It happened again the other day as it has so often. I was getting into my car after picking blueberries at Hugli’s Blueberry Ranch when a lady came running up and said, “Sir, you forgot to take your fudge that you bought.” I thanked her and thought to myself, “Am I getting absentminded or was I always this way?” That’s not the end of the story. When I got home I realized my wallet was missing. I made a call to Hugli’s about the wallet. They had noticed it on the same counter that I left the fudge. Already someone had put it aside until I went back.
I lost my wallet a number of times over the years but it was always found or returned. Once as a teenager when double-dating I forget it at home. My buddy spotted me for the movies. Shortly after the movie got under way, I noticed my father leaning over me, so unexpectant that it set off alarm bells! He handed me my wallet saying, “You may need this if you go out for a bite to eat!” I was amazed that my Dad would drive into Pembroke just for that. The scariest time though was at a 7pm movie in Scarborough. When I got home, no wallet. I raced back to the theatre and got there just before the second showing. Thankfully, it was under the seat.
My son Brett lost his in a taxi cab coming home late one night. The next morning the same cab and driver rolled up to the house with his wallet before he even knew it was missing. That was a nice gesture but the driver required the fare for returning it. Brett handed him a twenty but it was well worth it for the convenience. His mother who tore a strip off him for being careless had hers lifted less than a month later. She was in a bookstore on Yonge Street in Toronto across from the Eaton’s Centre. Her wallet was in her purse but the purse was open. She remembered after that two big guys, why big guys made any difference I don’t know, were nearby and one brushed against her. The other deftly snatched the wallet out of the purse she premised. She only realized it was gone when she went to pay for her purchase. Of course, the big guys were long gone.
Reader’s Digest conducted a global, social experiment to find the most honest city. Twelve wallets were dropped in each of the 16 cities selected, then then watched to see what would happen. The most honest was Helsinki, Finland with 11 wallets returned. Lisbon, Portugal was the least honest. In Toronto in similar fashion 20 wallets were “lost” in high-traffic areas where people work and play. After two weeks, 15 of the 20 wallets were returned. Not too shabby!
Losing a wallet is like an amputation without antiseptic. The biggest fear is the threat of identify theft and the emotional nightmare. Actor Mark Ruffalo lost his wallet during a blizzard in New York City. After putting out an APB on Twitter, 18 minutes later two young girls returned it. This time her tweet read, “Thanks to Amina and Catherine Brown for finding my wallet.” He also tweeted a picture of myself with the sweet sleuths.
Years ago, my brother spotted a $50 bill just outside a Tim Horton’s. He took it into the store in case the owner came looking for it. He left his name. He returned in two weeks to discover the money hadn’t been claimed. It was now his. I think he spent most of it right then on tins of coffee and mugs!
My partner Sheila left hers in Tim Horton’s one evening a year ago. She phoned the store and sure enough they had it there. She went to retrieve it but first she was asked for ID. She said, “It’s all in my purse.” About 20 questions later it was handed over!
Two weeks ago, her son that lives in Ottawa lost his wallet his wallet on the property at work. It took two days before he found it.
Does anyone other than family or in-laws lose their wallets. Last week in Food Basics, mine fell out of my pocket and before I could reach down for it someone nearby said, “Hey man, you lost your wallet.” I just wish when I do I could have first dib’s on noticing it myself.
