Man Demands Man Give Up Handicap Spot, Doesn’t Realize What He’s Hiding
Peaceful Town
Adam was happy to live in one of the most peaceful college towns. He never had any serious trouble around town, but one Friday afternoon, he found himself in a conflict with a man he’d never met before.
His intention was to fight for a cause that he believed in, but he had no idea what the unknown man was hiding in his jeans. His life would change forever.
Sudden Change
It was during spring break when Adam was parking in front of his apartment complex. At this time of year, most college students go back to their families leaving the area empty.
As Adam left his car, he looked around taking in the nearly vacant parking lot. He suddenly noticed a man emerging out of his car in the distance.
A Stranger
He had never seen him before. The fact that he was suddenly in that exact spot is what caught Adam’s attention.
Normally, as Adam was well aware of, it was someone else who parked on that exact spot every single day. But not today. That’s when he had the gut feeling that something was very wrong.
Here And Now
To Adam’s shock, he realized that the man, who seemed physically fine, was parked in the handicapped parking space. He personally knew the student that regularly occupied that spot and how much of a difference it made.
As a matter of fact, that student was someone very close to him. His name was Mike Jones, and his story was something Adam could never forget.
Mike Jones
As Adam knew very well, Mike Jones had gone through more than one rough patch in his lifetime. That’s why Adam always tried to be a good friend to him and kept his best interest at heart.
Not only was he physically disabled; his condition was the result of a dramatic event that took place a few years before.
Mike’s Story
One time, during a late-night conversation with Adam over some beers, Mike had revealed to him the reason why he was wearing a prosthetic leg.
As if his injury and resulting disability weren’t painful enough, the circumstances that caused it had been absolutely traumatizing. It was amazing and admirable to Adam how Mike had managed to keep his sanity and stick through it.
Traumatizing
One night, Mike walked in on his girlfriend cheating on him with one of his friends. It was more than he could handle; he quickly left the building, got into his car, and started driving around.
He was blind with rage and frustration. He kept driving around with no specific direction until he took a road leading to the highway, out of town.
Betrayal
Tortured by the pain of betrayal, Mike couldn’t think straight. His mind trapped by desperately furious thoughts, he started driving more and more recklessly until tragedy ensued.
His car crashed. The accident could have been fatal, but Mike came out alive. However, he lost his right leg. He had been wearing a prosthetic leg ever since then.
Resilience
The accident happened shortly after Mike graduated high school. It was a traumatizing experience for him, but he was an incredibly resilient person.
He started university right after and stuck through it. He never felt sorry for himself or saw his accident and his girlfriend’s betrayal as something that would keep him from having a good life.
Respect
Adam felt unmeasurable respect for Mike. Not many grown men would have been capable of going through what he had gone through with such a strength of character.
That’s why he took that man using his parking spot as a personal issue. Watching as the man walked away, Adam thought to himself “If this happens again, I will need to take matters into my own hands.”
Follow The Sign
Watching from the window, Adam noticed that the next few days that exact same man, from the Friday incident, continuously parked in the same spot. It was as if he had no regard to the very clear sign that said: “Handicapped Parking Only”.
Fuming with anger, Adam decided to finally take action.
The First Note
Angrily, Adam picked up a pen and paper and started writing a letter to the man. Realizing how he reacted out of frustration, he jotted down a completely different letter.
The letter read “hey, not trying to assume, invisible disabilities exist, but you don’t have a placard up, so if you are licensed to park here, please put up your placard”
Proud Of The Note
The excitement in Adam’s body made him rush over to this man’s car the minute he saw him parked again. Gently placing the note between the windshields of this man’s car, Adam’s heart felt at ease knowing that he had actually done something about the situation at hand.
When the letter was finally picked up, Adam’s frustration went back to a hundred.
Crumpled Up
As Adam patiently watched from his apartment window, down looking the parking lot, he saw the man head towards the letter. Within seconds, the man picked up the paper, quickly read his words, and crumpled it up as if it was nothing. Adam’s face quickly turned red.
Adam knew that he had to up his game.
This Better Work
This time around, Adam’s new note was everything but nice. Wasting no more time, Adam left his apartment, placed the note in the same spot, but waited patiently in his car for the man to come forth.
With a clear smug look on his face, Adam watched as the man made his way to his car.
Note In Action
The note read “I’ve tried to be nice, but this got out of hand. Please remove your car. You are not meant to park here”. This time the man irritably picked up the paper and looked around to see who was leaving him all these notes.
Basking in all his glory, Adam opened the door to his front seat, ready for what is yet to come.
The Confrontation
Trying to maintain his composure, Adam made his way to the man’s car. Feeling the adrenaline rushing through his veins, he found himself quickly spilling out the truth, which is that he was the one leaving the notes.
The man took in a deep breath, looking beyond irritated by Adam, knowing that what’s in his pants would end this once and for all.
The Truth Is Out
The man slowly bent down whilst maintaining eye contact with Adam. With a face void of any expression, he grabbed the end of his jeans and pulled it upwards, revealing what was hidden in the bottom side of his left leg.
At this point, Adam’s mouth opened wide, as he was left in awe. That was something he would have never expected to see.
Ignorance Isn’t Always Bliss
The man stood there staring at Adam as he uncovered his prosthetic leg. Overwhelmed by the new realization Adam was faced with, he blurted out an apology and confessed how ignorant he was.
After hearing what Adam had to say, the man blurted out a few words of his own. What he said left Adam speechless.
Too Little Too Late
Trying to maintain feelings of frustration and disappointment, the man demonstrated how this interaction should’ve been in the first place. He quickly explained how it is always safer to ask than to assume, for no one should ever feel the need to explain themselves for doing mundane errands.
Feeling the weight of his own actions, Adam swiftly replied.
Beg-Pardon
Adam explained how this spot was often used by a friend of his and further apologized for making such a quick and irresponsible judgment. Both men shook hands and parted ways as the misunderstanding was cleared up.
As Adam got back home, he became well aware of something: there was one thing he really needed to do.