Oh, grow up.

In 2014, it’s impossible to go a day without seeing some proof of your average joe’s entitlement over other people. This particular time: a parking space in a gated community in North London.

I live here. I’ve been living here for little over 2 years. It’s a fairly secure property, with a gate accessible only with a four letter combination code, given to residents and Royal Mail. And for the past year, to every Tom, Dick and Beelzebub in town with a car and a fiver to spare.

Yes. Average joe is renting out the parking space assigned to his flat, to make some spare change, probably to pay for a speck of fuel. Or maybe his every day coffee. Neither of which matters here.

This past week, my parents drove across Europe to visit. They came here, I let them in and told them to park the car in this particular space – mind you, for 20 minutes only. Why? Visitors parking was occupied, by a car belonging to none other than my average joe here. So I figured it wouldn’t be a huge problem if my parents put the car there until they washed up and had a glass of water. Seeing as you know, he’s parked in the visitors bay and I had visitors?!

Little, little child. Me. I was handed a note and swiftly told that if I wanted the parking space, I had to go online and book it, for it belonged to the flat in question and I had no right to park there. Okay, you got me there. When prompted to move the car, we did so without causing a big fuss. But I couldn’t park in visitors parking, because uhm, you’re occupying it with the car that should rightfully be in the bay you’re asking money for. Far be it from me to stop people from collecting money on properties they lawfully own, but seeing as I also live here, you kind of have to use the rightful space or find another elsewhere, not use all available unmarked space that's servicing the rest of the block. Others have cars, too. Maybe they would like to park there.

So, like any civic minded citizen, I went home, googled his precious parking space and found his hourly rate. I proceeded to put half of the rate in his mail box, as the car had been stationed for only 20 minutes and I didn’t intend parking it there again. Maybe I was angry, too. I'd parked a rental car with English license plates before, in the same spot and with him seeing it, and he hadn't said anything at all. Suddenly, he has an opinion because the car has foreign licence plates. His entitlement is infuriating. He has been harassing me ever since, presumably to talk to me. Waiting for me to come outside, then waiting for me to come back home.

He asked for money (I still have the note in which he’s redirecting me to the website, for booking and payment purposes), I gave him money. I may have given it to him in a fashion he doesn’t deem acceptable, but I didn’t see him object nor return it to express how offended he is. Without reason, if I do say so myself.

I don’t understand people. You don’t give them what they want, they harass you. You give them what they want, they still harass you. How long can this world go if the owner of a lousy parking space he’s not even using can behave in such an asinine way? It’s not even that valuable. You ain’t in the Fortune 500, honey. Keep your change.