Rave of the week
By Returned purse highlights humanity
Three days before Christmas I was rushing up the 880 to drop off my friend at the Oakland International Airport. It was 5:30 a.m., and all I wanted to do was crawl back into bed. We arrived at the parking lot entrance, and for any of you who have ever tried figuring out airport parking lot directions for the first time at the crack of dawn, you may sympathize with my disorientation.
I pulled into long-term parking instead of hourly, grabbed my ticket, circled back around, entered hourly, parked, breathed a sigh of relief at finally having arrived and for once was not in a rush to catch a flight. I should have known that my euphoria would be short lived.
As I began to unload the luggage from the car, I went to grab my purse. Only the purse was no longer there. I had apparently opened the door at the entrance of long-term to grab my ticket, and my purse had fallen out. This may sound strange and downright stupid on my part, but it happened. When I drove back around to check the entrance, it was gone. The irony of it all is that I donÃt even carry a purse usually; I just happened to grab it that morning half asleep and now it was gone - along with my checkbook, ATM card, credit card, access card and license. So after standing in a hopeless baggage check line, checking all of the terminal lost and founds and missing my friendÃs flight, I knew this was going to be a bad day. I finally just called and cancelled my checks and cards and gave up the search. I figured how the hell do you lose your purse in the middle of the Oakland International Airport and expect to get it back?
Two weeks and nearly $50 in replacement fees later, I received my new checks, new credit card, new ATM card, new license and new access card in the mail - and a box with no return address. I opened the box and inside lay this pathetic looking purse that had been obviously run over a few times, but with all possessions remaining. Someone had sent me my purse, taken nothing out of it and given me no way to thank him or her. For a split second I was annoyed at having spent $20 for new checks, $12 for a new license and another $15 for a access card, but I have decided it was well worth it to have a little faith restored in a humanity that still returns lost purses and expects nothing in return.