It was a shock.
I couldn’t even cry. I just felt numb.
I knew it could have been much worse but still, I wished they would have taken my credit cards instead of my phone. I could have cancelled the cards. But how could I get back the videos, photos and memories that were stored on my phone?
You see the news stories and social media posts all of the time. Lock your cars. Don’t leave valuables in your cars.
Why I continued to do this is unknown to me at the moment. A few weeks ago, we started parking our van outside because our garage door broke. It took some time to get the door repaired but I made sure I locked the van each time I returned home and had to leave the car in the driveway.
This was a temporary situation. Once the door was fixed, back in the garage the van went. But once we returned from vacation, this past weekend, we had so much stuff to unpack and I still had all of our recycles stored in the garage. Once again, we had to park in the driveway.
This was something we did for three days. That was all it took to create an opportunity for someone possibly down on their luck.
The evening prior, my husband was doing yard work and he moved a bicycle that needed to be repaired. He put the bike in the van so I could take it to the shop the next day. After he put the bike in the van, he forgot to lock it.
I had my wallet and cell phone in the van. My cell phone was not working and I had put it in the center console so I could take it to hopefully get repaired. It wouldn’t even turn on and the screen was cracked. Not your coveted iPhone by any stretch.
It was a busy night and I completely forgot about the phone until the next morning. It was still dark when I went down to the van, parked in the driveway. I remember hitting the unlock button on the key ring but I quickly found out I didn’t need to.
When I opened the door, my wallet was open on the seat. Receipts were all over the cushion. My little vacation handbag was there too which had some spare cash inside. The first thing I did was look for my credit cards. They were accounted for thank goodness but the spare cash was gone - probably about $40.
Then I remembered the phone.
I looked through the middle console again and again and again. I couldn't understand why it wasn’t there. Why wasn't it there? I couldn’t grasp the reality that someone would take a phone that wouldn’t even turn on and the screen was cracked. Why?
Then I thought about the photos and memories on the phone. Graduation photos, baby videos, music performances. All gone. Plus, all of the phone numbers I have collected over the years. Hundreds of numbers.
My husband felt bad. Real bad. I know this because he was pacing around the neighborhood looking for my phone. He felt as though the person who took it would toss it once he/she realized it didn’t work. While he was gone, I noticed other things were missing - random things including a phone charger and both my son’s and my pool passes.
I sat in bed trying to process what had happened. My husband joined me and we sat in silence. I couldn’t be mad at him. Ultimately this was my fault. I left the items in the van.
After what seemed like an eternity I asked, “Do you want to take another walk around the block?”
He reluctantly agreed since he had already been around the block three times both on foot and by car but off we went.
To be honest, I don’t remember what we said to each other. We only made it to the third house past ours and my husband darted in front of me. He bent down in our neighbor’s grassy yard and picked up something black. He turned around and showed me what he had found.
It was my phone.
I was in disbelief. My eyes instantly let go of the roller coaster morning in a cascade of tears. My memories were back and I was overwhelmed with emotion. It was a miracle and I was elated. Only three doors down, my phone was tossed away like garbage, garbage that meant the world to me.
I know I would not have walked around the neighborhood looking for my phone unless my husband hadn’t started pacing in the first place. I was curious why he thought my phone would be recovered. He said he has watched too many crime shows and thieves quickly discard what they can’t use. I am so proud of my little detective.
I really haven’t explored the notion that someone was desperate and needed money. Someone went through my personal things and took what they wanted or thought they could use. While my family and I slept, someone sat in our van and looked through our things. It is an uneasy feeling and makes me feel less secure about the neighborhood I live in and I live near a police station!
There is a lot to unpack about this chain of events but all I know is that our van has been parked outside for the last time. I will tell my neighbors about what happened to me and warn them not to leave their vehicles unlocked. It is a sad reality to know people can take advantage of others but these incidents can be prevented.
Other than being out a few bucks, I got my phone back. This story could have had a much different ending and by the grace of God it didn’t.
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| Photo courtesy: Motoring Research |
