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Close call on the commute

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  • Close call on the commute

    Due to the fact that my car went to the Great Parking Lot in the Sky a few months ago and that I currently have several bills to pay off before I can think about taking out a new auto loan, I have to take the bus to work these days. It's not as bad as it could be - the bus stop is literally in my front yard, it only takes about 45 minutes to get there, a monthly pass costs half what gassing up my car for the month did, and the buses are rarely if ever behind schedule here. (Sometimes when I work late I have to beg a ride from a coworker or take an Uber, but that's another topic.)

    The bus usually drops me off at my work about 30-40 minutes before I start, which is more than enough time for me to grab a bite to eat before I have to start. I was craving a breakfast burrito from Sonic this morning, and when I went to pay for it I reached for my pocket to find my pocket was empty. Oh, crap, I left my wallet at home! I thought to myself. That's OK, my bank has an ATM just a few blocks away. I have enough time to walk there and take out some cash (my bank's ATMs let you request a code with their mobile app that you can punch in if you don't have your card on you) so that I can buy lunch at work and pay for my bus fare home.

    Bus fare?

    Wait a minute.

    I keep my bus pass in my wallet. How'd I get on the bus if I left my wallet at home.

    Oh I left my wallet on the bus.

    (mushroom cloud)

    Everything's in there. My ID. My debit card. My credit cards. My insurance cards. My Social Security card. (I know carrying it on you is risky, but it's the only place I can put it where I know I won't forget where it is.) What do I do? The downtown bus station has a lost & found, but who knows if a driver will find it before an unscrupulous rider does? As I'm trying to ponder whether there's some way to call the bus company and see if they can contact the driver, I remember to myself that that bus runs on a loop and should be coming back this way in 20 minutes or so. I go across the street and wait for the bus.

    The bus comes back. I sheepishly tell the driver I was just on this bus and I think I left my wallet on it. She tells me to go ahead and get on and see. As I climb on I see someone's sitting in the same seat I was in. My hope sinks. I walk up to him and ask;

    Me: Excuse me, sir? I think I dropped my wallet in this seat. Could I check?
    Him: OK.

    He stands up. I lean over and look in - and there, on the floor under the seat, lying open, is my wallet. I pick it up expecting to find it picked clean - and all my stuff is still there!

    I muttered some incoherent words of thanks to him, the driver, life, the universe, and everything, and got back off just in time to get to work in time to punch in. I didn't get my breakfast burrito, but that was a small price to pay.

    Moral of the story? Check your pockets before you get off the bus.

  • #2
    Did this happen the same day as the Deadhead? I'm wondering if finding your wallet used up your quota of luck for the day.
    Life is too short to not eat popcorn.
    Save the Ales!
    Toys for Tots at Rooster's Cafe

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    • #3
      Quoth csquared View Post
      Did this happen the same day as the Deadhead? I'm wondering if finding your wallet used up your quota of luck for the day.
      It did indeed.

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      • #4
        When I rode the bus, I don't think I ever left my wallet, but I did leave my bus pass on it once. Called the Transit and took a taxi over lunch to pick it up at their lost and found at their main garage. (My city's transit at the time didn't have any bus routes taht went by the Transit garage; they do now, but it would be a 90 minute round trip or so).

        I've left gloves and umbrellas on the bus before. My city's transit works on a hub and spoke system; every bus goes downtown eventually. So I would usually wait for the bus to go out and back and check it then. Of course the routes I check change numbers as they go out and back, so it can be a bit confusing. (Not just 1 route number one way, a different roue number for the other direction; they take entirely different routes coming back in. So the 13 out becomes the 10 going a different way on the way back in. The 11 takes the reverse 10 direction back, and becomes the 12 (reverse 13) on the way back).

        Anyways, glad everything worked out for you. I know it's a sickly feeling when it happens. Karma was certainly looking out for you.

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        • #5
          Quoth Jetfire View Post
          Karma was certainly looking out for you.
          ...and evilly rubbing its hands together, chuckling with malevolent glee...
          Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, you speak with the Fraud department. -- CrazedClerkthe2nd
          OW! Rolled my eyes too hard, saw my brain. -- Seanette
          she seems to top me in crazy, and I'm enough crazy for my family. -- Cooper
          Yes, I am evil. What's your point? -- Jester

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