You guys won’t believe what just happened to me! So, I’m sitting at home watching Invincible and my cell phone rang. By the time I dug it out of my bag, I had missed the call, and it was from a number that I didn’t recognize. No message. I considered calling the number (this cat would definitely die from curiosity) but opted not to, thinking it was probably a wrong number. Back to Marky Mark. About a half hour later, it rang again. Same number. I answered, and an unfamiliar voice with a thick accent asked for me (well, a mispronounced version of me).
Me: This is Eileen, who is this?
Caller: I find your purse!
Me: What? (What? I didn’t lose my purse.)
Caller: I find it on the Number 10 bus!
Me: (Holy crap I ride the Number 10 bus) What does it look like?
Caller: It’s little and red. I didn’t take anything, I promise!
Me: My wallet! I didn’t even know I lost it!
Caller: You come get it right now?
Me: Okay. How did you get my phone number?
Caller: It was on the little card. (Note to readers: Whenever I buy a new wallet, I always fill out the little information card. I’d advise you to do the same.)
The wallet-finder lives near Andrew Square, so I met up with him at the Dunkin’ Donuts (Because you know where bus riders don’t go to retrieve their wallets from strangers? Starbucks.) I thanked him and offered him some money, and he refused. Granted, it was a crumpled up five and a couple of ones…I’m a grad student, what do you expect? Turns out he’s a recent immigrant from Guatemala, and I told him that I lived in Nicaragua for two years, and he was very surprised by that. We switched to Spanish, and he told me that a few weeks ago, he dropped his wallet at the bank without realizing. The next day he went back, and it was still there, complete with $100 in cash. He was amazed and asked who had turned it in. The teller said it was some American guy, so he decided that Americans are nice people and when he found my wallet on the floor of the bus, he saw it as his opportunity to return the favor.
So, the moral of this story is a two-parter (I almost typed bimodal but then thought that would be too nerdy. Oh, and my apologies for today's bout of parentheses fever.) : 1. There are some nice people in the world. and 2. I should pay more attention to my belongings.
10 comments:
You have lost your wallet/keys/purse more times than anyone in the world, I'm sure. You have a decent rate of return though, so I think you're a pretty lucky person!
1. That is really nice that guy returned it to you. and 2. Yes, you definitely should!!
What a great story.
That is such a great story! It gives me hope that there are some honest people in the world.
What a great story. I love human kindness, especially in Southie!!
It's like that insurance commercial. Pay it forward...
I found someone's cell phone on the #1 once and I sold it on ebay. kidding. i tracked him down and spent approximately 3 hours on a sunny day in Boston trying to give him back his damn phone. I ended up leaving it with his doorman. I don't konw the moral of that story. Any takers?
Or that Kevin Spacey/Helen Hunt movie, Pay it Forward.
I am lucky, though- it would have been a pain to cancel and replace all of my various credit/insurance/ID cards.
Tina, the most surprising part of your story is the fact that someone who rides the #1 bus lives in a building with a doorman. I don't know what to think!
That is a great story. I love reading touching things on my laptop while sipping my latte in Starbucks... (Just kidding; 1. I don't drink lattes after 5 pm and 2. I don't spend time in Starbucks with my laptop.)
I needed to read that today, Eileen. I am so glad that human kindness still exists. Have you ever watched the new show "What Would You Do?" by the Dateline NBC people? This situation reminds me of that.
What great story!!
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