Scrap 36

SCRAP 36
Frank has had a clear run to London on this warm summer night and sings along to the radio as he drives into Covent Garden Market.
The place is already alive with market traders and truckers, forklift machines and wooden hand carts weaving about from stall to stall. It is difficult manoeuvring a tractor unit and 30ft trailer at the best of times in such a small and crowded market but when posh boys have left their posh cars parked in awkward places the whole lot comes to a standstill.
Frank finds the Beadle hiding behind a pillar of the Royal Opera House and shouts over to him. ‘Come on mate, these cars should be out of here by midnight. Get them shifted so we can make our deliveries.’ The Beadle is not keen to interfere because the owners of these vehicles, although they know the rules very well, are often influential people and accustomed to getting their own way. ‘I’ll see what I can do,’ he calls back, and disappears up the road.
Frank parks his truck in the middle of the road, blocking the way for everyone. He gets out the cab, locks up and goes in search of some willing help to clear the illegally parked cars.
Half an hour later the Beadle returns to find everything running smoothly. He looks about him, satisfied that the problem seems to have resolved itself, and is about to slope off again when he hears a plummy voice bellow out. ‘I say, Beadle,’ calls the smartly dressed young man, ‘I can’t seem to find my motor car. I’m sure I left it parked here.’
The Beadle agrees to help the stranded motorist look for his Lotus sports car and they march up and down asking if anyone knows where it can be. Nobody has seen a thing, of course, and the perplexed driver considers calling the police. He is making his way to the telephone box when he spots a familiar sight. His pride and joy has been picked up and walked down an alleyway, and sits wedged between the walls of two warehouses.
A crowd soon gathers to enjoy the scene as the toff shouts and leaps about in fury, wondering how he will extricate his car without doing any damage. Everybody denies having seen anything and nobody wants to help him get his car back, which makes him even more irate. Eventually an agreement is struck between four burly men, who may have been responsible for the predicament in the first place, to retrieve the car, for a price.
The watching crowd cheer and clap as the car is walked back into the road. Money changes hands and the Beadle reminds the toff that all vehicles must be out of the area by midnight. He is unlikely to forget again.
Frank finishes his deliveries and sets off for home, the extra beer money safely pocketed. Some people never learn, he thinks. He has arranged many such surprises for transgressors of the parking rules over the years. He will miss this place when the new one opens at Nine Elms.