I used to hate parking at Wakeman.

Honestly, what was there to like? The long walk from my car to school every morning was taking its toll, especially as the air got colder and the harsh winds burned my face. Having to wake up early every morning to compensate for the amount of time this walk took was no picnic, either. It may have been only a slight inconvenience when I had first received my license in April of my sophmore year, but by October of this year, it was unbearable. I could not see any positives to parking there.

That is, until I was no longer able to.

The three-week long paving project that prevented all juniors from parking at Wakeman forced me to take the bus that I thought I got to say goodbye to at the end of sophmore year. This brought back all kinds of unpleasant memories.

For instance, I had forgotten that I actually had to wake up even earlier to make the bus that always seemed to show up way before it was supposed to. There were mornings when I showed up on time, only to see my bus already leaving the stop, forcing me to chase it.

The last thing I want to be doing at seven in the morning is jogging. It’s bad enough when I have gym first period.

I had also forgotten that the bus carried other students besides me. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not against being social. I would just rather not have an in-depth conversation with the person I am sitting next to when the only thing on my mind is how warm my blanket was this morning.

Sorry, I just cannot even pretend to care about how your weekend was this early in the morning. And no, I don’t want to tell you about mine. I just want to put my headphones back on and maybe get a few more minutes of sleep before the day begins. Find me after school. Maybe then I will be more willing to make small talk.

So, when I parked at Wakeman on November 15^th, for the first time in three weeks, a great sense of independence overcame me. I no longer had to depend on rides from others after school. I didn’t need to share my seat with a “Chatty Cathy.”

I even learned to enjoy some of the things I used to abhor about Wakeman. The long and arduous morning walks turned into a leisurely stroll. The bitter cold weather that caused me so much distress became a comfortable, brisk climate that helped me wake up better than any cup of coffee I have ever had.

The truth is, Wakeman and I are perfect together. We both have similar interests, like driving and long walks on the asphalt. I’ve always been able to trust Wakeman with my car, and I have never gotten a ticket there, unlike some of my other Junior friends parking at Bedford or senior parking.

So now, I want to take this opportunity to apologize to you, Wakeman. I should have never badmouthed you behind your back. I didn’t mean all of those mean things I said about you. I should have taken your feelings into account when I threw a fit after not receiving a junior parking spot. I have seen the error of my ways. I wouldn’t choose any other way of getting to school. You are the only parking lot for me.

At least until the next lottery.