The Wheel Thing

I once had a classic 1956 Bentley I'd picked up from a Vegas comedian for a song. The best thing about that car was that whenever I went to a restaurant where there was valet parking, it was always left right in front. The doctors and lawyers had their $75,000 Mercedes and BMW's careened God knows where by the car jocks, but when I exited after my meal my Bentley was there where I'd left it. I had lunch with a TV executive once at an up-scale Ventura Blvd. eatery. When we left he had his parking ticket in hand. I gestured toward the Bentley. "My car's right here," I said. He laughed, appreciating what to him was surely a good joke. "No really," I said, and went to get in. I'll never forget the look on his face.