Years ago, in the pre-cell phone 80s, at a trade show in Las Vegas, someone left their wallet in our booth. It had money in it, but I didn’t touch it.
I took it back to my room, and pulled out the Drivers License, from Nebraska. I called the phone operator and asked to be connected to the area code for that city. That operator gave me the only phone number in that city with that last name, but a woman’s first name. I called that number, and it turned out to be the wallet owner’s mother.
I told her I had her son’s wallet, so she should call his hotel room, and tell him he could pick it up at our booth, and gave her my hotel room phone number. He called, obviously hugely relieved that his wallet was safe, and told me to take $50 out of it and go out, but I didn’t.
The next day, he came in to retrieve his wallet, and asked if I spent the $50 having fun, and I told him I didn’t want a reward. He opened the wallet, threw $50 on the counter, and ran out of the booth.
I gambled it on slots, and won a couple hundred, which I proceeded to gamble away to nothing.
Once I was walking down by the river and found a wallet and phone. It had $550 in it. Checked the drivers licence, name was Roberto. The phone was unlocked. I called the number listed under “Mum” and tried to explain that I found Roberto’s wallet and phone, but the woman couldn’t seem to understand, just kept saying “Call Roberto, call Roberto!” And I’m like “Bruh I have his phone”.
So next I checked the drivers licence for the address. I googled the street name but it didn’t exist. It was something like “Monroe place” and google kept trying to autocorrect it to “Monrovia ave” so I took a chance and drove to that street.
Knock on the door and a very angry man comes to the door, and I smell weed. Ah geez, here we go…
I ask if he is Roberto, he says yes. I ask if his address on his licence is incorrect, to verify if this is the guy, he says yes. So I tell him I found his wallet and phone. He didn’t even realise they were missing. His mood changes instantly, takes the wallet and phone, looks inside, sees his money is still there. Is basically in tears. Asks if I was one of the kayakers he had been arguing with at the river (apparently he had been trying to fish with his disabled son and the kayakers were trying to land their boats, fucking up their fishing spot, which is why he left in a huff) I said no, just a walker.
Tried to explain that I tried to call his mum. She actually lives in the same house, but has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t understand things, so that’s why I couldn’t get her to understand what I was telling her. He’s the primary carer for her and his son, subsists on welfare and disability carer allowance, the money in the wallet was to pay rent. He tries to give me some weed, I decline, then he tries to give me some moonshine (blackberry flavour) in a plastic sandwich bag (he run out of jars) and I accept that (this was before I got sober and gained the common sense not to drink strangers mystery homebrew out of a plastic bag) and eventually escaped his constant gratitude and banter and went home.
NGL I looked through the wallet and phone to determine if this person seemed to be rich or poor. A busted screen older model iPhone and rather sad, scummy wallet suggested he was poor. If I’d found a business card for a law firm or something, I’d have pocketed the cash and tossed the rest in a post box. I was homeless living in a van at the time so I’d consider it fair.
then he tries to give me some moonshine (blackberry flavour) in a plastic sandwich bag (he run out of jars) and I accept that (this was before I got sober and gained the common sense not to drink strangers mystery homebrew out of a plastic bag)
Pretty good. Very strong. I used to distil my own rotgut, and his was smoother than mine. Probably about 40abv, but he didn’t use an alcomometer so he wasn’t really sure. I drank all of it and didn’t go blind
Years ago, in the pre-cell phone 80s, at a trade show in Las Vegas, someone left their wallet in our booth. It had money in it, but I didn’t touch it.
I took it back to my room, and pulled out the Drivers License, from Nebraska. I called the phone operator and asked to be connected to the area code for that city. That operator gave me the only phone number in that city with that last name, but a woman’s first name. I called that number, and it turned out to be the wallet owner’s mother.
I told her I had her son’s wallet, so she should call his hotel room, and tell him he could pick it up at our booth, and gave her my hotel room phone number. He called, obviously hugely relieved that his wallet was safe, and told me to take $50 out of it and go out, but I didn’t.
The next day, he came in to retrieve his wallet, and asked if I spent the $50 having fun, and I told him I didn’t want a reward. He opened the wallet, threw $50 on the counter, and ran out of the booth.
I gambled it on slots, and won a couple hundred, which I proceeded to gamble away to nothing.
Once I was walking down by the river and found a wallet and phone. It had $550 in it. Checked the drivers licence, name was Roberto. The phone was unlocked. I called the number listed under “Mum” and tried to explain that I found Roberto’s wallet and phone, but the woman couldn’t seem to understand, just kept saying “Call Roberto, call Roberto!” And I’m like “Bruh I have his phone”.
So next I checked the drivers licence for the address. I googled the street name but it didn’t exist. It was something like “Monroe place” and google kept trying to autocorrect it to “Monrovia ave” so I took a chance and drove to that street.
Knock on the door and a very angry man comes to the door, and I smell weed. Ah geez, here we go…
I ask if he is Roberto, he says yes. I ask if his address on his licence is incorrect, to verify if this is the guy, he says yes. So I tell him I found his wallet and phone. He didn’t even realise they were missing. His mood changes instantly, takes the wallet and phone, looks inside, sees his money is still there. Is basically in tears. Asks if I was one of the kayakers he had been arguing with at the river (apparently he had been trying to fish with his disabled son and the kayakers were trying to land their boats, fucking up their fishing spot, which is why he left in a huff) I said no, just a walker.
Tried to explain that I tried to call his mum. She actually lives in the same house, but has Alzheimer’s and doesn’t understand things, so that’s why I couldn’t get her to understand what I was telling her. He’s the primary carer for her and his son, subsists on welfare and disability carer allowance, the money in the wallet was to pay rent. He tries to give me some weed, I decline, then he tries to give me some moonshine (blackberry flavour) in a plastic sandwich bag (he run out of jars) and I accept that (this was before I got sober and gained the common sense not to drink strangers mystery homebrew out of a plastic bag) and eventually escaped his constant gratitude and banter and went home.
NGL I looked through the wallet and phone to determine if this person seemed to be rich or poor. A busted screen older model iPhone and rather sad, scummy wallet suggested he was poor. If I’d found a business card for a law firm or something, I’d have pocketed the cash and tossed the rest in a post box. I was homeless living in a van at the time so I’d consider it fair.
Best part! How was it?
Pretty good. Very strong. I used to distil my own rotgut, and his was smoother than mine. Probably about 40abv, but he didn’t use an alcomometer so he wasn’t really sure. I drank all of it and didn’t go blind
Good on you.
Virtue should be so ubiquitous that it becomes unremarkable. That’s the real hallmark of a proper society.