$200 photograph

How about a short story? This picture almost cost me $200.00. For our 24th wedding anniversary, Rob and I took a short trip to Atlanta to see our favorite rock band, Guns N' Roses. On our way home we stopped at my Mothers house to see her and my favorite little brother (her dog Bobby). Bobby has been sick and I was worried about him. Anyway she gave us $200 for our anniversary. Now if you know my mother, she is a little controlling and bossy and now you know where I get it from. She will always say "don't lose it" or put it away so you don't lose it" etc. Usually I get mad at her and explain that I am not a child (I'm 50 for goodness sake). This night she didn't say anything and I put the cash in my pocket without looking at it.  Some time later in the car I pulled it out to see how much it was, instead of putting it back in my pocket or even putting it in my purse I stuck in under my leg.

We didn't stay long, we both had to work the next day and we wanted to get home to our doggies. It's  a 3 to 4 hour drive from my Mom's house to ours depending on traffic and the route that we take. From Dothan we like to take a back way to get home and skip 231 and what I call the roller coaster. On this road there are a lot of farms and not much else. I have been wanting to catch a field with the water sprinklers going and close to sunset for some time now. 

I saw this field with the sprinklers and asked Rob to turn around so I could get the shot. I got my camera out of the bag. Once the Jeep was stopped I got out. I stepped right out and into a big anthill! I shook off my foot and walked over to the edge of the field. The sun was going down but was really still too hot to get the shot that I wanted. Even better would have been for it to be on the other side of the road. The battery in my camera was about to die so I went to the Jeep, Rob had pulled up closer to where I was, and I changed batteries in the camera and took a few more pictures. Got in the jeep and headed home. I knew that I didn't really get the shot that I wanted. 

We got home, let the babies out, checked on the ladies and cleaned up the mess that they had made. I unpacked our suitcase and put everything up. I changed into my jammies, Rob and I were both hungry so we made "frozen shit" (what we call frozen dinners). After I finished my awesome meal and sat my plate down on the end table it hit me! Where was that money? I went to the bedroom and checked my pockets, checked the camera bag, my purse, not there. Rob and I both went out ot the jeep and looked all around. At this point I knew where it was.

It had to be on the side of the road where I got out ot take the picture. Rob said no way that it was still there. I knew that it was, I just knew it. I usually have this intuition about things, I can tell when something is bad or not. I knew that I was going ot go back out to the field and find the money.  Reluctantly Rob went with me. I drove my car and he looked up on maps to see if he could tell where it was on the satellite view. I couldn't remember exactly where it was and he thought that it was north of Chipley and I was hoping he was wrong. He was not wrong, it was a little north of Chipley which is about 45 minutes from home.  We found the spot where he had pulled over and we got out and started searching. Rob thought that it would have been blown away. It took us a few minutes to find the exact spot. Me stepping in that anthill turned out to be a good thing, because it helped us find the spot and right there on the side of the road next to the anthill was the two $100 bills wadded up and now damp from the evening dew. 

We headed home and this time Rob drove because I was driving too slow, I can't see very well to drive at night and now it was approaching midnight. Well I better go now, I'm sure I will be getting a phone call from my mother pretty soon. ;)