Month: November 2025

My neck felt as if someone had twisted it halfway backward, and a dull, persistent ache was forming at my temples, a familiar warning of an incoming migraine. I shut down my computer with a sigh that felt like it came from my bones. All I wanted was to go home, sink into the couch, and inhale whatever dinner my wife had made. Nadine’s cooking was one of the things that kept me sane. She loved taking care of me, always insisting on having something warm ready when I came home late. If I were lucky, maybe she’d made her three-cheese lasagna the one I swore could resurrect me on my worst days. The night air outside the office was crisp, cool enough to wake me up a little. I walked to my car, rubbing the back of my neck, promising myself I’d take tomorrow morning slow. Maybe even sleep in a little. But that fantasy dissolved the moment I pulled into our apartment complex. Someone was parked in my spot. To most people, this wouldn’t be a big deal. There were plenty of guest spaces down the row. But to me, parking space #14 wasn’t just any spot. I’d spent weeks bargaining with the landlord to get the one directly under the lamppost, right in front of our staircase. After long workdays, walking in the dark through half the lot felt like an unnecessary battle. That spot was part of what I paid for and part of the comfort I counted on. Yet there it was: a dark blue Toyota Camry sitting smugly in my space, as if it had every right to be there. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I grumbled, pulling forward and glaring at the car as if the driver might magically materialize and apologize on the spot. No such luck. I drove two rows down and parked, irritation bubbling in my chest. My grip tightened around my keys as I got out of the car. I was prepared to write one very unfriendly note for whoever thought they could steal what was mine. Then something white caught my eye. A slip of paper fluttered under the Camry’s windshield wiper. Against my better judgment, I marched over and tugged it free. The handwriting was neat, deliberate, almost elegant. Sorry for the spot. Be back soon. Call me if I’m in your way: 555-**.* I blinked at it, half-confused and half-enraged. What kind of person steals your spot and leaves behind a phone number like some kind of business card? I didn’t even hesitate. I dialed the number immediately. On the third ring, a calm male voice answered. “Hello?” “You’re in my parking spot,” I snapped. “Number fourteen.” “Ah,” he replied, his tone maddeningly composed. “My apologies. I’ll move it right now.” No excuses. No defensiveness. Just calm, immediate agreement. Two minutes later, a man emerged from my building. He wore a gray hoodie pulled up to his chin, a baseball cap low over his face, and dark sunglasses despite the fact that the sun had long dipped beneath the horizon. Without even glancing in my direction, he got into the Camry and drove away. The bizarre encounter left me muttering to myself all the way upstairs. When I walked inside, the warm smell of roasted garlic and herbs greeted me, easing the edge off my annoyance. Nadine peeked her head from the kitchen, smiling brightly. “There you are! Perfect timing.” I kissed her cheek and sat at the counter. “You’re not going to believe what happened.” I told her everything about the car, the note, the mystery man. Nadine laughed softly as she stirred a pot on the stove. “Honestly, that’s weirdly considerate. At least he left his number instead of just parking there and disappearing.” “Considerate?” I repeated, incredulous. “He stole my space.” “Still, he apologized. And he moved right away, didn’t he? Maybe he was in a rush or distracted.” “Or maybe he’s got some strange system of claiming spots,” I muttered. She shook her head. “You’re overthinking it.” I wanted to believe that. But something about the way that man looked hooded up, sunglasses at night, silent as a ghost, made my skin prickle. I brushed it off. One weird night. People do strange things. But it didn’t stop. Over the next few weeks, the dark blue Camry appeared again. And again. The same spot. The same handwritten notes. The same polite response whenever I called. Sometimes it happened twice in a week, sometimes three times. Always after long, draining days when the only thing I wanted was to come home and decompress. I’d pull into the lot, see that Camry, and feel a surge of irritation so familiar it became part of my routine. And every time I dialed the number, the man moved his car within minutes. By the third week, I was past annoyed. I was suspicious. Something about the whole thing itched deep in my gut, insisting there was more to this than a forgetful neighbor. The truth finally punched me in the face on a Saturday morning… …(CONTINUE READING IN THE 1ST COMMENT)

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I’d been staring at my computer screen for so long that Tuesday evening that the icons had started blurring into each other. Eleven hours of spreadsheets, client calls, and the unforgiving glare…