106) Map Reading

I have a bit of a problem when I am navigating, I get very mixed up with my left and my right but fortunately Jonny is very patient with me. He knows that I get mixed up and usually checks what I mean when I say things like “turn left, right here”. I remember once we had to go to Pietermaritzburg to collect a parcel that had been delivered from the Petrogen head office. We had to be there before closing time and were running a little late. We looked up the address of the courier company and hurried out of the house. As we went out Jonny said, “Bring the map book” and I grabbed the first one that came to hand. Once we were on the road I looked at the book to find out where we were going only to discover that I had the Durban map book and not the Pietermaritzburg one. We did not know our way around Pietermaritzburg and were trying to decide if we should go back for the correct map or not. I flicked quickly through the book and found that near the end there was a small map of the city centre of Pietermaritzburg so we felt that we would be all right. By this time we had gone about half way on our journey and although I sat with the folded map book on my lap and searched it thoroughly I could not find the street we were looking for. We knew that if we went back we would not get to our destination in time to collect our parcel so we carried on hoping to get directions from some one. Once we got into the city we had trouble with all the one-way streets. Pietermaritzburg is full of them and some of the streets are one way going east for a few blocks and then turn into one ways going west, none of which was shown on our little map. Eventually we found the police station and then our problem was to find parking. We were not too happy with the parking we eventually found so we decided that I would stay with the car so that if anyone complained I could move it. As I waited for Jonny I looked once again to see if I could find the required street. Eventually I gave up and just turned the map book over in disgust. I had folded the book in half so that I could handle it better and when I turned it over I realised that on the opposite page there was the other half of the city of Pietermaritzburg in all its glory. And there as large as life was the street where the couriers had their office. I felt so stupid, I seriously thought of tearing out the second page so that no one would know how dumb I was. Jonny came back to the car and said that the policeman at the station did not speak very good English and although Jonny now thought he knew how to get there he was not altogether sure. This was the moment of truth, did I keep quiet, tear out the page of the map and retain my reputation as a not very good navigator but at least not a simpleton or did I confess and throw myself on the mercy of Jonny? I suppose I could have told him that I had asked a passer-by where the road was and appear the heroine of the situation. As we were really in a hurry I decided to confess and begging Jonny not to tell anyone how daft I was I directed him to the courier’s office. I am lucky that I have a patient and longsuffering husband. I got us to the office just in time even if I did direct him the wrong way into the one-way street where the office was. Although we did not notice that until we had loaded our parcel into the car, so we quickly did a U turn and got out of there as fast as we could. We laughed all the way home and as you can imagine I have never lived that one down. If I ever have trouble finding something on a map I am always asked if I have “ looked at the other side of the page”.