Lost Property 2

Lost property 2

Once something is missing and you have checked everywhere for it, and there is nothing else to do, you wait. And wait. And wait. This ushers one into that limbo land of expectation. You hear stories of people who did not wait in vain and were blessed with good news. You try as much as possible to avoid the stories that end badly; the lost but never found stories.

Some people tell you bluntly that, ‘by now, if you haven’t heard anything, you will not hear anything' (looking at their watches as they speak). Others make facial expressions that tell you they think all hope is lost but their lips say hopeful things.

One waits and recalls that ‘last seen’ scene in the mind. My phone got left behind on the train by 11pm on the 1^st of December in Northampton as I travelled to Birmingham. I rang the Customer Services number by 11:19am on the 3^rd of December and was greeted by a friendly voice who took my phone number (Nokia) and promised to get back if he ‘heard anything’. He asked a description of the phone, and I said it was a Black I phone 7 in a Black protective case. The case contained my Reading ID Card for the National Archives library and my name and picture were on the card.

As soon as I put the phone down I had officially joined the group called ‘waiting for good news’. Wisdom dictates that one gets on with life and if the call came, then it came. What happened next surprised me. I made sure the ringer was on and the battery fully charged and began to look at the phone waiting for it to ring. I got on with work and suddenly I heard a vibration and jumped. It was the I phone 7 that used to be on vibrate mode. This Nokia just rang when it had something to tell me. I checked and there was no missed call. Auditory hallucinations don come o!

16:05 hours  I was on the phone again to customer services. ‘Let me check..’ I waited in anticipation for one or two minutes then the voice said,’I am sorry..’

I asked when a member of staff might have had access to the train after 11pm on the night of the 1^st of December. He said he did not know. It depends on which depot the train went to. It might have gone to the depot in Northampton to be cleaned or might have gone to Bletchley or London. If a passenger didn’t take the phone when I alighted in Northampton (unlikely anyway as I was the last to leave) then it would be members of staff that would see the phone first. There was a procedure for logging left items and since this particular carriage could be anywhere in the country, it may take time. What if the phone is under a seat? Who would find it then?

Whatever the situation, I knew that whoever saw the phone would open it up and see my ID, see my face, then make a decision. Hand it over or keep it. I started to conjure up curses on any potential thief.

Things like a double torsion of the testicles leading to gangrene and a rotten scrotum, fractures in all limbs, leprosy, penury and hard ship, I could have gone all day but I recalled that Jesus was crucified between two thieves and he did not judge them. To cheer myself I started fantasying about meeting my black I phone again. Peaches and Herbs had a slow jam we loved in the school days called Reunited.

I was a fool to ever leave your side
Me minus you is such a lonely ride
The breakup we had has made me lonesome and sad
I realize I love you 'cause I want you bad, hey, hey

Reunited, and it feels so good
Reunited 'cause we understood
There's one perfect fit
And, sugar, this one is it
We both are so excited 'cause we're reunited, hey, hey

Didn’t they sing it so well? As I finished that song in my jukebox mind Robert Flack and Donny Hathaway started all the way from 1979

Seems we've weathered
Hard times we've been through
In silence I've waited
I missed you (I missed you too)

'Cause you, you and I back together again
Got the world in a spin
You, you and I back together again
Got the world in a spin

Na so craze dey start o! Waiting for that reunion; wishing and hoping that there would be a meeting up again. I am praying for that tiny machine to be back in my pocket.  I am yearning for it to vibrate away as the notifications pour in.

One can see Bob Marley’s point; nobody wants to wait in vain for anything. Not even the death penalty (some are on death row for ten years and they still kill them. Ha!!!). I have been asked how long I would hold out for before I get a new phone. I don’t even know.

Loss is part of life. Christmas is coming, and maybe I need a Christmas present. My own is easy; this waiting for news about a phone. Some are waiting for news of survival of loved ones in the battle front or in hospitals. Some have family members who have gone missing.  I pray all the people with serious issues get their prayers answered. My own is a small matter.