Embarassing Moment

From 1993 - 1998, Jim and I lived in Eastern Washington where we both attended Washington State University. Jim was working on his Masters and PhD while I finished up a BS degree. I had an excellent job on campus working for the WSU Foundation - the Development Office - the Fundraising arm of the University. The office was located on the fourth floor of the Administration building where the University President was as well. We were often teased about "working on the fourth floor" as if we were a part of some special club working with the big wigs.

The President of the Foundation was a key person on campus as well. She had a lot of contacts with very influential and rich people all over the US but mainly in the Northwest. Her name was Connie and she was an extremely nice person. It was common when making her travel arrangements for me to set up appointments with people like Paul Allen or the President of Costco where she would show up to ask for millions of dollars. My third day in the office, I opened the mail to find a 3 million dollar check from Boeing. She focused on raising money while the office staff focussed on the details of her travel. Many times, I would drive out to the little airport there in the middle of some wheat fields to pick her up and bring her back to the office.

One summer afternoon, my supervisor, Sharon, asked me if I was available to pick up Connie and I said I would if I could but had not driven my car in that day. Sharon assured me that was no problem; she would lend me her car. She then started to give me tons of details about the make, the model, the color, the location in the parking lot, etc... I admit, I was half listening and really thought I would find the car very easily. Keep in mind, I am one of those people that does not notice cars. I could never tell you who drove what kind of car or even the color. I know there are "cars" "trucks" "SUVs" and "motorcycles." I just don't pay much attention beyond that.

I headed out to row two of the parking lot and found nothing that looked like Sharon's car. I looked down at the keys in my hand and it said "Toyota." I went up and down the second row and found the only Toyota there. It was a worn, red, wagon with lots of fishing gear in the back. Now Sharon's husband could have easily put that fishing gear back there, but he was a neat freak and this stuff was sort of tossed in the back. I was very unsure about this car.

My thought was, try the key! If the key fits, surely I'm in the right place. It fit - I got in.

As I sat there, I became more and more uncomfortable with the vehicle, thinking that there was no way Sharon's husband Philip would allow that mess or smell to be in his vehicle. I had a second key for the ignition.

My thought was, if it starts, surely I'm in the right car. I turned the key, it started and I was convinced.

I pulled out of the lot and headed off of campus out a back road to the airport. The further I got down the road, the more uncertain I became. I just had this awful feeling I was not in Sharon's car. I pulled into the airport right as the plane should have been landing but it was a few minutes behind schedule. I called Sharon on the payphone (no such thing as cell phones yet) and she just screamed with laughter as I described the red Toyota wagon. She drove a light grey Chevy Nova!!!!

I WAS IN THE WRONG CAR!!!! I HAD STOLEN SOMEONES CAR!!! I was 8 miles from campus and 15 minutes into my crime and had to wait for Connie.

We drove back, sitting in almost silence as I had to tell her what I had done. She was very calm but asked me to please stop speeding. We pulled into the lot - and OF COURSE - the space I vacated was no longer available. I had to park the car in a different row facing the opposite direction. Now I may not notice cars but I am very spacially aware. If I had parked my car in the morning in row two facing one building and came out that night with the car in row three facing the opposite direction - I WOULD NOTICE!

I put a very brief note on the car and asked the owner to please call me because I had some information about their vehicle.

Those were the longest two days of my life! The teasing in the office was relentless. Well deserved I might add! Who takes the wrong car!?! Everytime my phone rang at my desk, all my co-workers were like little ground hogs, popping up their heads above the cubicle walls, peeking over and craning their necks to listen in on my phone conversation. The call never came.

Then it happened. One of my co-workers - Sue - who was notorious for her elaborate practical jokes came up to me with a letter. She started in with a very serious tone about a request for a donation receipt. You see - it was her husband's car that I stole! The letter was very cleverly written to Connie's attention asking for donation credit for the use of their vehicle.

Sue worked just two office doors down from Sharon. We are talking Pullman, Washington here! A very small university town. One person drove a Chevy Nova - the other a Toyota wagon. BOTH cars had the same EXACT KEYS and I somehow discovered this all through a fluke accident. Do you realize how many stars in the sky would have to be lined up just perfectly for this type of thing to happen!?! Needless to say, I was embarassed.