The Case of The Missing Black Sweater!!

Where could it possibly be?  

At a crazy, fantastic sale at Macy’s the day after Christmas, I purchased a black V-neck sweater that I absolutely loved!  Between the sales price, which was 75% off the original price, and the coupons I had in hand which entitled me to another 20% off, the sweater that was once over $100 cost me $20!  I was so excited! The material was the perfect weight, warm but without bulk.  The v-neck helped me look thinner than I am and was extremely comfortable.  In other words, I really loved this sweater!  I felt good in it, slim yet comfortable.  

The ride to my nephew’s wedding was to be a long one.  I wanted to be comfortable in the car, yet look “put together” when we arrived in New York.  The sweater was the perfect choice and what I planned to wear.  The night before our travels I decided to lay my clothes out for the morning so I would be ready to roll and hopefully, for once, not be the one holding everyone up.  I found my slacks, shoes, everything…but the sweater was nowhere to be found!  Impossible.  A sweater obviously can’t just walk out of the house, so where could it be?  I remembered putting it in with the laundry so I would wash it before wearing it for the first time.  Two loads have been done since I put it in the laundry and for the life of me, I couldn’t remember seeing it!  It was fine to wash it in cold water, but would not have been placed in the dryer.  Where could it be?

Logic, use logic I thought, it had to be somewhere. My husband and I have a long, walk-in closet.  After looking all through my side, including the floor under the blouses, and all my shelves, I looked on my husband’s side.  I moved each item of clothing, one by one, and then proceeded to clear out his shelves.  Nothing.  I must have put it in my daughter’s room absentmindedly.  I knocked on her door and asked if she saw the sweater.  Since she had been in New York when it was purchased, she didn’t know what the sweater looked like; but together we went through her closet, her drawers…nothing.  I looked under her bed; maybe it fell. Nothing.

My son no longer lives at home and we are almost never in his room, but maybe it somehow wound up in his closet?  I looked, going piece by piece as I had in all the other closets.  Nothing.  

My husband had just thrown a load of towels in the washing machine and some of our towels are black.  Perhaps it had mistakenly ended up in that load?  I had to wait until the wash cycle ended.  Honestly, I never realized how long the washing machine runs!  What seemed like days later, the washer turned off as I was standing there waiting, drumming my fingers on the top of the lid.  I was sure the sweater had to be in there, it simply had to be as it was nowhere else!  One by one I removed the towels and placed them in the dryer.  NOTHING!!  Impossible!! 

Had I somehow thrown it away??

My Mom was all packed and ready to go to my nephew, her grandson’s, wedding.  From the wedding, she was heading to Florida to spend some time with my brother and his wife.  Surely my sweater had to have ended up packed in her luggage by mistake.  With her permission, I opened her suitcase and took each item out…her packing is a story unto itself, but suffice it to say after removing everything, my sweater was not there.

Frustration is too mild a word to describe how I felt.  I couldn’t relax and watch the hockey game, which I usually enjoy so much, especially since my Flyers were beating up on Chicago at the time.  Once again I went through my closet.  I folded and refolded the same sweaters ten times.  I went through my husband’s pajama drawer and mine.  I revisited my daughter’s room, her closet, nothing.  

By this point, everyone was telling me to give up.  They said as soon as I stopped looking, it would turn up.  I couldn’t give up.  I wanted to wear that sweater and now the search for it had taken on a life of its own!!

I looked in the foyer closet.  Perhaps someone hung it up with the coats?  Nothing.  We have a lovely coat stand that my daughter and her boyfriend bought me for Mother’s day by the front door…not there.  I checked behind the washer and dryer, maybe it fell…. not there.

In frustration, I looked in the den, perhaps my little, old, weak dog had somehow taken it from the laundry and hid it behind the sofa.  Desperate times demand weird action.  

The sweater was not in the den.

With my hopes fading I walked down the stairs to the basement.  Anyone who knows me understands that this was true desperation.  Two bags of clothes destined for charity were by the stairs.  As a last ditch effort, I began pulling out the items one by one.  A few of my husband’s shirts that he no longer wore, two sweaters that are now, unfortunately, too snug, and something black crumpled in the bottom of the bag.  MY SWEATER!!!!!

How it got in the bag for charity, I think I now have a clue.  I must have left the sweater on the bed, meaning to put it in the laundry, while my husband was getting clothes together to give to charity.  Our New Year’s resolution is for less clutter and in so doing, helping others with items we could no longer wear.  I probably placed the old clothes on top of the new sweater by accident. From there, it was an easy step to gather it up without noticing and place it in the bag heading for a new life.

All crumpled and inside out, the sweater looked a unhappy, abused.  Once washed with care it should return to looking valued again.  My new sweater, now with its own story having been lost and cast aside without knowing how valued it was. I will treasure the sweater even more now.  I am so glad I didn’t give up the hunt! 

Keep searching for what you want in life.  You may just find it in the oddest of places, but you will find what you are looking for if you just don’t quit!!