I’d like to thank the person who walked off with my wallet, which I inadvertently left at a checkout machine at Red Deer’s Superstore on June 2.
As far as I know, this lucky person was only able to use my credit cards three times before I was asked to intervene by some astute employee at TD Visa, and put a stop to his spending.
No doubt, this left this lucky person cursing his bad luck because of his shortened spending spree and me still cursing my misfortune while at the same time being thankful to that TD employee for acting as my guardian angel.
In the eyes of many, I’m the stupid one and should be blamed for my haste and thoughtlessness.
Or maybe the economy is to blame. For all we know, this poor sap may have been fired from his job, has a looming mortgage, and a wife and several children in want.
If that is the situation, even I would expect him to take any cash that there might have been, but then my cards and identification and wallet could have been mysteriously returned to me.
My address was very evident on the chequebooks in my wallet.
Maybe I am just as naive as I was stupid for losing my wallet. Don’t tell me, let me dream.
As matters stand, I could not obtain a replacement driver’s licence without picture ID or at least two pieces of identification. I had to retrieve my passport.
Later, I was not able to pay a bill at The Bay on my credit card account because I could not prove who I was. (This time, I did not have my passport.)
The inconvenience of losing my entire identification now became a matter of far greater proportions. Who are we, or what have we become, if all that really matters is a credit card number, with several other pieces of identification, and a driver’s licence with a photo which now our government wants to add a chip to that gives all of our vital details away at one swipe?
Maybe I should not worry about losing my ID if this is what our government has in store for all of us. Identity theft will soon become legal!
Maybe I should thank this person who took my wallet again. He was just preparing me for the inevitable. On second thought, I will not. I still believe that honesty and integrity will prevail.
How many of you believe I will have my wallet and cards returned?
Larry Melnychuk
Red Deer