$147.73?

I heard on the news that there are still cars that were removed from the highways that haven't been claimed .  The officials said they have until a certain day (Monday I think)  by a certain time to claim their cars, otherwise they will have to pay a per day impound fee.

Car impounded?  My heart rate just went up a couple of points at the thought of that.  It reminds me of the  time I was a time keeper for the Postal Service at the Federal Annex in Atlanta.  The timekeeping tour I was on was due on at midnight.  There were at two authorized lots we could park free, maybe three.  The two authorized places I knew were at least a half mile away; one down Spring Street and down Mitchell Street.  Both were in dangerous  mugging territories then.   More than a few postal employees were  mugged back then.  I was mugged twice (another story).  We finally reasoned out that because we reported at midnight and got off at 8:30am we could park on a  nearby street    Which we did.

One morning  at about 8:40am, my co-worker, Alice Allen, and I  discovered our cars were not  on the side of the street where we left them.  Another co-worker, Chuck Watson, rode by in his car (he parked in an authorized parking lot) and saw us standing on the sidewalk looking dumbfounded.  He figured what  happened.

Chuck pulled over and we got in his car and had a brain storming session.   We figured our cars were impounded.  I forgot how we knew but we went to the City of Atlanta's impound cars were at.   We found out that our cars were there.  The man behind the desk, in his work coveralls told us we would have to go to the police department  on Decatur Street and pay our fines then bring proof we paid our fans and he would release our cars, after we paid an impoundment and storage fee.  He told us we had to do this by today or the storage fee would increase for another day.  We asked how much and he figured it up on his adding machine that had a  long crank looking  handle on it.  I remember he put all the figures in and pulled the handle down  and said that we each owed $147.73.

Alice Allen said, "ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN MOTHER FUCKING DOLLARS?"

The coveralled man with the adding machine did not change his calm expression said, "and seventy-three cents."

Later,  Chuck telling people about it told about the Alice slinging the F word and the guy not  batting an eye.  Actually, I would be more surprised if Alice held her tongue and refrained framed from shouting the F-word.

I also think the guy was used to that kind of outrage and took it  in stride. It is a shame it was before video recording  became popular and affordable.    The guy could have a hidden video nearby and I'm sure there is a demand for those kind of reactions, look at AMERICAN'S FUNNYEST VIDEOS.

I  wonder how odd cents were figured in? 

We didn't have that kind of money in our pockets.  Thank the  Lord for Credit Cards, and ATMs which were just then becoming popular.   Chuck was kind enough to drive us to an ATM and back to the impound lot.

Alice did not have a credit card or an ATM card.   Chuck and I both jointly paid her expenses which she paid us in increments until she got it paid off.

Alice and Chuck are dead now.