As you can imagine, I've got a good story to tell after all this 'karma' hype.
Here's the scene: Sunday, 4 to 6 pm, Kendal was done with a nap, fever was controlled, Mom and I stepped out to go to Michael's and Target in Knightdale to pick up a few odds and ends. We breezed through Michael's and I purchased the supplies I needed to make some wall art for Holly's room. All this time, Kendal was comfortably sitting in his buggybag - in a Michael's shopping cart. Mom walked him down to Target, I moved the car. Mom bought a few things at Target. When we left, it was dark, Kendal was hungry, and it was cold outside. I emptied the cart, Mom picked up Kendal, I buckled him in, Mom picked up the buggybag - we all stuffed in the car and drove home.
About 8:45, I got a call listed as PRIVATE on my cell phone's caller ID. Naturally, I did not answer it (remembering back to a few months ago when I got call after call from a PRIVATE Hispanic man who left me weirdo messages that I couldn't understand at all hours of the night). About 5 minutes later, my phone rang again - still from the PRIVATE number. This time, though, the Knightdale Police Officer left a message that he had recovered my purse.
My purse? I didn't even know I lost it (or that it had been stolen, i didn't really knew at that point). Upon calling him back and leaving a message for him... the doorbell rang about 5 times... there was a Highway Patrolman at the front door - He came to let me know that my purse had been found. MY PURSE??? HUH???? When he was here, the Knightdale Policeman called me back - and let me know that it was found and that I could come pick it up from the Police Department. The very nice [looking] Patrolman left, I went upstairs, and all our credit cards were canceled. Its a good thing I only have 3 (ATM card, Credit Card, Work Credit Card) because within 15 minutes they were all canceled.
Monday morning after taking Kendal to the Doctor (he still had the fever, they found a double ear infection and the start of pink eye - yea, have I won the mom-of-the-year award or what?), we drove over to the Police Department to be greeted by the secretary, of whom I recognized (from high school). They were all very nice, but my purse was locked up in evidence, and the Lieutenant was in a meeting all morning. So, off to Nathaniel's work to get his ATM card... so I could go to Target and buy Kendal's medicines. (Remember, at this point, I have NO ID, so although I have a checkbook, I don't have any ID to use along with it!)
I went to Chick-filet to get us breakfast. They asked for my ID... uh, I didn't have any. Reluctanty (after my long, crazy explanation as to why I was using a card with a man's name and I didn't have any ID), the manager let me buy $5 of food. He requested my husband call him ASAP. (Which really, if I was a real crook, I would've worked through that already...)
On to Target... where I got medicines no problem, then back to the police station where the LT was back and gladly got my purse for me. I checked in my wallet - and although it was only $5 cash in it, it was still there. I couldn't believe it!
Anyway, long story short (too late, eh?) - a clearly HONEST lady recovered my purse from the Michael's shopping cart (ah ha - I left it in there!), called the police, and hence they got my purse.
Maybe this happened because for so many years I've tried to never keep any found monies. Maybe this lady is the same way (although this was more than just money she found). Too bad I can't thank her for her good deed. I just hope that one day someone treats her and/or her property as kind as she treated me and mine!
About 8:45, I got a call listed as PRIVATE on my cell phone's caller ID. Naturally, I did not answer it (remembering back to a few months ago when I got call after call from a PRIVATE Hispanic man who left me weirdo messages that I couldn't understand at all hours of the night). About 5 minutes later, my phone rang again - still from the PRIVATE number. This time, though, the Knightdale Police Officer left a message that he had recovered my purse.
My purse? I didn't even know I lost it (or that it had been stolen, i didn't really knew at that point). Upon calling him back and leaving a message for him... the doorbell rang about 5 times... there was a Highway Patrolman at the front door - He came to let me know that my purse had been found. MY PURSE??? HUH???? When he was here, the Knightdale Policeman called me back - and let me know that it was found and that I could come pick it up from the Police Department. The very nice [looking] Patrolman left, I went upstairs, and all our credit cards were canceled. Its a good thing I only have 3 (ATM card, Credit Card, Work Credit Card) because within 15 minutes they were all canceled.
Monday morning after taking Kendal to the Doctor (he still had the fever, they found a double ear infection and the start of pink eye - yea, have I won the mom-of-the-year award or what?), we drove over to the Police Department to be greeted by the secretary, of whom I recognized (from high school). They were all very nice, but my purse was locked up in evidence, and the Lieutenant was in a meeting all morning. So, off to Nathaniel's work to get his ATM card... so I could go to Target and buy Kendal's medicines. (Remember, at this point, I have NO ID, so although I have a checkbook, I don't have any ID to use along with it!)
I went to Chick-filet to get us breakfast. They asked for my ID... uh, I didn't have any. Reluctanty (after my long, crazy explanation as to why I was using a card with a man's name and I didn't have any ID), the manager let me buy $5 of food. He requested my husband call him ASAP. (Which really, if I was a real crook, I would've worked through that already...)
On to Target... where I got medicines no problem, then back to the police station where the LT was back and gladly got my purse for me. I checked in my wallet - and although it was only $5 cash in it, it was still there. I couldn't believe it!
Anyway, long story short (too late, eh?) - a clearly HONEST lady recovered my purse from the Michael's shopping cart (ah ha - I left it in there!), called the police, and hence they got my purse.
Maybe this happened because for so many years I've tried to never keep any found monies. Maybe this lady is the same way (although this was more than just money she found). Too bad I can't thank her for her good deed. I just hope that one day someone treats her and/or her property as kind as she treated me and mine!
Interesting! I think, in general, MOST people TRY to do the RIGHT thing MOST of the time. Like you said, we're all human so we can screw up from time to time. Of course, when something like this happens (losing a purse/wallet)we instantly assume someone's going to run off and merrily charge away on our credit cards so we cancel them. So, we all know that the few screw it up for the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how much of the "return" had to do with the store you left it in? Do a lot of "bad" people frequent Michael's? What if you'd left it in K-Mart or in the bathroom at a service station?
I've left things behind that were "stolen" that seemed sort of silly to steal and others that were not that you'd think they would have been. And, I guess it didn't matter where I was, come to think of it. Case in point.
I left a small travel umbrella on a bench at Hampton Court in England. I got up, walked no more than a minute away, realized it, turned around, and it was gone. There were a lot of people sitting on benches and no one said anything. You'd think someone saw the thief!
Another time I left my very nice leather jacket in a bathroom stall in an airport somewhere. I walked away, and, maybe 10 minutes later, realized I didn't have it. I frantically ran back, and, there it still was, hanging on the back of the stall door. Was it still there because no one had gone into that particular stall?
I would have thought in "civil" England, no one would have stolen my umbrella and I was sure the jacket would be gone, left in a bathroom stall in a very busy airport.
Yeah...no matter how good you are "most of the time" shit does happen. And, it probably does happen to learn from.
A friend of mine used to refer to trying moments as AFOGs.
"Another (insert a very bad word here) opportunity to grow!"
BTW, the cart was in the target parking lot... not inside of michaels. that exposed many more people to the purse, and increases the chance that someone bad could have nabbed it.
ReplyDeletei'm just lucky, that's all. lucky that such a nice lady parked where we parked (or nearby anyway), and saw it in the cart spot.
Personally, I was most impressed by the thoroughness of the Knightdale Police Department and the NC Highway Patrol.
ReplyDeleteTwo calls and a follow up by the N-CHiPs (That's North Carolina Highway Patrol for the 70s TV-show disinclined).
Ana was impressed too with their service. She asked me "I wonder why they called so much and came to our house?" I said "To make sure you were alive."
+ Points for the enforcement community.