Thursday, April 15, 2010

family stories


It's a fun pastime to tell and listen to stories. I guess it's how legends are started. Often the stories are simple funny stories. What becomes funny now wasn't at the time it occurred.

Those were the days


At many gatherings I heard the story of my older sister being accidentally left behind at a gas station during a road trip. I'm guessing she was 5 or 6 and my brother about 2+ (if I was around I would have been an infant).

Typical road trip stop - Get gas, take care of nature, stretch, and get back on the road. I think it was gas station but maybe a gas station restaurant combination. Everyone needs to stretch and take care of nature calls. Apparently oldest sister was the last one on the nature call.

Dad and Mom jump back into the car along with older brother who was in the back seat. But now he had the back seat all to himself and must of been enjoying it because he didn't bother to mention that older sister was missing. Who? What I have a sister?

What a treasure it would be to have a recording of the conversation when Dad and Mom discovered they were one daughter short. In the story I remember many miles had been traveled before the discovery. (oh she was recovered OK)
---
Maybe this new one will be told a few times in years to come.

Early this year we took a short trip to enjoy sometime in FL with my wonderful mother-in-law. Really she is nice but of course she has a few idiosyncrasies that - oh let's move on to the story.

Her stay along the gulf coast was weeks long and we were in and out in days. So I had some space in my luggage and having packed for a longer stay, she had some extra that she rather not drag back.

I willingly offer to carry some of MIL's extra clothes home in my bag (thanks for all those what a nice SIL comments). My wife (M-P) knew this at the time. MIL was flying back days later.

I unpacked and put her stuff wrapped up in various plastic bags off to the side. OK, I left them on the floor. I didn't know where to put them and figure M-P will know the best place for them.

Day after Easter (more than a month later), MIL calls me.
"Where those clothes you carried back for me?"

"Ah? (pause) Oh yeah those shoes and stuff. M-P probably knows where they are. Sorry we should have given them back to you at Easter."
...
"No rush, but it's starting to warm up. Just good to know you didn't give them away."

Later that same day M-P calls me.
"Did my mom call?"

"Oh yeah, so where are those clothes of hers?"

"You don't know? You carried them back. OH SH-;% I think I donated them!"

(failing to hold back my laugh) "She actually said something about not giving them away."

"Go right now and look in the garage. Call me back."

Well I did find MIL's shoes in a pile that was being collected for the next donation run. 

M-P had found the clothes, forgot about my good deed, and couldn't figure out where the clothes came from. She concluded they might be from our daughter's spring cleaning and were dropped off to be given away.

M-P had donated some of her mom's clothes in exchange for some coupons at a women's clothing store.

The end of the story can not be written because M-P still needs to tell her mom. She hoping after getting the shoes back, her mom will forget about the clothes. I doubt it.

Have a story/legend to tell - let me know in the comments.

20 comments:

dwmatty said...

I'm more interested in the outcome of this story.

I got left behind after one of my dad's softball games. I must have been 9 or 10 at the time. But I never knew it. I was off playing with some kids and didn't even know the game was over or that my parents had left. They had won a big game, and were so excited about it that they piled into the car with other people and were halfway home when they realized I wasn't with them. My parents, as they explain, went into a panic, and flew back to the field only to find me safe and sound still playing.

lisleman said...

thanks for sharing. I wonder if in today's world they would be calling 911.

TechnoBabe said...

Uh oh, your wife is gonna get it!! She is in big trouble. With a capital T. I don't wanna be around when her mother finds out (reads this blog) and lets her have it.
Ooooof. Tell you the truth, I was always so anal about where my kids were every second, I thought the leaving a kid behind was only in the movies like Home Alone. I was surprised to read it actually happened in your family.

lisleman said...

Actually it's happened more than once to different members at different times.

MIL doesn't get on the internet. In fact, that's another nice thing I do for her - personal online support service. Not too often but it's getting to the point that you need to get online to do things like tickets and such.

Maybe I'll get my wife to share the end of the story up here. She has never written anything for the blog yet.

Charlie Callahan said...

I would have done the same thing your brother did: if we'd left my sister behind, she'd be left behind to this day. With her out of my hair, I would have gotten the larger bedroom for all my "stuff."

And thank your lucky stars that YOU don't have to explain anything to your MIL. I'm sure you love your wife, but it is kinda fun to watch her squirm, isn't it.

lisleman said...

ah - no comment

unknownmami said...

Someone might need to take someone else shopping with some coupons.

Joanna Jenkins said...

Oh boy-- The you know what is going to hit the fan when your MIL finds out her clothes are missing in action. I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that conversation.

And I'd love to hear your brother's explanation for not mentioning sis wasn't in the car. Ha!

Great stories! Thanks
jj

lisleman said...

that would be a good offer but I don't think it would cut it. I think one item was her favorite shorts for the beach.

lisleman said...

I don't know if he remembers it that well being so little. Most everytime the story is told he gets in trouble all over again.

TechnoBabe said...

lisleman, I tagged you on my blog if you want to play.

Dee said...

Great story! I got left behind at Six Flaggs Great America when I was 12. I was having so much fun that I didn't realize that I was lost from the group til it started turning dark. Then, after going all around the park looking for my family and friends, I finally just sat near the main ticket counter and they found me. But, I was in sooo much trouble. They thought I was kidnapped and called the Six Flaggs police!

lisleman said...

thank for sharing - good thing you were having fun instead of getting scared.

lisleman said...

thanks for the tag but it will a few days before I can reply with a post

TechnoBabe said...

Same with me, usually I don't get around to the tag for a week. Doesn't
matter. Do it in your time when and if you want to do the tag thingy.

secretagentwoman said...

Oops! Hope she's not too upset about the discarded clothes.

lisleman said...

I don't think it will be too bad but she has not been told yet so we don't know.

Mrs4444 said...

Oh, man. That would make me sick to my stomach (to have to tell her!) My ex-BIL was one of nine children, and when he was about nine, he, too, was left behind after getting lost in a video game at a wayside of sorts. Thirty minutes later, his mom was in the car, passing out cups that were labeled with each child's name (for Kool-aid!) Imagine her surprise when she realized she had left Kevin behind (yes, his name really is Kevin.) They went back and found him sitting on the curb, waiting for them. I love that story...

ibrahim said...

if in today's world they would be calling 911, then i think i wondering.

ibrahim said...

if in today's world they would be calling 911, then i think i wondering.

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