Lost and Found

Have you ever thought you're the stupidest person in the world?
Last Monday, I exactly thought that.

That day, I was really tired. On the way to work, I fell asleep in the train. When I had to transfer, I woke up and dashed to another train. I was relieved I made it to get on the train, but the relief disappeared soon. Because I noticed I forgot my umbrella in the last train!

Actually, it was not my first time. After I came back to Japan, I mean, in recent two years, I did the same thing THREE times (including this time) on the same pattern.
On a rainy day, at the same place( I hang the umbrella on the rail in a train, then I leave it,) I forget the SAME umbrella.
I don't know why. I have two umbrellas, but I always forget the SAME umbrella, which is flower-patterned ANNA SUI one.

...Wait a minute. Now you wonder, why I CAN leave the SAME umbrella THREE times??
Because I always FIND it!! You know, I'm in Japan! Still, one of the safest countries in the world... Nobody has taken the brand umbrella in a train!!

But, I tried hard to get it back to me again.
Whenever I notice I forgot my umbrella, I dash to the station clerk office.
The Japanese station clerks are well-trained.
They ask me the umbrella's color, pattern, brand, material of the handle, etc, etc, very crisply.
However...my favorite ANNA SUI is famous for colorful flower patterns, so it's hard to describe!
I answer, "The basis is white, brand is ANNA SUI... the pattern is flower, but the colors of the flowers are...purple and black...or green or something? ...Well, the material of the handle is...plastic. The color is black, maybe..."
Now, you notice it's no wonder why I thought I'm the stupidest in the world?
Whenever I forget the umbrella, I swear to myself, "it'll never happen again!" So, I've never remembered exactly the look of the umbrella!!
The exact flower colors are purple, green, yellow, and black, and the handle is made by tortoiseshell, beige-colored. I noticed after I looked it carefully!!

The Japanese station clerks are very polite even to the stupidest person.
"Which number of the railway car were you? We can get in the train to search quickly during the intervals, if you tell me the specific number of the car."
I wondered, "Well, it was the middle of the train...so, No.7 or 8??"
"You know, the train has 10 cars. If you got on in the middle, it wasn't supposed to be..."
"I see. Maybe, No.4 or 5, I guess..."
That's why I can never find my umbrella before it goes far away.
I always have to go to the final destination of the train to get my umbrella.
Once, I went to Takao Sanguchi(高尾山口）, which was very suburb of Tokyo.
It took more than one hour to get to the station, and I found even the weather changed so much while I was in the train to get there!!

Because my description was poor, even excellent Japanese station clerks said, "we haven't found your umbrella. But, there is a lost-and-found station at Meidai Mae（明大前） station. You may find yours if you go there." Once, I found it there.

Last Monday, the station clerk said to me again.
"I haven't found your umbrella... But there is a similar one at the final destination, Motoyawata(本八幡。）"
I believed it was mine, so immediately said.
"May I go to the station and check it if it's mine??"
"Sure. Come to the office."

On the day, I had my classes until 9:30 pm. After teaching seven classes, having without dinner, I headed to Motoyawata, which is in Chiba, even far away from Ichikawa city.
At the Motoyawata station, I found MY Anna Sui umbrella!!
I was so glad and took the fastest train to get home. But during the way, the train was held up due to the accident with casualties. So, the time I finally got home was 12:30 am!!!

I always feel I'm the stupidest person in the world when I lost something, but I feel I'm the luckiest person in the world when I FOUND it.
It's hard to correct my nature, the carelessness, but also it's hard to discard my another nature...positiveness.

The next morning, my hubby suffered from a stomachache.
He writhed in pain, saying, "I have to... I have to go..."
I felt very sorry for him, "You have to go where? To office?"
He said, "No, I have to go to...the station...to take my umbrella!!"

After awhile, he asked me, "Are you OK?"
I suspected, "OK with what?"
He grinned, "Have you forgotten...something???"

It also is hard to correct his nature from his hometown, Kansai area...MAKING FUN OF ME even when he is sick!!

(By the way, now his stomachache has completely gone. Good for him!!)