Apparently I steal things...

I learned tonight that I'm a criminal.


A crook.


A thief.


While driving home from work today, I passed by a cute outdoor table. There she was, sitting at the edge of the road in front of someone's house, begging for a new coat of spray paint and a good cleaning to its glass top.It called to me as I drove past, and I made a quick u-turn. In an instant I decided to channel my inner Aimee Weaver, take this free table home, and make it look awesome for my back deck. After several attempts at getting it into my little Subaru (all by myself, I might add...I felt buff today!), I decided to take off the big glass top, get that in the car, and just leave a note on the table indicating that I'd be back with a truck tonight for my creatively fun, free find.


After Hubby got home from work, we packed the kids into the truck and took off to get my dirty little treasure. As we pulled into their driveway, I immediately noticed the table had been moved to the side of the house. How nice, I thought. They put it aside for me.


Riiiiight.


Hubby jumps out, approaches the table, reads the new note that's properly taped on it, (mine was just wrapped around one of the bars...who has tape in their cars these days???), frowns/laughs, and hurries back to the truck.


Here's where the word "free" now needs to be taken out of this story.


Apparently this table is the resting place for vegetables that these people grow and sell. At the edge of the road. It acts as their roadside stand...and I had stolen the top and was coming back for the rest of my loot.


You can imagine my humiliation when I had to go apologize profusely to the woman and tell her that the glass would be coming back, intact, to be reunited with its metal frame.


Moral of this story? Do not assume, at least in this county where every other person has a huge garden and either gives away or sells their veggies, that things by the side of the road are automatically free. Because you know what assuming does...it makes a...well, you know...


Oh, well...lock me up and throw away the key.