Day Before Yesterday

In reality, there were only two “incidents” yesterday, but by the day’s end it felt a lot like one of those nightmares that just refuse to be forgotten.  Even this morning, there is a sort of gray haze around everything – like I can’t quite wake up.

The day started peacefully enough.  Nyel had an early afternoon appointment in Seattle so we scurried a bit to leave the house in a timely manner.  An eight-thirty departure would give us time for the various rest stops, lunch, and a built-in cushion for the inevitable Olympia-to-Seattle Traffic Delays.  I took my purse and book to the car, went back for the forgotten thermos of coffee and met Nyel on his way out.  “Look around for my car keys, will you?” he said.  “I can’t seem to find mine.”

Yesterday Morning

We left without his keys.  Used mine since I was driving, anyway.  At South Bend, we nipped into the restroom and, on our return to the car I unlocked it using my key fob. Nyel took the wheel using the “valet” key which doesn’t have the spiffy lock/unlock/emergency buttons but… oh well.  Next stop, Montesano and here things get confused.

Nyel’s memory: I locked the car and he said, “You’ll have to unlock it when we come back.”  Which he says I did.  My memory: blank.  But, for some reason, around Elma I double-checked to see if I had returned my keys to the proper pocket of my purse where they ‘live’ most of the time.  When I remember to replace them.  No keys.  I searched my jacket pockets, the door pockets, the footwell, and under the seat as far as my seat belt would allow me to reach.  No keys.

At the rest stop north of Tacoma we stopped to eat the lunch Nyel had packed.  We both spent time, before and after eating, standing on our heads looking under seats, risking scraped knuckles groping between the seats and that useless storage console that separates driver and passenger.  No keys.

We called the Quick Stop in Montesano – after I had search fruitlessly for its name and finally appealed to FaceBook friends who had the answer for me before we pulled back onto I-5.  No keys had been turned in.

Last Night

We got to Nyel’s appointment with twenty minutes to spare, nervously left our now one-and-only key with the valet parking guy and waited an hour and a half to see the doctor’s assistant… Not a satisfactory high point to this day.  She went over his meds, asked how he thought he was doing, and, after an hour of useless chit-chat, sent us home.  We stopped in Montesano on our way through.  No keys.  We arrived back in Oysterville about twelve hours after we had left, had peanut butter sandwiches for dinner and searched every possible spot Nyel could have (totally a-typically) left his keys.  No keys.

The day was a nightmare and I don’t think it’s over.  I feel compelled to search purse, jacket, car, house, again.  And again. And…