TheBanyanTree: Forethought

[Kitty]

A friend shared her story about her car keys which reminded me of the 
following story I wrote in 2001 to memorialize the event:

Preface: Often a particular expression on then 18-month old Brandon's face 
reminds us of the so-called "chickenshit" grin his grandfather, Roy, often 
displayed.  Pulling one corner of his mouth tighter than the other, the look 
is short of all-out smile and includes a hint of bravado.  I recall a 
particular time when, as he explained how he'd gotten into a predicament, 
Roy displayed this special look.

**************
I've done it and perhaps you've done it.  Who hasn't?  But once is enough. 
More than that, the absent-minded should take preventive measures.  I refer 
to locking the car, leaving the keys inside.

Being locked out of your car at home is inconvenient.  Being away from home 
in similar circumstances can really trash the holiday spirit.  With this in 
mind, Roy and I agreed that we'd take both sets of car keys with us when we 
traveled.  He'd have one set; I'd have the other.

On one of our trips, with two sets of keys in our possession, we set out for 
Niagara Falls with Roy's sister Gwen and her husband, Hank, for a weekend 
visit.  It was our intention to do a lot of sightseeing. Walking long 
distances is difficult for Hank, so Roy dropped us off at an overlook and 
continued on to the parking lot.  We sauntered along the footpaths while we 
waited for Roy to join us.  When he hadn't appeared after several minutes, I 
suggested Gwen and Hank sit in a shady area while I backtracked to find Roy.

Finally back to the parking lot, I was relieved to see that there were very 
few cars and easily spotted ours.  Roy was standing beside it.  When I 
reached him, I asked why he hadn't come to meet us.

"I'm waiting for a tow truck," he replied.

The car was sitting there in the middle of an almost-empty lot.  I saw no 
indication that he'd hit anything or been hit.  In fact, the motor was 
running.  I asked why he was waiting for a service vehicle.

His crooked grin began to develop.  "Well-l-l-l, see, this good-looking girl 
pulled in, and I got out of the car to see her better."

I nodded my head, indicating I was ready for more of the story.

"She had on these short shorts and a tight top and I just forgot, just for a 
moment, to turn the car off when I got out."

To which I replied, "An-n-n-d????"

"I locked the door just before I slammed it shut."

I reminded Roy that I had the second set of keys in my purse.

"Yes, you do," he agreed, nodding. "And where is it?"

I looked down and then recalled that since I hadn't expected to need my 
handbag on this short walk, I'd left it, with my keys, locked in the car 
trunk.

________________
Owning multiple sets of keys isn't helpful if none are available when 
needed.  Consequently, following this trip I invested in a plastic coil to 
which I attached my car keys.  Now if I don't want to carry a handbag and 
have no pockets, I put the coil around my wrist.  As with most insurance, 
once this second precaution was taken, the car's never been locked with the 
keys inside.  But now I'm ready, just in case.



Kitty
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