The Great Chicago Wallet Incident Part 2

65MD and I have been a little off kilter since coming home from Chicago without his wallet.  We have this sense of waiting for the other shoe to fall.  We have continually remembered things that were in the wallet that need to be replaced, like his library card.  Those can't be bridged.  Nor can store loyalty cards, so whatever loyalty points we had would just disappear like his wallet.  We were trying to decide what we wanted to replace and what we would just let go.

While we were waiting for the new credit cards, we had the unusual experience of having to use cash.  We relied heavily on our cards, paying them off each month, in order to collect travel points.  On Friday night, after my three year old niece's art show at preschool (which was wonderful!), we decided to stop at Wendy's for supper.  Just as we were walking in, 65MD suddenly realized neither of us had a card to use. Before going inside, we counted his cash to see if we could eat there or not.  (I hope this doesn't sound arrogant.  I know most people have to do that.  We do to, only on the back end.  We keep track of our receipts and know when we need to reign it in.)  It was just different than typical.  We had enough cash to each get the 4 for $4.  It was plenty although perhaps not the healthiest option.

On Saturday, the new cards arrived and we activated them.  It felt much better, but still we were unsettled wondering when something might come along to bite us.  Not knowing where the wallet was and if the pickpocket had trashed it, perhaps someone else found it and gotten the cards.  It was an issue we were just going to have to adapt to.

Much to our surprise, when we got home from church yesterday, there was a call on our answering machine.  Everyone knows that we are at church on Sunday mornings.  A call is either an emergency or a wrong number.  I was going with the latter since the caller name & number were totally unknown to us.  As we listened to the message, I fully expected to have to jot down a number to call and tell them they had the wrong person, but I was wrong.  I had to jot down the number but for a totally different reason.  The man had 65MD's wallet!!

He and his family were in the same room as us in the Palmer House.  His four year old son found the wallet completely in tact with cash and everything "underneath the headboard."  We still haven't quite figured that out.  The headboards are attached to the wall and we looked under the bed.  We stripped the sheets and shook them out and both looked under the bed.  We think it must have been between the mattress and the wall.  Maybe the housekeepers knocked it loose or maybe the 4 year old was playing under the bed and found it.  It really doesn't matter now.  The important thing is it was found by honest people.

When 65MD called back, the man was extremely glad to hear from him.  He'd gotten 65MD's school contact info from the wallet and had called Friday afternoon.  However, 65MD left work early and does not check voicemail on weekends.  So this kind, kind man googled 65MD and found our home phone number!  65MD, at that time, did not know the son that found his wallet was only 4.  He told the man to take the cash out for his son as a reward, thinking that it was about $50 and the son was a teen or at least old enough to be impressed by that much money.  The man then explained that his son was only 4 and he just wanted him to learn to do the right thing because it is the right thing.  65MD insisted on at least taking $20.  We'll see.

65MD, not wanting to cause any more trouble for this very generous family asked them just to give the wallet to hotel security and have them send it.  He then called hotel security to make sure they had our address still.  He then learned that the only thing the hotel will mail back is the wallet itself.  They will not mail contents as they do not want to be held liable if all of the contents do not arrive safely. No matter the value of the contents, or if the credit cards have been cancelled. And we would still have to pay the shipping cost. The wallet really was of no consequence.  It wasn't a special gift or anything like that.  It was just a black wallet.

So, 65MD called the gentleman back and explained the situation.  The man said he would send the wallet no problem.  65MD, then insisted that they keep the cash to cover the cost of shipping.  Again, we'll see.

I would really like to publish this man's name and give him all of the accolades he deserves for being an honest man and raising his son to be honest as well.  I won't since, I'm not sure where this will wind up and the last thing I want to do is cause trouble.  I pray that his honesty will be rewarded and I am glad to know that there are a lot of good people out there.