peter
When I approached him and asked to take his portrait he agreed, and while I was taking pictures he got a phone call, so he picked it up and said he has to leave but he’ll be back in a minute. At the same time, he took out about ten car keys from his pockets, picked one out and off he went, leaving me there with his half full cup of change and his bag. After a minute or two, he came back and I couldn’t wait to ask, ‘What just happened?’ Then he said:
“I’m a businessman you know? I’m responsible for parking cars on this street, and I’m here from morning till late evening every day. When the clampers come I run and bang tickets on the cars. I’m doing it for a good while now. It started back in Galway, I was sitting on the street when a lady came up to me and said she’d give me the change of a ticket if I look after her car while she goes for a meeting. She said if clampers came just put some money in the machine and put a ticket on the windscreen. The next day another guy from the same office came to me and asked, ‘Are you the guy who looking after cars?’ I said ‘Yes, I’m the guy!’ Later another four people came up to me on the same day, some of them even left their keys with me. When they finished they would give me 5 to 10 euros. I was happy and they were happy too! The clampers know me already, and sometimes they don’t even stop. I take max 10 cars at a time so I can look after them easily. A few months ago I had a plan with a guy that he would rent a building for me and we would offer whole day parking and a full valet for 25 quid, but I haven’t seen him for a while now.”