I’m in the car returning from an appointment; continuing on my way to run an errand. Only I forget where I was planning to go; and I pull up to our house instead. We live about 2 minutes away from my errand; but instead of turning around, I figure I’ll go inside and pick up a couple things that need to be mailed, and get another errand done at the same time.
I turn off the car. My purse is sitting next to me on the front seat; but I don’t need it for the 30 seconds I’ll be in the house. I do grab the travel mug I filled with coffee earlier this morning— which is still filled but apparently has a leak since the cupholder has a half inch of coffee. I also grab my raincoat ( I always keep one in the car) Only I don’t put it on, even though it’s raining.
Carrying my raincoat and my leaking coffee mug, I slide out of the car.
After living for 15 years in a small safe little town– with a husband who has been known to leave his wallet in his unlocked car—I haven’t changed. You can’t take the city out of the girl. Even for 30 seconds, even in front of my own house, even though it’s unlikely a burglar is roaming around at mid-afternoon on a rainy day on our quiet street….I’m going to lock the car.
I can’t lock the car remotely; the remote on my key doesn’t work. (Don’t ask) So I click the switch on the car door to lock it. And in the very instant the door slams shut, my heart sinks because I realize my purse is sitting there on the front seat of the car with the keys inside.
This is especially annoying because there’s a similar scenario going on in my life right now involving V’s keys—- which he misplaced somewhere in the house a week ago and still hasn’t found. Every day he’s offering me increasingly more valuable incentives and rewards if I manage to find them.
Though I haven’t found his keys, I’m enjoying the feeling of superiority since I don’t do this type of thing as often as he does.
Only now I blew it. Even worse is that V has a spare key to his car; and I don’t. (Don’t even ask; I just don’t.)
So I stand in the driveway—annoyed at myself; and what it’s going to involve to get the car open. At least I can get in the house —after the time I locked myself out of the house, now we have a spare key hidden outside. At least I think so.
Alzheimer’s is looming closer every minute.
I’m still standing in the rain—holding the raincoat.
At least I should put it on. Only I’m still holding the leaky coffee mug, so I move it to my other hand. And I look at my other hand. Which is holding my keys.
(In support of my mental health, please let me know if any of this sounds familiar.)
Oh boy does it…at least you had your keys. I offered my kids $10 if they found mine. Then my husband paid $150 to a locksmith when he locked his keys in the house, since mine and our “spare under a brick” had gone missing. For some reason even though my dad comes over to walk the dogs when we’re away, and brings the kids to our house when we’re not there, it never occured to him my dad had a key to our house. Found my keys the next day under the seat in my car. Urgh.
Yep, it sounds very familiar. Done that. It’s akin to the worry I sometimes have that I have walked into the women’s bathroom — which strikes me while I am standing at the urinal.
Haha—considering that you’re younger than me, and that V is offering more than you offered your kids, I already feel better. Thanks.
I constantly walk into another room in the house for something and when I get there, I can’t remember why—your worry sounds like the extreme version.
2 weeks ago I went to a store and bought some throw pillows-4 fat ones to be exact. I realized when I got to the car that I had locked my keys in the car (I believe for the first time in my life). My husband “always” does stuff like that. How smug was I? Luckily, we have AAA and they were there in 20 minutes. AND SO IT BEGINS!
Welcome to my world……:)
How well I relate. !!
You got off easy this time; just wait. Over a week and V still hasn’t found his keys.
I don’t think so. Not possible that you’re forgetful considering how you manage a classroom full of kids all these years. I wouldn’t last 5 minutes.
Congratulations Sister. Welcome to my club.
This would be a great and funny story if it did not resonate so loudly. Not too long ago I lost myself…not in a thrilling novel but on the road to my doctor’s office. His office is where my office was just a few years ago so I drove there every day. On this day I simply could not get my bearings. I follow the progress of Alzhimers research with increasing interest. This topic seems to have provoked considerable interest on the blog.
On the Alzheimer subject, there are two incredibly good books (both fiction, but well researched and informative). If you haven’t yet read these books, I think they are a must for anyone dealing with Alzheimer’s disease (or anyone who thinks it is looming).
One is “Still Alice” by Lisa Genova and the other is “The Story of Forgetting” by Stefan Merrill Block. Each book comes at the subject from a different angle and very different writing style, but they are both unforgettable.
Your story sounds familiar, but my version beats yours for the embarrassment factor. I left my car in the pool’s parking lot at the end of the row and went in to swim. When I came out, the car was gone. That’s when it flashed through my mind that I had left the keys hanging from the trunk lock when I closed the trunk. I immediately ran to the office and called the police, pacing the floor till they arrived. When the police came, I told them the whole story. The policeman asked me to walk out to where the car had been and as I walked I glanced down at my hand and saw the car keys clutched in my fist. At that moment we reached the parking spot and I discovered that a very big car had parked on the end of the row, next to my not so very big car. My car was hidden from view and was no longer the car at the end of the row. I turned to the policeman and with my best Gilda Radner imitation managed to utter “Oh, never mind!”
Oh I’m a charter member of this club. I wrote about this when I first started this blog:
http://blog.darrylepollack.com/2008/08/i-had-a-title-for-this-but-i-cant-remember-what-it-was/
I do this sometimes with words that I’ve written all my life and then suddenly the letters look funny and don’t seem to spell the right word.
Does that happen to you?
I should follow the progress of Alzheimer’s research more closely than I do, only I forget.
Thank you–will definitely read both of these. I feel Alzheimer’s looming mostly due to my family history—but when stuff like this happens, I think I better read those books pretty soon.
Hilarious story–I love it!
It reminds me of this habit I have when I leave my car in a parking lot and can’t remember if I locked it or not, so I go back just to make sure. Only when I think about it, I’m not sure if this points to Alzheimer’s or maybe–OCD?
Your story and everyone’s comments make me feel better about myself. The older I get, the more I see myself wandering around the house for the longest time…just trying to get things together to run a couple errands…then returning to the house right after I leave to retrieve the things that I need for those errands – that I forgot.
I just read this to my husband to prove to him that perhaps I’m not alone in all this. He keeps telling me I need to go to the Alzheimer’s unit at Mt. Sinai to get checked out. All of the above happens to me, but it’s even harder when you drive a Prius. (For those of you who have never ridden in a Prius, the engine basically shuts off when you’re not accelerating so there is no sound.)
Once I left the car running at the grocery store. Couldn’t understand why it wouldn’t lock, but I walked away, did my shopping and returned. Thankfully, and amazingly since it’s Miami and not Carmel, it was still there.
That sounds uncomfortably familiar….I do the exact same thing. I almost NEVER get out of the house without coming back inside at least once.
I would have been amazed by that story if I hadn’t done something even worse—since I wrote this post. I parked my car on the street and got my jacket out of the back seat, and then left to run a quick errand, not realizing I had left the back door WIDE OPEN. Even worse, my purse was on the front seat. Yes thankfully this is Carmel but even here I felt pretty lucky—not to mention clueless.
At least I don’t have to convince V I’m not the only one. He still hasn’t found his keys……