A FEW days ago, I gave my car for valet parking at a hotel. I went inside to attend a meeting and placed the valet card in the papers in front of me. I left the room for a few minutes, and did not check my papers on return. At the end of the meeting, I did not find the valet card in my papers. A little worried, I told the valet personnel that the card had been lost. Just when I was talking to the person, I saw a valet driver bringing my car from the parking lot. When I told him that it was my car, he refused to accept my word, and told me that someone else had given the card to him. I was stunned.

A friend of mine, who had been sitting next to me in the meeting and was also waiting for his car, stepped forward to tell me that he had picked up my card from the table by mistake.

I was lucky that the matter got resolved quickly and favourably. Otherwise, I could have well watched someone taking away my car right in front of my eyes. It was only then that I realised the importance of keeping the valet card in safe custody.

Parvez Rahim
Karachi

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2025