Inordinately Proud

It takes ridiculously small things to make me feel so very proud of myself.

Before work the other day I went for a latte in my neighborhood coffee spot. While waiting for the latte I dropped my car keys.  No big deal, I picked them up, paid for my coffee and went to the car. I discovered that all the little open door/pop trunk key symbols were gone. Shrugging I used the car key to open the door.  I noticed that the little symbols had somehow fallen on to the car floor. I picked them up and kept them together planning to fix the key at work. I tried, but the little sign thingies fell through their matching slots.  OK,  I thought, I will keep everything together, use the spare I had at home and take these to Toyota and get another key.

The next day I went to Toyota sales with the keys and thingies in a plastic bag.  The man behind the counter glared at me and said "what am I supposed to do with this?"  Taken aback I pulled myself together and politely inquired whether or not he was in sales. Then I told him I had dropped the keys.

"You don't have the .......... (something or other) he said.

I repeated that I had dropped the keys, this is what I had.

He looked at his computer screen, punched in something and said "It will cost you $320 for a new key.

I looked at him and left, I had no interest in any further communication.

This was Tuesday.  I used the spare key.

Thursday after yoga class I had a thought. I will go back to the coffee shop and ask them whether they had found the thingie, whatever the hell the thingie may be.

I went to the coffee shop where the young people behind the counter are quite delightful - nothing like the man in Toyota sales.  I greeted the young woman and asked whether they had found a thingie, and I held up my keys.  She opened a drawer and said, "this is full of lost things." She rummaged about for all of 10m seconds and held up something and said "I think this is what you want."

Thanking her profusely without getting down on my knees and genuflecting I dashed home and sat down with the new key and all the previous key parts.  I took the old key apart and painstakingly and carefully put back all the things I had found, following the symbols on the spare.  Then I stepped outside and pushed the open door symbol - Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy, lo and behold, the door opened.

I fixed it and saved $320.00 - yahooooooooo