My son, Jeff, was on the other end asking, "How ready are you?" I explained that I had my hair in heat curlers and was in the process of getting dressed. He suggested I drive to his house and we take one vehicle to the courthouse. I agreed and told him I would meet him in about 20 minutes.

I finished getting ready, but took a little longer than I had planned, so quickly headed for the door, grabbing my purse and car keys along the way.

I live in a fairly good size apartment complex on the third floor. The stairways are open to the outside, as are the balcony like hallways lined with the doors to apartments on each floor. About 15 feet from the bottom of the stairway is the parking lot for the complex. My car was on the far side of the parking lot.

Leaving my apartment, I walked down the three flights of stairs, across the parking lot, unlocked the door to my car, and got in. After starting the car, I noticed I was getting low on gas, but decided to go to my son's house and get the gas later. I am so glad I made this choice.

As I was driving, my mind was on the music coming from my car radio, and the possibilities of what could happen in court. About halfway to Jeff's house I realized I had forgotten something very important, and gasped "Oh, no!" Disbelief over came me, followed closely by panic, with another very loud, "Oh No!" thrown in every few seconds. Let me tell you, going down the road at 40 miles an hour is not the place to discover your memory is not what it was an hour earlier.

I turned the car around and headed for home. Parking the car directly in front of the stairway, I noticed some people walk by as I turned off my car, reached for my purse and prepared to go back upstairs. Just as I was about to get out of the car, a car pulled up next to me. A woman gets out and walks toward the stairs. I'm thinking, "Go to the first floor, go to the first floor." She takes the stairway to the top floor - MY floor.

I got out of my own car and started for the stairway. As I rounded the corner after the last flight of stairs, I come face to face with the woman I watched go up them earlier. She smiled. I smiled. Then I nonchalantly walked to my door, opened it, entered the apartment, locked the door and called my son.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm at home," I answered, "I forgot something and had to come back here to get it."

"What did you forget," he asked.

I told him and we both roared with laughter. Now mind you, I have never been known to be an absentminded person. Well, not THIS absentminded, and I'm sure I won't live this temporary lapse of memory down. I had left the house wearing everything except my slacks. Somehow, I don't think the black pantyhose would have been appropriate attire for the courthouse.

I wonder if God was laughing as he watched me learn a lesson in humility..

Susan Stevens
Copyright 1999

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