I learned something incredible today. Did you know that if nothing bad happens, then breaking a rule is justifiable? I am so glad my son is not studying for a career in criminal justice.
I woke up this morning to get ready to have coffee with a friend at Starbucks. On my way to get a pre-coffee cup of coffee from the kitchen, I happened to glance out the door to the garage. The door was open and my car was gone. Hmmm. The last time I checked, I was the only one home. A quick check downstairs verified that my son was not home from college. I went to check the door into the garage to see if it had been broken into. Nope – it was locked. I looked around the garage for any clues of forced entry, alien abduction, or the rapture. Just then, my cat – my indoors-never-has-been-outdoors cat – brushed against my leg and meowed loudly.
Oh no.
I went inside and checked my purse. Both sets of keys were still there. That’s because I had retrieved all sets of car keys and kept them in my bag after my son and his friend took my car without asking, leaving me stranded at home. This was amidst some loud conversation and a very clear directive that no one was to touch my car without asking. As I picked up the phone to call the police to file a stolen car report, I heard the sound of a car pulling in.
When confronted, my son logically explained that his friend had needed a ride to work so he took him. And why wasn’t I informed. Oh – apparently I was sleeping and they didn’t want to disturb me. And why didn’t they leave a note. Oh – it was an emergency. Oh, well then, that clears it up. I’m sure Chipotle would have been forced to declare bankruptcy if my son’s friend hadn’t shown up to make guacamole.
WHAT!!!????
And where was my son’s car? Oh – at the frat house. Why? Ohhhh – because he couldn’t drive home last night after having a few beers. Ok, he gets points there for being smart. I still don’t know how he got home, but at this point, my head hurts too much to ask. Back to the matter at hand.
How did he drive my car without keys? It seems that he had found the valet key a few weeks back and decided to hang on to it in case of such an “emergency.”
Imagine how “inappropriate” my “overreaction” was when I proceeded to read the riot act to him (and actually, with great restraint at not raising my voice). “But nothing bad happened. I was home with the car in plenty of time for you to make it to your coffee date.”
Hmmm. The college years bring such enlightenment to teenagers.
When do I get to be right again?