The Story of Lug & Gage

At last! The day arrived for our departure to Paris. We are so excited, as well as a bit apprehensive about leaving behind our new townhouse safe and sound while running around, completing last minute errands. Rather than hire a taxi or accept the numerous offers from our friends (by the way, thank you all), we opted to try Super Shuttle for our ride to Dulles Airport. At $45, it was a bargain!

It was nearly time for Super Shuttle to pick us up, but there was enough time for Michael to do me a favor and mail a letter for me. While he's doing that, I head down to the rec room to get an extra house key to keep with me. Walking past the foyer, I notice that Michael, the dear, had neatly placed all the luggage. I make a mental note that I have to go upstairs to our bedroom and bring down my carry-on which I had left at the foot of the bed. I continue downstairs to get the key. Before running back up to the bedroom, I decide to make one last quick visit to the restroom and while I'm in there, I hear our front door open and shut several times. As I walk towards the stairs, I notice our foyer is empty, as Michael now placed our luggage outside. I now walk upstairs to the bedroom and at the top of the stairs I look towards our bed and notice that my carry-on is not there. My sweet Michael has taken it down for me :-) and just in time, as I hear a car honking meaning Super Shuttle has arrived and it's time to leave! So I dash downstairs and open the front door.

The driver is opening the back doors of the van but, where's Michael? I go back inside, call his name...no answer. I run upstairs; I run down stairs calling out his name, but...no Michael. Now huffing and puffing, (yes, our home came with a complimentary Stair-Master) I return to the driver, but still...no Michael. There are others inside the van waiting so I begin to take one of the smaller bags to the driver to help speed things up and as I turn around for another bag I see Michael coming out the front door. He asks, "Do you have everything?" I smile and say, "Yes honey, I do!" He brings all the suitcases to the van and in moments we are on our way.

The drive to the airport was just under 50 mins. We arrive at the United Airlines curbside, where it turns out everyone is being dropped off. I'm the last one to get out of the van and the driver has taken most of the luggage out and placed it on the sidewalk. Michael has his luggage as do the other passengers. The driver rolls my suitcase towards Michael and I'm handed one piece of luggage? Where's the other half of my lug...gage? I have "Lug", but where's ..."Gage?"

Uh..."HONEY?! Where's my carry-on?" I cry out. He replies with the dreaded "I don't know, don't you have it?"

I gulp...it's at home. But, how? I had looked and it wasn't at the foot of the bed where I'd left it. Must have moved it and not remembered. So where did I put it? It has to be here...maybe one of the other passengers had it by mistake? But, they didn't.

So, I quickly resolve to traveling overseas without my favorite things and immediately begin making a mental inventory of the girly "necessities" I will have to do without, such as my favorite blow dryer, my favorite flat iron, my favorite make-up brushes, my favorite fun jewelry, oh...my computer, my favorite flats, nail polish...anything in my carry-on was "my favorite" something or the other and yes, I'm a girly-girl. But I'm not going to complain. I need to get ready for the dreaded "how could you" dissertation that I'm surely about to hear from Michael, and answer questions like, "what was I thinking?", etc... But that never came. Instead, my ever-loving, patient, wonderful husband said, "Hurry, let's check-in! We have time to go back and get your carry-on... Hurry!" I think, what is HE thinking? Is he nuts?

We don't have time! We are NOT missing this flight. We ARE going to be on that flight to Paris!

But, we did have time as it was 2:45pm and boarding was scheduled to begin at 4:45pm. So we checked-in (no line), ran outside and a cab was miraculously sitting there waiting for a ride and 50 mins later we arrived back home where Michael found "Gage" by the bathroom door in the bedroom, not by the foot of the bed.

Cost of round-trip taxi: $100;
Replacement (Savings) of Reuniting with "Gage": $1,500++
Value of my husband's love and patience: Priceless ;-)