Chapter One in The Ellstrom Files: Stranger than Fiction?

     I need to precede this tale with an explanation.  I possess an extreme honesty gene.  I feel that, if undercharged at a checkout, I must point out the error to the cashier. Even if it's only a dime.  I consciously do this.  And other things like it.  My conscience requires it.  But what happened last week would suggest that somehow that gene has taken residence in my subconscious, and makes sure that I remain honest, even if I unaware of my crime.  We went to Lowe's in Oneida and purchased several things.  One was a piece of plastic lattice.  The sign next to it read "$3.97," and I said to myself, "good deal," and grabbed one.  We picked up a couple other small items and the last thing I took from the shelf was a plastic container of grass seed priced at $15.47, I think. We went to the counter, talked with the genial young man who checked us out, and paid $27 and some cents on my credit card.  This seemed logical as I had a purchased the lattice, the seed and a couple other little items.  Linda and I went to the parking lot and struggled a bit with loading the lattice.  In doing so, I left the grass seed sitting in the parking lot as we drove away.  Once home, I realized it and called Lowe's.  The young woman who answered, who I later discovered was a past student from Chittenango, said they had it and would hold it for us.

      Two days later I went to pick it up, and here is where the story becomes bizarre.  As I walked in the door, I was greeted by the 'nango grad, who smiled and said, "You know you didn't pay for that grass seed."  I said, "yes I did.  On my credit card."  "You only thought you did," she assured me and showed me a copy of my credit card slip.  No mention of grass seed.  But there was a piece of lattice priced at $15.97.  Damn, I thought that price had been awful good.

     Then she explained how she came to know about this strange happening.  When they first found the seed in the parking lot, they scanned it to see if they could find out who left it behind.  The scan revealed that it had never been purchased.  Weird!  Had someone stole it only to leave it in the parking lot?  Then my call came, and she, knowing my name, decided to figure out this mystery.  They videotape all the sales at the register.  She checked the tape, and sure enough, the genial clerk who scanned our purchases, somehow managed to totally miss the seed.
     So, I laughed, shook my head, and paid for the seed.  Now, if I hadn't left it sitting there, I would have taken it home and used it and never imagined that it was pilfered loot.  Coincidence? Or some subconscious pilfer-preventing-power I have developed over years of not stealing stuff?  You decide for yourself in this case of life being stranger than fiction!  Da-da-da-DA!!