A mystery is solved

It is my last day here in the States and I have spent most of it packing then Ascending and doing Tai Chi in Tom's driveway. I love Tai Chi there, it is sunny and cool on most days. I can smell the ocean nearby and freshly cut grass from the golf course along with Eucalyptus. Tom returns early from work and we run some last minute errands before my flight departs later in the night.

I mention that I need to scan my driver's license because my brother is selling his car in Texas though technically the vehicle is registered in my name still so I need to authorize the transfer of ownership. Tom is quiet for awhile then he says, "I think I actually have a picture of your driver's license on my PC." "Why on earth do you have a picture of my driver's license on your PC?", I ask. "Because you scanned it the last time you were visiting, because you needed to....", he pauses in recollection then starts again, "I think you needed to purchase something online and they wanted verification of your ID and credit card." It comes back to me now - yes indeed I did scan it last time. "Well, no matter I'll scan it anyways, I've got my replacement ID.", I say.

My replacement ID was obtained a couple of weeks ago, in fact I had scheduled an appointment at the Inglewood DMV office for two days after I had gotten into L.A. so I could finally replace my California driver's license that had mysteriously gone missing when I returned to Malaysia following my last trip to the US.

After some thought I add, "Is your scanner working?" "Yeah sure, I think my scanner is still working, I've not actually used it since you used it the last time you were in L.A.". A light bulb flashes in my head and at the same moment Tom turns to me and says "I think we might have figured out where you lost your ID."

Could it be? Is THAT the reason I had returned to Malaysia over a year ago convinced that someone had robbed me on the flight back. I had turned my room upside down looking for it, I had not bothered to phone Tom to ask if he had seen my ID and bank card since I figured he would have mentioned it for sure.

When we return to his home, Tom heads straight for the scanner and lo and behold, produces my driver's license AND bank card that were in the precise placement as I had left them over a year ago. What are the chances that I would need to scan my driver's license in both visits? Not likely but it's a good thing I did since it finally brought closure to a nagging mystery. Tom and I share a good laugh at my expense.