A False Car Alarm Goes Off...

The day before I had decided to head back on up to Fort Myers to retrieve my car, I notice a voice message awaiting to be heard on my cell phone.

The voice mail is from the Fort Myers City Yacht Basin Marina informing me that it had been noted that my car was no longer parked at the marina and that it was assumed that I had been by to pick it up and that I had yet to settle my parking fee.

The message is a bit unnerving to say the least because first of all, I certainly don't have custodianship of my car and second of all the tone of the message is somewhat accusatory that I didn't hold up my end of the bargain and pay my prorated parking fee.

I'm now wondering whether my car got towed off somewhere or whether someone might have had a greater need for my fully depreciated, crapped-out yet still running car than I did and had swiped it.

I promptly return the phone call to get a clarification of my car situation and inform the office that I am presently in Marathon but had yet to return to the the marina to retrieve my car.

I corroborate the make, model and color of my beat-up car and the parking space number as well. I'm asked to wait on the line while they do a little investigating. I'm anxiously wanting to hit the showers and suggest that I'll call back later to inquire about the car.

After my quick and not so leisurely shower, I do call only to have the marina personnel inform me that my car is indeed parked where it had been all along for the past month and that one of their employees had incorrectly reported that it was gone.

I take the opportunity to explain that I will be retrieving my car in the next day or so and to go ahead and charge my debit card for the parking fee in case I were to reclaim it after business hours.

I am relieved that the whole car situation was but a false alarm and that my car is waiting for to be reclaimed. I've owned that car for over ten years and it kind of unnerved me to think that my last link to Ennis, Texas was suddenly and unexpectedly a thing of the past.