The time I lost my wallet...

It was on a normal day much like August 21, 2011. I ate breakfast outside at some Hong Kong style restaurant like a typical weekend. We ate till we were full then set out to shop since none of my family (my brother aside) had work. Since we were a techy family, we went to Futureshop down on Kennedy Road and Lawrence Ave. It was there we had a nice little encounter with Microsoft. I thought it was going to be a fine day... But...

I had no idea what was going to happen.

It was afterall, a very long and interesting day.

The day before this day, I had received word that HP's TouchPad had gone from $399 retail to just $99. We went to FutureShop to try to grab a copy. Needless to say, our attempt were futile as it were sold out at the store as well as any other FutureShop or BestBuy.

Then we continued to our other routine tasks of grocery shopping. This time around, we picked Walmart, since I am into building Yugioh decks, Walmart was a great place as I can sometimes pick out cheap packs of cards (when those 30-70% stickers are on the merchandise). It didn't take very long until we finished and the shopping continued.

My mother doesn't really like technology so we dropped her off at Winners in the Eglinton Square Shopping Centre. Afterwards, my dad and I went to check out another FutureShop, since we were skeptical. Of course, nothing.

Disappointed, we went to the dollar store, Dollar Giant, to get some cheap tools and utensils for some event he was planning. While there, we also picked up 2 BB guns for $1.25 each. It came with bullets and we shot a few rounds around (not aiming people and picking up the bullets after firing). The projectiles didn't fly very far, but a good toy for a little over a buck.

Since my mother can shop at Winners for a surprisingly long period of time, we decided to drop by a flea market which was very close by. We spent about 10-20 mins in there doing nothing more than window shopping then went back to Winners to pick up my mom.

Our last planned trip was to drop by a card/hobby shop at the Agincourt Mall before going home. I stayed there for about half an hour to an hour looking at what single Yugioh and Magic the Gathering cards they had. It wasn't as cheap as Dollys but there were many cards not found in one but in the another. While there, heavy rain and lightning storms were seen and heard everywhere. To avoid accidents, we stayed in the mall for a while longer. To spend time, we shopped at No Frills to see if anything else were cheap.

Everything was fine at this point... until we reached our car after shopping. It was then I noticed my wallet was missing... Sh!t.

With my forgetful brain, this crisis was a bigger crisis than it could have been. If I was able to accurately recall when was the last time I had my wallet, I could create a time range in which we would backtrack and search. However... I had no idea.

First we had to go home to drop off our groceries. It was then that I also called my credit and debit card companies to let them know I had lost my wallet. That way, they could disable my cards before I would be charged for things I didn't buy.

Then we backtracked the whole day's event starting from the most recent. So that meant going to all these places in order;

- No Frills
- Agincourt Mall
- Flea Market
- Dollar Giant
- FutureShop #2
- Walmart
- BestBuy
- FutureShop #1
- HK Style Restaurant (Where we had breakfast)

And after all that... nothing. No one reported a lost wallet... Sh!t...

Now broken and defeated, we went home to call the police to file a report. And so I did. They said they would call me back in an hour and told me to prepare some information to help me file a report. During that hour was long and rough... I kept thinking what would happen to me. After all, unlike most people, I carried my SIN (Social Insurance Number) card with me. They would also have my Health Card and Drivers License which had my address. And the entry card to enter our townhouse/apartment complex. It was very frightening for me indeed.

My parents at this point was very optimistic, they kept telling me that maybe someone has already turned it into the police and that everything will be fine. I'm sure they know deep down that I messed up so bad. They just don't want to say it.

I was so worried I didn't even notice I had a voice mail on my phone. I listened to it. It was our gatehouse speaking. Told me that a lady came to ask if I lived here, claiming to have my wallet. !!! Was I hearing this correctly? I rushed down to the gatehouse. And sure enough, she had left me a sheet of paper with an address and a note stating exactly that she had my wallet. There was also a contact info. Ecstatic, I called the number when I got back to my townhouse. She picked up and I scheduled a meeting time (in the next half hour). I got there and thankfully recovered my wallet. I thought it was awfully nice of her to drive all the way to my address to let someone know so I brought over a can of egg rolls as gift. My wallet was also lighter by $45... but I didn't say anything at that point. I was just glad it was back in my possession.

I asked where she picked it up. And it was at Agincourt Mall. Outside the card/hobby shop. I kind of knew it was there, but when we didn't find it, we couldn't just stop looking. While I couldn't say I was sure, I knew I frequently feel my pockets to make sure everything was fine. Surely today couldn't have been an exception. My bad memory made today just a terrible experience. I'll probably have to change where I place my wallet, or maybe not to put the wallet and my phone in the same pocket. I don't know yet, I'll think of something.

Oh, regarding the police, I left them an email saying I retrieved my wallet, although lost $45, I chose not to followup on it. If they need me to file a report, I'll let them know whatever they need me to know. But I won't search for compensation. It was my fault afterall.

Yes, I indeed lost my wallet today, on August 21 of 2011. Luckily I got it back. Just short $45. But nevertheless, no hassle to reapply for new cards. Maybe the gas was a bit of trouble too. Afterall, we went all over the place.

I'll have to repay my dad good in the next few weeks. Thanks for listening. If you ever do lose your wallet, don't panic too much. We do live in Canada and the people are generally nice. Do remember to temporary or permanently disable your credit/debit cards though. The police will also lend your assistance if you give them a call. And if you need extra comfort, my mom always tells me to pray when there are things outside your control which you need help in.