Every time I came home from work, all I wanted was a hot shower and dinner. But instead of peace, I was greeted by the same frustrating sight: no parking spaces anywhere in the courtyard. And it wasn’t because the yard was too small. No — it was because of those “kings of the road” who thought it was perfectly normal to leave their massive SUVs crooked, taking up two or even three spaces at once.
That was exactly how a new neighbor entered our building and immediately made life harder for everyone.
A new neighbor, and an old problem
Parking in our building had always been a sensitive topic. There were barely enough spots, but if everyone parked properly, there would be room for all of us. We residents even had an informal chat group to coordinate things: who had blocked whom, who was leaving soon, and who could shift their car if needed. Most of us got along fine until a man named Vitaly moved into entrance number three.
He owned a huge black SUV. At first, I assumed he simply didn’t know how to park it yet. Maybe he had upgraded from a smaller car and wasn’t used to the size. The first time, he parked crookedly and used up a full space and a half. The second time, he blocked the ramp exit. The third time, he left the SUV right across two marked spaces so that no one could park on either side.
I’m not someone who looks for fights. So first I left him a note:
Dear neighbor, please park more carefully. There isn’t enough space for everyone.
The next morning, the note was lying in the mud, and the SUV was parked in exactly the same way.
“It’s a shared courtyard, and I park however I want”
The conflict became open a week later. I was pulling into a spot when Vitaly came out of the building. I lowered my window and politely asked him to park a little straighter because, the day before, his car had taken up two spaces and forced me to leave my vehicle in the neighboring courtyard and walk back carrying heavy bags over the ice.
He looked at my car, then at me, and smiled in a very unpleasant way.
“Listen, girl,” he said, without even greeting me, “I park like this so nobody scratches my doors. If that’s too tight for you, buy a private house. Then you won’t have parking problems. This is a shared courtyard, and I park however I want.”
That level of confidence was infuriating. Shared courtyard, yes. His personal property, absolutely not.
The moment everything changed
I checked the traffic rules again. Vehicles are supposed to be parked in a single row, parallel to the edge of the road, and if there are markings, strictly within them. If a car creates an obstacle for other vehicles or pedestrians, that can already be grounds for a fine — and in some cases, the car can be towed.
So I waited for the right moment.
On Tuesday morning, I took my dog outside and saw the perfect scene. Apparently Vitaly had come home very late, and there were no parking spaces left at all. So he had left his giant black SUV right in the turning area, partially blocking the fire lane, completely covering the yellow-marked emergency turnaround zone, and even putting one wheel onto the sidewalk.
Then I heard from Aunt Valya, our building concierge, who knew everything about everyone:
“Our Vitalik was running around with his suitcases all in a panic. He called a taxi and complained they were too slow. He must be leaving on vacation. I heard him on the phone talking about checking in for his flight.”
So he was in a rush. That meant he had left the SUV there carelessly, hoping it would be “fine” while he was gone. Or maybe he had already gone to the airport by taxi and simply abandoned the car for a week. Either way, the stars had aligned.
I took out my phone and filmed the car from every angle. Then I called traffic police and reported the violation. The officer took my statement seriously.
The inspectors arrived about forty minutes later. They examined the SUV, wrote up the report, and by then the tow truck had already arrived. The big crane lifted the black monster that had been making life miserable for the whole courtyard and placed it onto the flatbed.
And then came the best part: Vitaly had planned to go to the airport in his own car. When he came out of the building, he saw it being hauled away.
“Stop! Stop! That’s my car!” he shouted.
Sometimes the quickest way to learn manners is to lose your parking spot at the exact wrong moment.
In the end, the whole courtyard finally got a little peace, and Vitaly learned that “I park however I want” is not a rule — it’s just the beginning of trouble.