This Is A No Parking Zone

With the ULB students off on summer break, the streets around the apartment are more quiet and definitely cleaner. Parking spots are more readily found...except in front of the garage door across the street from us. The huge double door (for Belgian standards) serves as the entry-way to a courtyard garage for a dozen cars. It is regularly blocked by an illegally parked car. From our window, we can follow the drama that ensues. Blaring continuous honking lets us know that some doofus blocked the garage door. The frustrated driver steps out of his car, circles the parked vehicle, and complains. (Except for the time, I witnessed a woman raise the back windshield washer of a car, the offended are very respectful of the offender's property.) Usually, all the ado will alert neighbours to pop their heads out of the window. Some will go down to the street and complain with the driver. Others, like me, just wait for the tow truck. By then, other drivers will want to enter the garage. Honk in unison, they do. Illegally park themselves. Block traffic, too. Beautiful chaos. The offender will come running; get politely reprimanded (nope, not a drop of blood spilled); everyone enters the garage; the on-lookers return to their tv novella. Oh, the humanity! I should just put lawn chairs on my balcony and charge people.