Not Lost Purse

I am not usually scattered brained. Even when I have my bouts of chemobrain, I am aware of my plight and choose to find ways to control and contain any damage. Today I was focused on having some quality time with the boys after church. It had been a long haul of watching pennies to payday, settling in to the new order of fall semester, getting back into the swing of work and activities.

What better way to enjoy the afternoon than to have a bite to eat at Wegmans, the boys favorite fast food place? And what better way to make that special than to explore a different Wegman's store? I had been told by several people to check out the newer Wegmans stores, that they put the familiar stores to shame with their new ideas and services. I wasn't quite clear where these spiffy new stores were located, but Kiel thought he knew where one was.

We headed in the direction of Ridge Road only to discover that it wasn't one of the new stores, but at that point we were hungry, so we accepted our fate and went in. The good thing about eating at Wegmans is that there is something for everyone, and the wide variety of selections are all excellent. Today we settled on Danny's subs and left the Chinese Italian Indian Japanese Jewish American dishes for another day.

Drew chose the tall tables with the nosebleed chairs and the no room to set anything down way over in the corner of the dining room. We chatted away happily, munching on the crusty homemade bread and fresh meats and cheese. I broke down and actually got a Coke and a gooey chocolate chip cookie all warm and munchy. I set my purse on the window ledge as we ate, and I clearly remember telling myself not to forget it when we left.

Problem is, we were talking and joking around by the time we left, feeling good and energized, and I wasn't really paying any attention. It wasn't until I reached church in the evening and went to grab my purse that I realized I didn't have it with me. After service and PrayerSong rehearsal, I headed back to the apartment and looked around, trying to remember when I last remember having it.

Yes, the last clear memory was telling myself not to leave it on the window ledge at Wegmans. Fighting a rising panic, I prayed my way out the door and drove back to the store. One look in the dining room revealed an empty window ledge. I asked at the service desk, hoping for some good Samaritan to have turned it in. I once left my wallet at a McDonald's in Ohio on our way from Tulsa to New York. Fearing the worst, we stopped at the same McDonalds on the return trip and lo and behold someone had turned it in - minus the cash. But no such luck today.

I headed out to pick up Kiel from his soccer game, and explained my plight, rehearsing in my mind all the things in that purse that would have to be replaced or revoked. Yikes! Its a whole history, an entire life wrapped in cloth. Do I have time to go to the bank, call the credit card company, replace my license, find those important notes I had tucked in the side slots, get more pictures of the kids, replace the coughdrops and lipsticks? Not really.

We went back to the apartment before getting Drew from Youth Group. We both search the usual places. Not on the coffee table, not on the nightstand, not on the piano, not in the kitchen, not on the divider, not with my coat, not in my closet. I retrace my steps, repeat what I did after returning from Wegmans. Nothing. I bend down and look under the bed. Nope.

With a sigh, I lie down, trying to resign myself to my fate. Suddenly, Kiel says, "There it is!" Where? Hanging on the post of my bed, a place I not only never put it, but where it was covered up by a jacket. WHEW!!! Thank you Lord - I sure didn't want to have to deal with all that. I tell myself to pay more attention, and to remember that with my chemobrain, I need to stick with the agreed upon routines. Thank God that's taken care of. Now, where did I put my keys?