Portmanteau Suitcase

So, my bag situation has been annoying me lately. I use a sac-style leather bag most days with everything jumbled at the bottom. Without the fail, the item I am looking for will be the last thing I find. In addition, something I definitely do not want will be jumping into my hand saying, “Me, me!” I bought a bag organizer awhile ago- an inexpensive $10 nylon divider bag from Amazon which seems reasonable but has been used only a handful of times.

So, today, I switched to a handbag so I could walk around without my laptop weighing me down. Which meant I carried my laptop around like a folder. Are you getting a sense of foreboding? Because you should.

So, after a morning of making office calls to potential referring physicians and an afternoon clinic, I went to the grocery store with my co-worker. Yes, it’s been featured before! That’s right, it’s the grocery store bar! We grabbed a beer and listened to the drama of a grocery store bar. Apparently, there are weirdos who come to it and it’s not always empty. We learned this from the 20 and a half year old who was at the bar asking his manager/bartender Mom to serve him a beer. She said no, but they were very funny. Among other strange people, there was a regular who would come in the afternoon, take control of the remote, and watch her soap operas. She stopped coming after they stopped letting her hold the remote and made a policy that only TV sports were allowed.

But then, near disaster happened. I went to pick up a roast chicken and veggies for dinner. As I was walking out of the store, I realized I had my chicken, my veggies, my handbag…and no laptop. I rushed back inside and, no luck, it wasn’t there.

I felt so dumb. Yes, I had a beer, but it was a pretty low alcohol pilsner. I just had too many things to track and had deviated from my normal bag routine. I was so bummed out and felt really dumb. I left my number in case it turned up and headed home, very sad. I was an exceptionally yield-y driver, trying to generate good karma in the hopes it would pay off.

Well. A half hour later I got a call, it had been found! SMS and I drove to the grocery store where my new BFF had locked the computer away and gave it to me. I tried to give her a tip but she refused. I get it. I’ve had people try to tip before after doing something nice, but I’ve never taken it. But I at least wanted to try. You know, like a reward listed on a poster.

So now, I’m not going to hand-carry something very important and expensive. Into the bag it goes! Along with everything else, hiding away at the bottom.