Even short routine trips can quickly turn into something else. Whether it becomes a disaster or an adventure depends on the end result. Recently, I had to go to Bowling Green. I registered for classes at Western Kentucky University there and had papers to sign, an ID to get, and an exam to take.
After a day spent clambering up and down steps and in and out of multiple buildings while searching for the proper offices that left me feeling like I was involved in a scavenger hunt, I finally accomplished all my business. Exam taken and my shiny new red and white picture ID card in my wallet, I headed home.
I needed to get gas on the way back and I made one of my favorite stops. Truck Stops in the center island may be common in some parts of the country, but they are a rarity on my normal routes. There is only one. It sits between the east and west bound lanes of the West Kentucky Parkway about 50 miles from my home exit. There is one side for big trucks and another for cars. It has the usual convenience store and an attached Arby’s. Like many places these days, you have to pay in advance, either with plastic at the pump or by going inside.
Since I was using cash that day, I took my cell phone, keys and wallet and headed inside. This is an unusual method for me. I usually pay with my card at the pump unless I intend to buy something inside. When I do that, I unlock the car and put my purchases inside before pumping the gas. On this day, I simply paid for the gas and returned to the car. I had nothing in my hands but cell phone and wallet. My keys were in a pocket. Why the cell phone wasn’t I have no idea. It should have been, would normally have been.
For some reason, instead of opening the car and putting everything inside, I set the wallet and cell phone on top and proceeded to pump the gas. When the pump handle gurgled and clicked to signal it had dispensed the appropriate amount, I returned it to its cradle, unlocked the car, got inside, and drove off. In fact, I drove all the way home. Slightly more than 50 miles, about 45 minutes. I thought about dinner and debated with myself how well I had done on the exam.
Shortly after going in the house, I started searching for my cell phone. The jacket I was wearing had five pockets. It wasn’t in any of them. My pants had four pockets, not there either. The purse I had taken with me had five pockets and two sections. No phone. Not laying in the entryway or on the Diningroom table, not on the kitchen counter or the end table beside my chair in the Livingroom, not on the coffee table. Finally, thinking I had done something strange, like put it in the freezer while getting ice for my tea, I used the landline to start calling it. As I stood still, hoping to hear it ring, I searched my memory for when when I had last had it in my hand and it dawned on me that I hadn’t seen my wallet while searching my purse…..back to the car (not on the seat or in the floorboard) and out the driveway without even telling my family I had been home. I finally accepted the fact that I had never picked these two crucial items up from the top of the car. …
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