The Sun Shines

On the horizon...

The sun was directly on the horizon when Jim and Jill came out of the store. They weren’t in there long, but the sun had gone down enough so it stared them head on as they searched the parking lot for their car.

Jim shielded his eyes from the sun but couldn’t see a thing. Another five minutes before or after and he’d be able to see perfectly. He pointed in the general direction of his car.

At this stage in her marriage, Jill knew her husband. “Always look to the end of the parking lot and that’s where Jim parks,” she frequently told others.

And in most instances, she wasn’t wrong. Today, though, Jim wanted to get in and out of the store quickly so he parked closer to the building so the location of the car wasn’t as obvious.

Still shielding his eyes, Jim approached the passenger side to unlock the door for Jill.

“Not again,” he said out loud. He knew both of the hub caps on the driver’s side were missing and now the front cap on the passenger’s side was gone. Driving a 20-year-old beater had its positives and negatives. The more time passed, the more he could get away with things going missing and being broken.

Now, when did that hubcap fly off? I would’ve noticed it rolling off.

Just as he was about to put the key in the lock, he saw someone in the passenger side scrolling on his phone. The man looked up and gave Jim a puzzled look. Jim returned the look but with a squint still from the sun in his eyes, examined the car a bit closer, and apologized several times before backing away.

Right make and model.

Similar hub cap issues.

Navy blue vs. black.

“I told you we should’ve parked at the other end of the lot like we normally do,” Jim said to his wife as he spotted his car two spaces away.

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