u/Comfortable_Lab_5840

So this happened a few weeks ago and I still don’t know if I got lucky or almost got scammed.

I parked downtown, kinda rushed, saw the parking meter screen was frozen and just assumed it was out of order. There was no clear sign, just a dim display and no response when I pressed anything.

I thought, “cool, free parking for once,” and left.

Came back like 2 hours later expecting a ticket… nothing.

But there was this guy waiting near my car. Not aggressive, just… watching.

He goes, “You didn’t pay for parking.”

I told him the meter was broken.

He just smirked and said, “Yeah… that one’s not broken. It only takes card, no buttons.”

Turns out I was basically parking for free on a system I didn’t understand.

I fully expected a $300 fine in the mail later.

But weirdly… nothing ever came.

Still not sure if I got lucky, or if that guy just decided not to report it.

Either way, I think about it every time I park there now.

So this happened like 2 weeks ago and I still can’t fully process it.

I was broke. Like actually broke. Rent was coming up, my card was basically screaming, and I had exactly $20 left in cash to get me through a couple days.

I’m walking back from the store, debating if I should spend it on food now or try to stretch it, and this older guy stops me outside the entrance. Not in a creepy way, just… tired. You know that look when someone’s been losing for a while?

He goes, “Hey man, I hate asking, but I haven’t eaten today.”

Normally I’d just do the awkward “sorry” and keep walking. Not because I don’t care, but because… life, you know?

But something felt off. Or right. Idk.

I literally stood there for like 10 seconds arguing with myself, then just handed him the $20. Didn’t say anything cool or deep. Just “here.”

Dude looked at me like I just handed him a winning lottery ticket. Kept saying “are you sure?” over and over.

I walked away immediately because I didn’t wanna make it a whole moment.

And yeah, right after that I was like, “well… that was probably a dumb decision.”

Fast forward to 3 days later.

I get an email from a job I applied to MONTHS ago and completely forgot about. Not only did they want to interview me, they apologized for the delay and said they had an urgent opening.

Long story short, I got the job. It pays way better than anything I’ve had before.

Now I’m not saying this is some karma magic universe thing or whatever.

But the timing is… kinda wild.

And honestly? Even if nothing happened, I think I’d still be glad I did it.

Because for once I didn’t overthink. I just did something decent.

Idk. Just wanted to share.