GOTTA WONDER

The other day I was driving down the road, not really thinking about anything in particular when a memory came to mind that got me chuckling. 

I’m guessing, but in about October 1976, I was just home from Guam.  I was living in a little studio apartment near the campus of Univ. of Cincinnati and working on campus as a contract employee.  Having just returned from Guam I didn’t have a car yet, but one was on the horizon.  My dear friend Karen was driving down from Alaska going to Richmond, Indiana where she would pick up a new school bus to deliver to the Anchorage school district.  Since she couldn’t drive both her car and the bus back up, I was buying her car.  We had a great visit, I drove her over to Richmond, dropped her off and headed home with my new car.

It wasn’t actually a new car, it was an old, beat-up thing, I don’t even remember the make, but it made it all the way from Anchorage to Cincinnati, and for $400 I figured it would do just fine.

So, a few weeks later my long-time boyfriend, whom I had been in Guam with, returned also.  In celebration of our reuniting, we went out one night to the local bars.  They were close enough that we could walk, so after a night of some serious drinking we walked home, fell into bed instantly asleep and had a peaceful night.

The next morning, I woke up, a little hung over, but needed to get into my purse.  Looked everywhere, but could not find it.  I knew it had made it home with me cause I was in the apartment, and couldn’t do that without my keys and my keys were in the purse.  Kept looking, finally, for whatever reason, I looked outside the open kitchen window, and there was my purse, on the ground. 

I retrieved the purse and learned quickly that my keys and my wallet were missing.  My hangover was instantly gone when I realized that I had been robbed.  Evidentially someone followed us home, found the large kitchen window wide open, (which I did leave open for the fresh night air), climbed through the window, and stole the purse, wallet and keys.  Looked for my car out on the street, and guess what???  It was gone!!!!

So, we called the cops, reported the theft and minutes after the cops left my phone rang.  It was a young man telling me he had found my wallet in the middle of the street and would I like it back? Yes, I would, so Jerry and I drove over to Mt. Auburn, met up with the kid and got my wallet back.  Of course, the cash and credit cards were gone, but I got my drivers license back along with the rest of the contents. 

Luckily, Jerry had an extra key to the car.  So, we thought, maybe we should drive around the neighborhood on just the chance my car would be nearby.  Sure enough, a few blocks over, there was my car.  The Alaska license plates had been switched for Ohio plates, but the car was definitely mine. 

Jerry pulled up along side the car, I jumped out, got in, and drove home!!!  I was a nervous wreck.  Whoever took the car was much shorter than me as it took a second to get the seat back a bit, but I got home.  The house where my studio was located had garages in the back that you could rent, we thought that might be a good idea since the thief still had the car keys.  Our landlord changed the lock on the apt door.  The car stayed with me for over a year until I traded it in for something in better shape.

But I have to say, Geeze, I wish I had been a fly on a tree when that thief came out that morning to admire his new vehicle.  I bet he was sure surprised!!!!!