I went shopping tonight. I bought THE perfect purse. When I was done, I walked out into the dark parking lot and could not find the car. The parking lot was nearly empty, and I was puzzled. I went to the four or five hondas in the sparse parking lot thinking that maybe, somehow I couldn’t remember what my mom’s new Honda hybrid looked like.

At first I felt nervous about peering into random cars and trying my key in the lock but as it got later I became braver. I thought that my niece’s car seat was in the back, but after looking into five other cars and doubting my memory, I was confused. At this point I wasn’t even really sure what color the car was. How embarrassing. How could I drive the car for fifteen minutes, and not even remember what color it was.

I walked back and forth thinking how ridiculous that I would drive the car less than five miles from the house and it would be stolen in the twenty minutes I was shopping. Finally I saw a friendly looking woman with a cell phone (I had left mine in the car) and asked her if I could call my mom and maybe confirm the license plate number or that Samantha’s car seat was actually in back.

While the phone was ringing the woman said, “Are you sure you didn’t park by the other entrance?”. I snapped the phone shut. I tilted my head down an looked up at her and said, “What other entrance?”. The other entrance was at such a severe angle that it was impossible to see unless you turned a corner. I thaked her and walked to the other doors. I found the car within thirty seconds.