This was a fun little writing challenge for a week where I wasn’t very productive with my writing. Give it a shot and make sure to vote by liking your favorite stories on the original post!

I DON'T WANT ANY TROUBLE

“You are not allowed to park here,” the police officer boomed as he rapped his knuckles on the window of my car.

“Man, this is a parking lot,” I said through my yawn, “I live in my car, where else am I supposed to park?”

“I don’t care where you park, as long as it isn’t here,” the officer responded, with a slight look of disgust on his face.

“If you don’t care where I park, why can’t I park here?”

The officer frowned as he tried to think of a reason that didn’t center his discomfort with people living a different lifestyle than he deemed normal.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble. Just move your car. The store’s about to open up and you’re taking up a spot for customers.”

I pointedly glance around the empty lot before responding, “Sure, bud. No problem. Wouldn’t want all those customers to have trouble finding a space.”

I keep the smile plastered on my face as I drive off the lot. The smile fades as I say to myself, “On to the next,” and try not to worry about the next time I’ll hear, “You are not allowed to park here.”