235 - wind

otating the key in the column, the car's motor went silent. Terrance pulled the key out of its slot and then pulled up on the parking brake's lever.

"Alright, we're here, let's get a move on," he said, rallying the occupants of his vehicle. They were late enough as it was. The sound of seat belts unbuckling and door handles unlatching filled the car's cabin as everyone jostled to get out.

Terrance and his wife made it out of the car quickly enough. The passengers in the back seat, aged ten, twelve, and eighty-three, found the process to be somewhat less smooth. His two children slinked out of the door on either side of the car, leaving their grandmother unsure as to which side she ought to exit from.

Thinking back, Terrance still felt some dissatisfaction that his kids had immediately raced to take their usual seats with no regard for his mother's comfort when they were loading up an hour ago. He had chastised them, insisting that one of them sit in the middle. His wife had even offered to sit in the back with the kids. But no, no, grandma demurred, the middle seat was more than enough for her.

She finally made her way out of the car, with a little help from her grandson. Next came the requisite period of adjusting their clothing to the new environment outside the vehicle, and making sure all necessary possessions were accounted for.

Doors slammed shut. Terrance pressed the button on the key fob, and the locks all clicked into place. From a distance, Terrance heard a man shouting.

"Hey! Hey!" he seemed to be calling.

Terrance looked up from checking the car's locks to see an overweight man in the blue outfit of a security guard running towards them. "Hey!" he called out again and again, drawing nearer.

The family continued upon their way, assuming that this strange man was addressing someone other than them. But he stopped just in front of them, waving his hands to indicate that they should proceed no further.

"Whoa! What do you think you're doing?!" he asked, out of breath.

Terrance was perplexed by the security guard's behavior. "Um, we're going inside? We've got a family member waiting for us in there," he answered.

"Yeah, but you can't just park your car here!" the security guard shouted.

"Why not?" Terrance asked plainly.

"Why not?!" the guard repeated, sounding like he was either extremely angry or about to burst into tears. "You just parked your car right in front of the emergency entrance of the hospital!"

"I know," Terrance said, "But what's the big deal? I don't see anyone else using this space right now. And if there is an emergency, the ambulance can just go around my car. There's room."

Terrance tried to continue walking forward, considering the issue now settled. The security guard, however, was not convinced and firmly planted his body to obstruct their path.

"It doesn't work like that! You simply cannot leave your car here. We're gonna tow it away, and you'll get a huge ticket, too. You want that to happen?" he asked.

"What do you want us to do?" Terrance responded. "We tried the hospital's parking lot. It was full. I drove around a couple of blocks looking for a space. Nothing. We need to park somewhere, and no one is using this space, so why not here?"

"Look, if you leave your car here, you might literally cause someone to die because you're delaying their medical treatment. No one wants that on their conscience. Move your car," the security guard implored.

"We're late. Come on, let's go," Terrance said, rallying his family again.