It's not my coat!

Last Sunday I was getting ready for church. I decided to wear my good black cashmere coat. I hadn't worn it for a while, but recently got it out to be a little more formally dressed, instead of wearing my down coat. I was waiting for my husband to get ready, and decided to clean out the pockets while I waited. I removed a pair of gloves I did not remember buying, some kleenex, a few receipts, then a set of keys that were not mine! The fob looked familiar, a cluster of little red and gold spheres, threaded together. And one of the keys was on the same blank as my house key, but the other two I did not recognize at all.

My husband compared the key with his house key, and it looked identical with ours. Who would have had a key to our house, and at the same time worn a coat similar enough to mine that they might have taken the wrong coat?

There were two suspects, the lady from our cleaning service, who came on Thursday; and my daughter, who had visited on Friday night. .

I called my daughter, and she said she had both of her coats .I did not have the phone number of the cleaner but called her supervisor, who was away in Cuba. She would not be back until next week.

On Wednesday of the next week, I figured the supervisor would be back, as they were expected at my house on Thursday. I called her, and she denied knowing anything about a coat.She said there were no missing keys. Her key to my house was on their board.

Then I tried the key on the key chain in my door. It did not open my door. Oh!-Oh! We compared the key again with our house key. It was very similar, but not quite identical! My conclusion that it had to be someone's who had a key to our house was a red herring. It was not our key.

Where had I been in the last days before I noticed it was not my coat? When did I first have the wrong coat?

For sure Sunday I had the wrong coat, because it was then I saw the keys.

Where was I Saturday?

At the funeral of a fellow Parkinson's sufferer.

I called the funeral home. “Yes, your coat is here.”

I don't know whose coat I took, but was profoundly sorry. That person went home with no coat, and no keys. It was not a warm day – there was still ice on the streets. And how did she get into her house?

But why did I take the wrong coat? Admittedly they were both black cashmere coats with black satin linings, of good make, but they fitted quite differently.

Multiple choice question for the reader: (you can answer in the comments)

Was it that:

1. I did not recognize that I had the wrong coat because I wore it so infrequently.

2. I have Parkinson's dementia. Or

3. I was upset at the funeral and didn't notice what I was wearing.

On the assumption that 1. is the correct answer, I am going through my clothes and give away the coats I do not regularly wear. Too much of a liability.

I prepare a summary of a medical area related to Parkinson's disease for my support group each  month, and will publish essays here based on these reviews.  These essays are intended to help readers make informed decisions about their health and the health of their loved ones. 

Information contained here is not intended to be a substitute for treatment by or the advice and care of a professional health-care provider.  While the author has endeavored to ensure that the information presented is accurate and up-to-date, she is not responsible for adverse effects or consequences sustained by any person using this blog.