I mourned the loss of this jacket. I can't remember when I didn't have it. The only thing I remember is trying it on and buying it. I don't remember what store or town I was in or why I bought it. I probably bought it because I lost the jacket I was wearing in the picture in my first blog post from the '60's. I think I bought this jacket in the 80s. I have had that jacket around 30 years. Not having it in my possession felt like I lost a part of me.
The first place I went to at the airport on my return home was security. A guard there looked it up for me. I described it as a navy blue jacket. He found a description in the log for a "Faded Glory coat." "Faded Glory"? What was that? Was there a label in that coat that I had long since ceased noticing? "Faded Glory" sounded like a familiar label, one I had worn years ago in my faded glory days. It was signed in at the right date and time, so I supposed that must have been it. He gave me their address and the same phone number I had been leaving messages on all week. Apparently, they don't return calls whether your item is located or not.
Since my manager changed my hours today, I had a couple of extra hours this morning to drive to the lost and found. Even with my GPS I didn't realize that I had to make a left turn by making a right turn onto a loop that loops around in a circle. I barely managed to cross 4 lanes and get on that loop when almost immediately I was to make a U-ey to get to the lost and found. I missed that U-ey, but managed to U-turn up the road a ways. I was finally on the correct side and my GPS announced my arrival, but all there was to be seen were tall unmarked buildings and hotels with no addresses, only entrances to very expensive parking lots. This is in that part of town that builds up within a few block radius of major international airports, that city all its own where you can never get there from here or even figure out where you are.
I went around the block and parked in the first parking lot. I drove around and around inside the parking lot looking for a sign to anything. I found nothing, and began to exit, but I saw two women in medical scrubs smoking, so I parked and got out to ask them if they knew where the lost and found was? No, they really didn't, but they tried to tell me anyway. One said there was a lost and found sign across the street and supposed it to be what I was looking for. She told me how to get there.
The parking attendant took my ticket at the exit and let me out after hearing my plight. She told me lost and found was "past the hotel." I managed to get myself headed in the correct direction down the street, looking carefully at every sign. I found myself saying, "Jaqueline, if I ever get you back again I will never lose you ever again!" I didn't even know until then that my jacket had a name. She was my dear friend, a real person.
I passed the hotel, based on the instructions from that lady. No "lost and found" sign. I turned around and this time when I reached the hotel I knew there was nothing past it. I decided to park in the hotel and see if I could get help. There were no attendants, nobody. I made a U-ey to the exit but was stopped by a sign informing me I would need a "prepaid ticket" to exit. I slowly and carefully backed out of my U-ey and the tight spot I had gotten myself into, and followed the only way to anywhere, which ended up at a valet station. I was nearly hysterical by this time.
I told the valet I was looking for the lost and found and he said, "just leave your car here, and I'll show you where it is." I couldn't believe it. It's in the hotel valet parking? He knew where this secret place was? He was going to show me? Just leave my car there? "I won't charge you the valet fee, just leave it." I thought I had found an angel. He pointed down the corridor, and told me past the hotel lobby desk there is a double door. He said "knock on that door."
I found a plain double door. There was no sign on it, or anywhere next to it. There was no handle, door knob, bell, knocker, nothing. It was just a plain wood door with no visible lock or windows. I knocked. 20 seconds later I heard a faint "click." I pushed on the door and went into a small room with a small reception window, manned by a large African-American security guard. I'm not talking about a security guard like in my office building, I mean a Homeland Security officer with gold seal emblems on his impeccably starched uniform, gun at the hip, ready to escort the president onto Air Force One. There was a walkie-talkie on his desk he picked up and talked softly into a couple of times.
He asked for ID, and had me print and sign my name in a log, along with the date and time. I noticed people had signed the log about every 5 minutes today. He typed my name and address from my ID into the computer. Then asked me what airline I had flown. Then he grilled me about my lost item. "What is it?" I told him it was a navy blue jacket that was described in the log as a "'Faded Glory' coat."
He didn't look like he really wanted to return it to me. He eyed me with professional suspicion and boredom. "What size is it?" he asked.
"Large?" I asked back. (I was wrong - Medium.)
"Is it a zip up or button up?"
I didn't know. I couldn't remember. I was so nervous! I frowned and hesitated and finally remembered. "Both!" I said. "That's why it's so special," I said. "And it has lots of pockets, all of which are double. It's impossible to find anything like that now. I think."
"How much is it worth?" he asked.
"To me? It's priceless." By now the suspicion had left his eyes and was replaced with some slight amusement, thickly veiled by a military demeanor that isn't allowed to be amused. He waited patiently for me to say something that he could actually type into the computer. "I think I paid something like $50 for it 30 years ago." He typed into the computer, and got up to retrieve my beloved Jackie.
I turned to a lady that had walked in and heard the whole saga and commented, "all this security over a jacket that would be $3 at Goodwill!" She had lost a computer, and I thought wow, good luck with that one! Yes, of course that's my computer, I can identify all the porn...
After forever had passed, he returned with my jacket, and it was indeed my faded glory. He printed out the computer statement, had me sign and date that I was the authorized person to receive this item, and Jackie was finally placed in my arms.
Here she is saying "Yay!" She's so glad to be home with me.
I had noticed coming in that valet parking was $2.00. The valet had told me parking was $1.20 a half hour (major hotel chain, by the airport, why so cheap???), so I figured I would just give him $5. But when I went to the valet station my angel was nowhere to be found. Just as I was about to give $1.20 to the attendant my angel walked up with my keys. I gave him $5, he gave me my "prepaid ticket," I thanked him again and again and got a big smile.
*~~*~~*~~*~~*
Earlier today I had enjoyed G's tale of woe when I arrived at work. He had been swamped with rushes he couldn't do because nobody was ready to release their documents, and of course by the time they were G was too backed up to do them all. One lawyer/secretary pair asked G, "Can't you send our work to the regional center?"
G's response: "We ARE the regional center."
Can't you send it to another region?
No other state does these.
Well, what about the [another city in our state]?
They don't have a document center.
What about [another city]?
They have only one operator that works Mon-Thurs.
Ok. We're going to learn how to do these ourselves.
What? Really? Holy Cow, it's a day full of miracles.
Welcome home Jackie!
ReplyDelete