Short Final: Returning To Departure Airport

In August my wife won three free tickets to an NFL pre‑season game. We live a few hours away from the stadium, so we decided to fly there. Any excuse to fly, right? I got to the airport earlier in the day (about a half‑hour drive from our house) to preflight, and my wife drove up with her dad just before our planned departure time. A few minutes after receiving our IFR clearance to Charlotte/Douglas International Airport—we had been airborne for about five minutes—my wife tapped my shoulder with the most panicked looked I'd seen. She had left the tickets at home.

Me, making a 180: "Raleigh Approach, N12345 returning to departure airport."

Raleigh Approach: "Roger, cleared direct. Is something wrong?"

Me, just trying to be honest: "We're on our way to a Panthers game and forgot the tickets."

I just hope someone else on the frequency got a little chuckle out of our adventure.