The path they traveled

When it got to be a week and a half after our photographer (The wonderful Chris of La Brisa Photography) told us he was sending the USB of our wedding photos and I still hadn’t seen them, I started to wonder.

I sent Chris a quick update. “Hey, we haven’t gotten the USB drive yet. Were you not able to get it into the mail as planned?”

Chris’s reply was prompt: “That’s strange. I received confirmation that it was delivered on the 25th of April!”

He went onto list the address he’d sent it to.

I read the address, looked through our pile of mail again.

Then I looked at the address again.

Just a second. Of course. That wasn’t our address. Two of the digits had been transposed–so that instead of sending our photos to 1243 Our Street, they were sent to 1234 Our Street (Not our real address :-P).

I’m sure it was my mistake.

If I weren’t so lazy, I’d look up the email trail to confirm that it was my mistake.

I’m sure I’ve done it before, if only in my mind–and once it’s wrong, it’s easy just to rush through the address for confirmation, see all the digits and transpose them in my own mind…

So, instead of being delivered to US, our wedding photos were sent to someone the next block over.

I was on my lunch break, so I prepared a letter explaining the predicament and made my way down the block to 1234 Our Street.

I rang the doorbell and waited. No one there. I’d expected that–it was the middle of the day. That’s why I’d prepared the letter. I opened the screen door to insert the letter and decided, on a whim, to knock.

The dogs barking indicated that the doorbell probably didn’t work (they would have barked at the bell, right?) and a few moments later, the resident of 1234 Our Street opened the door.

I explained my predicament in a single long incomprehensible sentence. Mr. 1234 rubbed his eyes and asked me to explain one more time.

I slowed down and tried to explain more clearly. “My name is Rebekah Garcia. I live just down the street at 1243 Our Street. I was supposed to have a letter delivered to me last week, but I believe it was accidentally sent to you. I was wondering if you’d received it–it contains my wedding pictures and I’d really like to have them.”

This time my explanation made more sense. Mr 1234 explained that he didn’t know, since he’s just back from traveling, but that he’d ask his better half when she got off work. I left my cell phone number with him and waited.

I waited impatiently.

After two days, I checked back in.

“We’re still searching. The kids swear they got the mail.”

I assured him I knew how that went–and went back to my everyday life.

Finally, this Sunday afternoon, I was sitting in bed with Daniel’s laptop on my lap processing some data for one of Daniel’s projects when the doorbell rang.

Daniel got up to answer it, his textbook being easier to get off his lap than the laptop off of mine.

“Is this where Rebekah Garcia lives?”

I listened with growing excitement as Daniel received the package from our neighbor.

My pictures were HERE!