Lost and Found

‘It was just here!’ the words came out like firecrackers as I was shouting frantically searching in my pockets. Despite the fact that my denim has four pockets, I kept sliding my hands inside those pockets each time with the hope that I might find what I had been looking for. Rather flogging a dead horse might have fetched some result.

‘What did I do with my phone wallet?’ I asked myself sitting on the bean bag in my living room, trying to recollect right from the beginning. Just like a detective, I was gathering all the data like when was the last time I text someone, what did I do after texting. In fact, I use my phone to check the time as well. So I was trying to remember when was the last time I checked the time, a practice that has stayed with me ever since.

‘Let’s call the store.’, said Saugata, my husband who turned equally frantic at the thought of misplacing the phone wallet and someone stepping on it, and all the consequences one can imagine, as my phone wallet even had my driving license among other credit cards and stuff.

‘It is quite unlikely that someone will return the wallet even if he finds it.’ Saugata added as he was constantly looking for it under the bed, over the table, under the chair, on top of the book case, and every possible place.

‘What am I going to do now?’ was all I could utter, as I was stepping out to get some fresh air in the patio. The cloudy weather along with the chill in the wind send me shivers down my nerves as I was imaging myself having left my dear possession, my phone wallet on the shopping cart by chance, and someone finding it yet not turning it in.

‘I did park the cart in the cart aisle as a usual practice.’ I said to myself again, as I was holding on to the slender rails of my patio. A sense of curse filled my mind, body and soul as I felt like hitting myself for not noticing the phone wallet. I felt so helpless that I was not even able to cry. I had my world inside the phone wallet; my driving license, my credit cards and debit cards, health insurance card and some important papers everything is inside the phone wallet. I even had some numbers and important texts that I saved. Oh! The pictures! I just remembered that I had so many memories inside my phone which are gone forever. However, of all the things, the credits and debits, my driving license and my health insurance card were the things I was most concerned about. Nightmares started pouring in like repeated splashes of water.

Someone just pulled out the cart at the grocery, and was delighted to find my phone wallet. A satisfying smile filled his face as he found everything he needed. He is holding my driving license in one of his hands and my credit card in his other. He seems to be browsing through my pictures. Oh no!

It was just then that the chill factor of the wind kissed my forehead, opening my eyes. What! I was still standing in my patio. For a moment, I felt as if I just awoke from a deep sleep.

‘Hold on! So what was going on?’ I asked myself, ‘Did any one actually find my purse? Or was I just imagining?’

It was indeed a relief when I realized that I was actually visualizing all the world’s nightmares. The shuddering thought of losing my phone wallet seemed to become a little less stressful. I remember having a bad dream while sleeping, and then waking up and realizing that it was actually a dream! I was exactly having that feeling. I touched my heart, and could feel the heart beats. At least, I found some hope thinking that what I had been visualizing might not be true! Hope was still alive!

‘Could it be possible that my phone wallet is sitting on the cart, and someone just turned it in?’ I asked myself, ‘After all, why not? All the honest and nice people are not dead!’

After all the nightmares and negative thoughts, it seemed positivity started flowing in. I could almost see that someone just picked up my phone wallet and carrying it securely like a baby, turned in at the lost and found section. I remember once I lost a phone, and was surprised to find it lying on the road safe and secure. I was imagining if it’s possible that my phone might have slipped out of my purse and was lying on the road despite passing of vehicles and people.

‘Let’s go check at the store.’ Saugata’s voice came out like a sudden gush of wind as he came out at the patio, adding, ‘At least we can still explore that option…someone might turn it in. Whatever it may be, we can check at the store.’

I was listening to Saugata’s ‘advice’ standing at the patio like a mummy. Although I was trying to create some positivity in spite of all negativity like a cancer patient fights against all odds, yet the realistic thought that it is quiet unlikely that someone would be that nice to turn in a phone wallet didn’t seem to convince me. However, I yielded in to Saugata’s idea that it is possible that someone might turn it in, and I might get my phone wallet back.

We decided to drive back to the store, while the groceries were sitting like helpless passengers stranded at the airport on a stormy night. It is rather a habit that I would organize my groceries immediately after getting back home. That was the first time I had to ignore the habit. I simply could think nothing but the fact that I had lost my phone wallet. I felt as if I had literally lost everything. Indeed it was true!

Slipping into my shoes, I left while Saugata had already reached the car and started the car. Guess what! I almost forgot to lock the door. It was because of my purse that I left on the couch that I had to go back and remembered to lock the door while coming out.

Finally as I boarded the car, I turned back to leave my purse in the back seat. I noticed a brown leather thing sitting on the seat. Taking a closer look, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was my phone wallet! Yes! The phone wallet was sitting peacefully on the back seat, leaving me so stressed out and frantic, almost killing me! I felt like reborn for a while.