How many items have you lost in your lifetime?  Too many to count on two hands, I bet. How about in just a year? Eyeglasses, socks, mittens, scarves, yoga mats, reservations, friends (hopefully not!), shoes, books – oh dear, the list can go on and on.

But how many of you can say you lost a car?

I raise my hand.

A week ago I wrote about the day I saved my son-in-law’s butt. No, not really, but I did come to his rescue, babysitting early in the morning so he could go to work. What I didn’t relate was the rest of the story.

“You have to be back here by noon,” I had admonished as I comforted the baby and said goodbye to Dan at 7:40 a.m.. “I can’t miss my 12:45 doctor’s appointment.”

I admit, I worried that Dan would forget. He could get lost in his job while reading reams of detailed court cases and lawsuits and …but no, he entered the door at 11:58 a.m. with a smile and a long verbal paragraph of thanks for helping him out.

I left him and my little grandbaby feeling happy, useful, relaxed, and…five blocks later, confused. Where’d I park my car? I was sure it was here, although on this part of the city, all the narrow old streets looked the same.

I walked up and down Revere Street, then Pearl, and even Brown. No car.

I returned to Revere, noting that no cars were parked on the street side where I thought I’d left mine. Suspicious now, I walked 10 yards to the closest sign.

“Street Cleaning

9 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

3rd Thursdays every month”

No.

Couldn’t be.

What day was it? I checked my phone calendar as I began to race back to my daughter’s townhome. Not only was it Thursday, it was the third Thursday of the month.

S H I T!

I called Dan. Before he got out a perplexed “Hi,” I told him my dilemma.

“Take my car!” he responded immediately. “I’ll find yours!”

As I ran up their brick stairs, the front door opened and keys dangled from Dan’s fingers. I grabbed them and flew to his ginormous florescent blue Toyota SUV.

I don’t remember how I drove that truck across the Charles River and 30 miles further, but I got to my doctor’s appointment on time.

And Dan found my towed car in a nasty city lot, rescued it with a $125 ransom payment, brought it back to me the next day.

As we exchanged cars I thought: I lost a car but I found another reason why I’m glad my daughter married this guy!