I'm sorry I didn't remember brushing you off

Janet and I were at a YaGoof! party tonight. Okay, that's how I thought of it. There were about fifteen of us there. Without knowing anything about the YaGoof! blog, the hostess invited everyone to tell a story about, yes, goofing up. There were hilarious tales—just the kind that I hope can fill YaGoof! every day. I'll try to get permission to share some of them.

One story that I can share is the one that Janet told (I have her permission). It was from a time very shortly after we met. She was disappointed that I didn't remember it until after much prompting—and so am I, because it was special.

At the time, she was a district manager for Waldenbooks. She worked out of Utica, New York, but she lived in East Freedom, Pennsylvania, and frequently flew back and forth. Her own car was at the Pittsburgh airport, and she was using a rental car in Utica. She was also responsible for the store in Burlington, Vermont, where I worked, so when she flew in, she had a second rental car.

One night after closing the store with her help, I walked her to her car carrying a box of her stuff. Or at least I tried to. She couldn't find the car in the big mall parking lot. Heavy snow had been falling, and she couldn't remember what it looked like, anyway. Remember, it was her second rental car.

She had a rental slip with the license plate number, and we went around brushing snow aside so we could read various plates. Apparently, I kept saying that we should get help from mall security. That's one of the details I don't remember, but alas, it does sounds like me to be such a stick-in-the-mud ... er, snow.

Janet is also crystal clear about the fact that I let her plod through snow in a business suit and heels, while I wore my warm coat and cap with ear flaps. Okay, I kinda remember the suit and heels, but the hat? Sounds like a remnant from the (second) Bob Newhart show.

Anyway, we finally found the car, and Janet tells me that I did show a little bit of gallantry by brushing the snow off of her, including her feet, before helping her in the car and then brushing it off.

Even though it was Janet that lost her car back then, I'm the one who somehow lost a fine memory, so I earn the closing shout: Keith, Ya Goof!