Marco! Polo! And the Parking Lot

With the Christmas season upon us I did what most of us do this time of year, I visited the local mall to get some of my Christmas shopping done. As expected the mall was full to capacity with shoppers and I was forced to park all the way out toward the outer edge of the parking lot. I knew I would have to park this far out so I was ready for a long walk to the stores.

As I left my truck and started my long trek across the parking lot toward the mall entrance, a young girl, about 13 or 14, came out from between a couple of cars near me, stopped, turned around and yelled, “Mom, I found it.” I figured she was looking for their parked car. From off in the distance I heard a quick, “Where are you?” While I continued my walk toward the mall entrance I looked above the rows of parked cars looking for this girl’s mother but I did not see her. The daughter replied, “Over here!”

After a few moments I hear the Mom yelling across the parking lot. She yelled, “Marco!” The daughter returned her reply, “Polo”. For several minutes they repeated “Marco” and “Polo” as the mother came closer to her destination. When I was about halfway toward the mall (yes it is a big parking lot) and I saw a lady pushing a stroller with a small child and she was carrying dozens of bags and packages. As she emerged from behind a car she yell out, “Marco.”

She looked at me as she yelled and I pointed straight down the row toward where I parked and said, “She is right down there.” She looked in the direction I was pointing and saw her daughter way at the end of the row. She said “Thanks” and headed down the lane. How often has a simple childhood game solve the problem of a lost car? I thought it was pretty good teamwork.

I told this to my friend yesterday and they said that they just hold their remote high in the air and press the Panic button. If a vehicle’s horn starts, “Beep, Beep, Beep” he figures he found his vehicle. Personally, I would rather hear, “Marco” and “Polo” over the “Beep, Beep, Beep” of a vehicle horn.