The elusive bag

There are many versions of this story floating around, most with an element of error, so I though I would set the story straight. Some of the details are fuzzy in my mind, too, but at least there will be a record of this event.

Our honeymoon was a week-long all-inclusive vacation in the Dominican Republic, leaving Saturday at 6:10 am. So around midnight, I thought maybe it was time to pack it in and convinced my new husband that we should go. Leona helped me get out of my wedding gown (a 2-person job) and into my vacation dress. As I was removing my headpiece, I realized that the black MEC bag that I had hung with this dress was not on the hanger. So I went to the locked storage room where it had been and searched around a bit, to no avail. At this point, I interrupted Darren’s conversation (I have no idea who he was talking to, but I’m sure they’ve forgiven me) and told him the gravity of the situation: our carryon bag, the one containing our passports, was missing.

What happened next was a whirlwind for me. This is the only part of the day that I didn’t enjoy. The DJ announced that a black purse had been misplaced, the hall lights were turned on and everyone who was still there started searching the room. The next thing I knew, people were searching vehicles, others were looking through garbage cans and still others were watching surveillance videos trying to see whether the bag was in fact brought into and out of the AGH. After a short while, I went to my parents’ hotel where Alicia, Ben and the kids were asleep.

Somehow Darren found out that Canadians can enter the D.R. with photo ID and a birth certificate, so my dad and brother-in-law (Ben) drove to my apartment in St. Catharines to pick up those pieces of identification. Darren eventually joined us at the hotel and proceeded to take a short nap. Mom and Alicia sat up with me as I cancelled the 2 credit cards that were in the missing bag and rummaged through their luggage to find stuff that I would need that was packed in the aforementioned bag. When Dad and Ben got back, Darren and I got into his car and drove to Toronto. We had decided to keep our hotel reservation because at least we could leave the car there for the week. It might have been cheaper to park at the airport, but we weren’t in a state of mind to do any mathematical calculations just then. This was just before 3 am.

The trip to Toronto was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Our attitude pulling out of the hotel parking lot was, even if we don’t get to actually go on our honeymoon, at least we’ll enjoy the ride. So we started reviewing the day together. The conversation was filled with “remember when…”s and “I loved the part where…”s and “wasn’t it great that…”s. Before long I was in tears, having come to the realization that

• Our friends and family really love us.
• We had the perfect wedding.
• Darren and I really were made for each other.

I must have cried for 30 minutes straight, saying things like “It’s so unbelieveable that people care about us so much that they would do whatever they could to help us go on our trip!” and “My dad was right when he said in his speech that you really opened me up” and “You’ve earned the right to be Alex and Levi’s uncle!” and “I can’t believe that we each got to marry someone who is so right for the other; not a lot of people get that, you know!”

Once we neared the hotel, my focus shifted to reading the directions and that enabled me to calm down a bit. When we pulled up in front of the hotel, we both got out and headed to the trunk to get out the suitcase. As soon as the trunk door was up, I spotted THE BAG! Let me tell you: I’ve never felt such confusion, elation and embarrassment at once before! Darren and I stared at the bag for a few seconds and then hugged for a few more and then questioned how it ever got in there. To this day we’re still not sure who put the bag in Darren’s trunk, the one place that I had been wishing all evening that *I* had put it!

Anyway, we went to the Dominican with our passports in hand and had a wonderful time. But that experience, besides giving us a great story, really was positive in that it fostered some realizations that will help us through the difficult times that are bound to arise.

Thanks, everyone for your love and support!