The man at the back door glanced at me, then at the line of cars behind me, then shrugged

I was driving past the high school, nearing the preschool and the carpool line, when I spotted a truck near the end of the block. It was stopped, but there was no line of cars behind it, no indication that it was going to be there for long. There was a stop sign just a few feet away — was it paused there?

No, I discovered as I halted behind it, another two cars behind me. Someone emerged from the truck. He tugged at the back door. The sign on the door read SPARROW KITCHENS. This was about to be a very large delivery.

There was a parked car to the right and another three to the left, leaving me trapped. But just beyond the car to the right: an expanse of empty space (enough for a truck!) and the corner, just a half block from the carpool line. I honked. The man at the back door glanced at me, then at the line of cars behind me, then shrugged.