A MOM BLOCKED OUR DELIVERY ZONE & SAID “JUST WORK AROUND ME” — SHE IMMEDIATELY REGRETTED IT.
I’m a construction foreman working on a house 250 feet up a hill. Every material—every single board, beam, and bag—has to be hauled up by hand.
Our only saving grace? Two clearly marked No Parking spots at the bottom of the hill, reserved strictly for deliveries.
Most people are cool. If someone’s parked there, I ask nicely, they move. No problem.
Not today.
I get a call: our lumber truck is two minutes out, carrying everything we need to frame the roof.
I head down—and there she is: a mom idling in our delivery spot. Just hanging out, waiting for her kid from the school a block away.
I walk up, politely:
“Hi, ma’am. We’ve got a delivery truck en route—can I ask you to move?”
She rolls her eyes and says:
“I’ll just be a few minutes. Your truck’s not even here yet. Take a chill pill, dude.”
Right then, the truck rounds the corner.
I wave him in and ask her again, this time firmer.
She sighs, lowers her window, and hits me with:
“Can’t you guys just unload around me? It’s not that hard.”
😏 Oh, ma’am… you just gave me a golden idea.
So, I smiled. Not sarcastically. Not angrily. Just the kind of calm smile that says, “Sure thing… you’re going to regret this.”
I turned to my crew and said, “Alright boys—start unloading. Right here.”
And we did. All 3,000 pounds of lumber, stacked neatly, precisely, and completely boxed in her car. Front, back, and both sides. No room to open the doors. No room to reverse. She was parked in a wooden fortress.
We didn’t block her out of spite—we just worked around her, exactly like she asked. 😌
After about 20 minutes, I see her step out of her car (through the window, mind you, since she couldn’t open the doors) and stomp toward me in heels that were clearly not made for job sites.
Her face was red. Her arms were flailing. “What the HELL am I supposed to do now?! I have to pick up my kid!”
I looked at her with the same smile.
“I dunno, ma’am. You said it wasn’t that hard. I figured you had a plan.”
She sputtered, then tried to guilt-trip me: “This is harassment! I’m calling the police!”
I nodded. “Feel free. They’ll probably ticket you for parking in a clearly marked construction zone while you’re at it.”
She stared at me for a second, probably realizing for the first time the bright orange signs that read DELIVERIES ONLY – NO PARKING – TOW AWAY ZONE right in front of her car.
About an hour later, after we’d finished the unload and moved some boards, she was finally able to back out—slowly, carefully, and with every construction worker watching.
The best part? She didn’t say another word.
And guess what? She’s never parked there again.
Lesson of the day: If you ask someone to work around you, be prepared for when they actually do. 😏
