Preface: Often a particular expression on
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 is 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.
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