How a lost phone and kind heart changed a day

By Nicole Morales
The Portland Upside
February 2010

It happens to the best of us at the most inconvenient times.

You just left the office, market, or cafe and you’re on your way home. You start the ignition, hop on your bike, or, like me, board the MAX. That’s when you reach for your cell phone to check for new messages and the time. It’s not there. You pat down all of your pockets and peer into your shoulder bag or purse. No sign of it.

After recovering from panic, you stop and think about what your mother told you to do at a time like this. Backtrack. So you return to the office to check your desk, you re-enter the market to inquire at the service counter, or you scuttle back across the street toward the cafe. Maybe it’s on the table, you think to yourself. Nope.

Uneasy, you recall the last time you used your cell. Whom did I last talk to? What was I doing? How long ago was it?

For me it was 3:00 o’clock on a damp Friday afternoon. I checked the time because I didn’t want to miss the vanpool to the MAX station. At 3:15, I jumped out of the van and dashed toward the platform. But blame it on my wellies, the hood over my eyes, or the eager TriMet operator, I missed the train by seconds. How long will I be waiting, I wondered and reached for my cell. Uh oh!

It must be on the van, I thought, no longer miffed about missing the MAX. That’s when my regular p.m. commute home turned into the mystery of my missing mobile.

My cell wasn’t in the van. It had to be at work. So I went back. Nope. It wasn’t on my desk, and no one had seen it, including the tech guy who was in my office at noon installing software on the computer.

I was clueless. I rarely misplaced important things. Moreover, I began questioning everything having to do with my cell phone. Why am I so dependent on the darn thing? What if I need to make a call over the long weekend? Why didn’t I opt for the insurance to replace lost and stolen phones? What if someone swiped it and now has access to my personal information?

Thank goodness my questions needed no answers!

As it turned out, a Good Samaritan found my cell phone on the same sidewalk I sprinted across while running toward my missed train. That was two hours earlier.

So to this I say, “Thank you Ernie and your pug Betty. You picked up my phone, answered my call, and waited patiently for me to get back to the station. Most importantly, you solved the mystery. And for that I am grateful.”

On behalf of all of us who have lost a cell phone, keys, wallet or other critical belonging, I dedicate this to those kind souls who returned a missed item to its rightful owner. People like you soothe our absentmindedness and give us days to remember.

_____

Nicole strives to connect people via multicultural education and writing. She teaches ESL at a private university outside of Portland and welcomes your inquiries at morales.writes@gmail.com