and told him that I would like to oblige but unfortunately couldn’t drive but I had the key. Of course, all passengers looked at me. Can you imagine how I felt? Gosh, I was embarrassed but I needn’t have been because this incident happened in Italy. The bus driver climbed out, got into our car, parked it perfectly at the side of the street, got back into his bus and drove off, waving a friendly good-bye and none of the passengers looked furious because of the delay! In Germany, there would have been shouting, calling of names, especially if a foreigner had committed the crime. The police would have come, the car towed away and we would have got a fine for obstructing the traffic. Praised be the Italian mentality! --- If you want to read about more embarrassing moments, click on the green line above the title of the post. --- Photo: flickr, Graeme Churchard