Aaron writes a Friday flashback (part 2)

We were in the middle of Aaron's phone tragedy, flashing back to...

Two Saturdays ago...

As I was saying on my last post...

My phone had been missing for two hours.

Once I realized that the finder was not working, I deduced that either the battery was dead or, more likely, someone had found it, turned it off, and it was now stolen.

"Where did you last have it?" asked Whitney.

"If I knew, it wouldn't be lost."  That was a smart response on my part.  Meh.

I thought.  I knew I had it at the grocery store because I had called Whitney when I lost her and left her a message about how she was lost at the grocery store.  And then I remembered...

"Oh no."

"What?"

"Well, " I said, "I had it at the check-out.  I took it out of my pocket and set it at the register before I went back for Christmas cookies!"  I remembered distinctly because I had set it there in a dramatic flourish type gesture.

So, I called the grocery store from Whitney's phone.

"Hi, I was there earlier this evening.  I may have left my phone there."

"We haven't found any phones."

"Okay...well, it's an iphone and its in a Batman case."

"No one has turned in any in."

"Okay."

"So...you can call back some other time.  Maybe someone will turn it in."

That was the least helpful response ever.  When I worked retail, I would always be polite, take a name, a phone number, a description of the lost item and ensure the customer that should any employee come across that item, we would notify them at once.  This particular gentleman had apparently missed that training.

Whitney noted my frustration.  "Let's go!" she said.

With some hesitation from me, we hopped in the car, in our comfy pajama clothes, and headed back to the grocery store.  Whitney went in the store while I searched the parking lot and cart outside.  By the time I got inside she had already spoken with the very helpful  employee that I had spoken with.  Nothing new.  No more courtesy.  We glanced in the store for a minute and decided it was gone.

I lose things a lot.  But they have always turned up eventually.  In high school, I lost my class ring multiple times. I always found it.  In college, I had a ring that I wore every day.  I lost it hundreds of times and it somehow managed to find its way back to me every time.  I've lost my keys.  I've lost books.  I even lost my car in a parking lot once.  It took me thirty minutes, but I eventually found it.

But I had lost my phone.  And even though I felt like it would just turn it up under a cushion or in a pocket, I had to call it in.

So, now it's out there somewhere.  If it's ever turned on, it will be wiped clean.  Or, if not, it's been added to the block list and it will turn up as stolen if someone tries to activate it.

I'm sure somewhere I've learned a lesson in all this.  I just don't remember what it is.

Yes, Aaron's phone is gone. He has since activated his old iPhone 4, but it kept dropping calls. So he got his mom's old iPhone 4 and all is well again. 

If only we had just stuck around at Olive Garden...