Damn Key

So I wanted to leave early Friday because I was going to see a screening and have dinner with friends.  I wanted to go home, take a nap, then take a shower before getting there.

Something came up at work, and it was resolved a little past the time I wanted to leave.  I was actually afraid I would have to stay later, but the problem turned out to be not so bad, so I was relieved.  Still, time was a-wastin', so I packed everything up, shut everything down, and went home.

There is a key to a room where I'm supposed to put all my stuff at the end of the day.  It is kept in another department, and I have been told, in no uncertain terms, to always put it back where I found it, even though I have never done anything to it.  Well, I have kept it at my desk because I needed to open the door in a bit, and they kind of freaked out when they looked at where it's usually kept and didn't see the key.  And there was this one time where another person apparently took it home for the night, so they had to find another person with a key into that room.

As I was driving home, specifically about 20 minutes after I escaped work, I thought about the key, and opening the door and putting my stuff in the room.  And then I thought about all those times I was lectured about not putting the key back.  Well, certainly I put it back, right? I though to myself.  And, just to make absolutely sure, I stuck my hand down my pants pocket.  And I'll be goddamned, there's the key.  Fuck.

I was about to make a U-turn and immediately put the key back, but I was much closer to home than to work.  But I had to go home to change anyway, and turning back would mean I would essentially drive home twice, and I wasn't going to do that.  So, no nap and no shower.  I quickly changed, got the mail, then drove the half-hour back to work.  Someone left me a voicemail asking if I took the key.  She was there -- I don't know if she was waiting for me or not -- when I gave back the key.  She said I rocked.  I don't because I shouldn't have taken the fucking key in the first goddamn place.

But there was a silver lining in all this.  From work I just went to the theater where the screening was taking place.  For the longest time I've been able to avoid the worst of the Twin Cities' afternoon rush hour traffic.  But I had to get through one of the worst bottlenecks in the area in order to reach the theater.  And it took a good 35 minutes before I could park.  If I went home and took my time sleeping and getting freshened up, there was a very good chance I would've gotten to the theater late.  And the tickets were at will call under my name, so the friend with whom I got the tickets for would have been quite upset, and justly so.

So maybe it was a good thing I accidentally took the key with me.  Or, maybe not.