Several weeks ago, on a Sunday afternoon, the General and I met some friends in Blanco. We parked in the town square and took their vehicle to explore the surrounding area. I absent-mindedly failed to take off the sports coat I had worn to church. At a subsequent stop, I discarded the sports coat and laid it aside.
Actually, the General rode shotgun in the front passenger seat since the wife was driving. I remember a time when that would have been very uncommon. Men always sat in the front, and the women sat in the back. That was then and this is now. I guess you could say it is a new day. Some might say it is a better day.
Don't mistaken what I'm saying, I'm not suggesting it always has to men in the front, but since the General doesn't enjoy driving as much as she enjoys telling me how to drive, I'm usually the person behind the wheel. If we have another couple with us, the man rides shotgun in the front with me.
Two our three days after we met our friends, I got a text from the wife. She reported that I had forgotten my coat, but they would get it to me. She went on to say that her husband initially said that it was his coat. He tried it to substantiate ownership, and the sleeves were about 6 inches short of his wrist. By deduction, it was pretty easy to ascertain that the coat was mine.
Thus began a tug of war. I denied having forgotten my coat, and she maintained that I had. I actually recall remembering what I had worn to church that Sunday. I checked the closet and found the sports coat exactly where I anticipated to find it. She was dismissive of that information and almost convinced me that she had my coat.
Weeks passed and the sports coat incident was forgotten. This past Sunday we went to lunch with the other couple after church. We opted to take separate cars. Before we headed to our vehicle, the husband said, "We brought back your sports coat."
I immediately denied that I had forgotten my coat and told him he was mistaken. The wife interjected: "No Don, you're wrong. We have your coat." Without giving it any thought, I chided: "This is going to be an awkward situation when I see the coat and truthfully tell you that the coat isn't mine.
She replied: "It has to be yours. You and _____________ (name excluded to ensure confidentiality) are the only men who have ridden in my car. Actually, I had already figured out that I may have worn a solid blue sports coat that Sunday instead of the one I previously remembered wearing.
The General will tell you that "out-of-sight/out-of-mind" is my general persona. So I was prepared to find my solid blue sports coat in the back seat of their car when I opened the car door. The sports coat of unknown origin was a coat I had never seen before. It wasn't blue. It was black and had buttons on the front like a double breasted suit-coat. Yet, it wasn't double-breasted. There was actually only one button toward the bottom of the coat that buttoned to the other side.
At her insistence, I tried the sports coat on. The arms were 3 inches too short. I guess seeing isn't always believing. Our friend still maintained that it was my coat. It had to be because no other man had been in her car.
Our friend continued to be adamant that it was my coat. I was equally adamant that it was not. She thought I was joking, and I thought she was joking. So the $64,000 question is: "Whose sports coat is it?"
I assured her that the coat of unknown origin was blog-worthy. She laughed and said: "Maybe so." Truth be told, the couple had been to two different out of town funerals the week before sports coat of unknown origin was discovered in her car. I suspect someone rode with them. She maintains that no one rode with them. This one thing I know for certain, "The coat doesn't belong to me."
All My Best!
Don
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