How I Lost My Faith In Humanity...And My Wallet

It was 8:30 AM. I woke up with a start and a shiver. I had been visiting a dear friend the night before, and had arrived home at 3:16 AM, hitting the sheets immediately. My alarm was set for 5:30 AM, and I must have turned it off in my sleepy state.

This morning, I was supposed to take Fred (9) and Naya (12) to work with me. I told them it would be an early morning. 8:30 AM is kind of early, depending on what time zone you're in, I guess. But I was late. I texted my boss and let him know I would be in a bit after our morning meetings.

Tossing together my things, I left the house with the two squirts, got in the car, and drove to the local Kwik Trip. I figured I'd be an awesome daddy and get them doughnuts for breakfast.

We went in, grabbed doughnuts, coffee, muffins, and iced teas, they both stuffed it all in my arms, and I hobbled out to the car. Fred couldn't open the door, being that the handle had broken off a few months ago, requiring expert skill in opening it.

"Daddy, can you open the door for me?"

I looked at my arms and hands, full of everything, including my wallet and my phone, ran through a few sorting algorithms I had learned in CSci 101, and decided that it would be my wallet that went on the roof of the car, freeing up my hand to open the door.

And that's where the wallet stayed - until it must have flown off when I crossed the town railroad tracks.

I drove out of town and got stuck behind some old rusty white Ford Aerostar. I turned my right blinker on to get over and pass him in the right lane when a green car drove quickly up beside me. Out of my peripheral vision, I waited until he would pass, thinking I would get behind him. But he met my speed, mile for mile. Now, I was irritated, but he wouldn't budge.

"Um...Daddy. That guy is trying to tell you something," Naya nervously croaked from the back seat.

So, in a huff, I looked over to see a young looking gentleman, earnestly waving his own wallet, which he was quite happy to still have, at the moment. We pulled over and he told me that he saw my wallet fly off back in town, by the train tracks. This was bad. Bad, because we had recently started a new budget, where my bride and I each had $375 to spend on groceries, gas, necessities, et al, every two weeks. I had $185 left in that wallet.

We raced back to find it gone. I called into work and told them I would be taking the day off to put the pieces of my life back together. I find it amazing how much of our little world we can pack into a little piece of leather.

I took the kids back home and cancelled all my credit cards. The second I hung up the phone with the last company, there was a knock on the door. I opened it to find a very friendly young lady on the steps. She had piercings all over her face. In her hand was my wallet.

A flood of emotions swept through me, the chief of which was, "This woman is going to get $50 from me, right now!" I opened the wallet to make her day - and found it empty. No cash. Everything else was in there (and now useless, due to all my phone calls), except the green.

All I could do was warmly thank the woman, chat about life a bit, and then say goodbye.

I sure hope the thief puts that money to good use. He or she obviously needed it quite badly.