I read this as a bad case of "Bah hum-bug" a Scrooge flight waiting to happen and then voila
a trusting effort in standby-olgy and leaving town in a jet plane in a flash.
Getting that one seat on a CRJ is something to write home about - the odds - amazing !
No matter how much you look and review the standby availability stats the proof happens at T minus seconds before last call final boarding.
Glad to hear that you survived the inquisition and escaped - dreadful to return to square 1 and start the space availability factoring all over.