This is a true story that was told to me by the acquaintance involved. Lila, came out of the beauty salon only to discover that she could not find her white Lexus. Now, many people in Florida own white Lexus (Lexi?) but Lila’s was the only one in the parking lot with New Jersey license plates. She wandered up and down the lot in vain and finally returned to the salon to ask the owner for help. He also did not find Lila’s Lexus so he called the police. The first question the police asked was “How old is the person?” Lila is in her late eighties, drives and lives alone, but does have a bad habit: she never locks her condo door nor her car doors and always leave the car’s remote starter key in the car. Finally, two police cars arrived. As a policeman was writing up the Stolen Car Warrant, Lila let out a yell – “there goes my car” just as a white Lexus with Jersey plates on the front and rear passed by. The police jumped in their cars and tore after the stolen car, stopping it very quickly. Lila was sure that killers would jump out of her car and start shooting, but a little old man got out of the car looking very frightened and explained that he had realized that he had been driving the wrong car but when he wanted to return it, he could not remember where he had picked it up. All was forgiven and when I see Lila tonight, I must ask her whether or not she still doesn’t lock anything.
The Wisdom of Locks by Martha Martin
March 27, 2013 by ElderChicks
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Martha is a great story teller. Finding humor in the aging process is a real gift!
My Mom always had a plastic flower on her car antenna so she could find her car in the super market parking lot. Every time I would pull up in my little Lexus sport car, she would gently suggest I do the same. No matter how many times I told her that my car antenna automatically retracts when I turn off my engine, she never failed to worry that I wouldn’t be able to find my car. I always think of that when I’m in a strange parking lot and not too sure where I left my car!!!
I had a similar situation in a parking garage. I parked my car, went into the hotel, next morning I came out of the hotel, went to where I thought my car was parked; and it was gone. I walked up and down the level but to no avail. I went into the hotel to report a stolen car. The bellman suggested I try the level below where I thought I had parked. Sure enough, there it was. I didn’t realize that the hotel was a level above the parking garage. What a relief!!
Great story! So funny. When Errie was a baby Rene, Denny and I took her to Sea World in San Diego. None of us noticed where I parked the car. We wandered around the huge parking lot until it began to grow dark–no beeper thingies back then. Almost an hour passed; we had a crying, hungry baby in her stroller, and my kids said “Let’s call a cab.” Then we saw my car right in front of us!
Not only elders make these mistakes. I must have been about 28 when I returned to my parked car, a Dodge dart, and tried to turn on the engine. Somehow the car wouldn’t start, and I kept on trying and grumbling to myself when a pleasant looking man paused by the car window and said, “Having a problem?” “Yes,” I replied, “my darn car won’t start!” “That’s a shame,” he said, “but then, it’s not your car.” And he graciously waved his hand to the left, where, two spaces down, my identical car was waiting for me. –Jan Silverman