Lost and Found

Everybody tries.

What depends upon is how much anybody is willing to go further in it. Few gets lucky to get it in 1st try, while few keep on trying.
..........

The office was busy today. There were loads of things to do. Alice was running up and down the corridor while Tina could be seen nervously working on her project. Peter was busy looking around. It is not the first time I am seeing him do that. Peter has a good history of missing things out. I am not talking about losing pens, pencils and other stationary. Once while we were in gym. He forgot his trunks out there. Once in a restaurant while he was out dinning with his wife, Nancy; he forgot his wallet. Luckily the hotel manager called him up. Once, he happened to lose his coat in grand central station. I can still remember that day. We decided to go through tube instead of driving. As we reached out for our train,


"JD. I seem to lost something." said Peter.


"What is it?"


"Something... " - said Peter while still trying to figure out what is it. "Oh shoot. I forgot the coat, man." - says in a panic voice. "I had it when we got the tickets. Now, I don't know where it is."


"Okay. Lets not panic. The train is moving now, so ...."


"What !!! JD, we need to get off."


"Cant". - I said calmly.


"What do you mean cant?" - Peter was now looking everywhere as if trying to find a door open.


"Hey. Pete. The doors are shut. We will get off at next station and come back. Relax, okay. The next station is just 3 mins away."


What seemed to be 3 mins for me, it was like 3 years for Peter. I can see him running up and down around the car. As soon as the door opened. Peter rushed out and starting walking up and down the train station.

"Pete. You need to relax. The next train is in 1 min."

"What if somebody took it ?" - said Pete anxiously.


"well, they might have taken it already." - I said in a mumbling voice making sure Peter does not hear it.

"Said anything, JD?"

"huh... no. Don't worry. People don't touch stray things."

I know this. We all are scared. After the terror attacks, we make sure we don't touch any stray things. Instead we just call the cops. So I was hopeful that we will get the coat back.

Finally, what seemed to be like a decade, we reached back to grand central station in 10 minutes. Peter was now more like a German Shepard dog looking for a bomb. He was holding his head up trying to sniff out his coat. We walked all the way to the car parking, as if following a trail. Peter narrated out in detail as we walked the trail.

"JD. Here we were standing watching the schedule for next train arrival."

"right." - I nod my head in agreement.

"No. I was watching the schedule, while you were checking out the girl in pink dress out there next to ticket vending machine."

"okayyyy. So lets go further." - I said with little disagreement.


"We then walked up to the hot dog stand. We got 3 hot dogs and we sat on that bench out there. I remember it, you spilled the mustard on your shoe while you were trying to spin your head around looking for babes." - said Peter, who by now was looking like Sherlock Holmes to me.


"Okay. My detective friend. Lets just stick to your version of the story and not mine." - I said in agreement.


"So, did you had the coat with you on the bench?"


"No. I don't remember." - said Peter looking confused.


"Great! He remembers what I did, but does not remember where his coat is." - I said to myself. Looking at hot dog stand again, made me feel hungry.


"Well, since we are here, lets have a hot dog." - I tried to offer Pete.


"JD. I have lost my coat." He shouted this time.


"Relax Peter. Get a new one."


"No, I cant. Nancy gave it to me. And that too, two days ago."


"Ohh boy. Good luck then."


One thing I learnt was not to lose stuff of your girlfriend (In Peter case, his wife.) She will believe that we don't love her anymore and that's why we deliberately lost it or kept it in attic. It is best to keep a smile and wear those things, if you want to be alive.


"Okay, Peter. Look, lets go to lost and found department. They might have it there." I was sounding too optimistic. I know that majority of people believe that once they loose things on a train station, they have absolutely no chance of getting it back. Airports, will still have some chance, but not train and bus stations. So after much searching for lost and found department, we ultimately reached there.


"Boy, they do keep lost and found department ... lost. Ha ha ha ha ha." - I said to Pete. Trying to bring up his mood, who by now was looking sad than ever. I guess he must be wondering what Nancy will do to him, once she finds out he lost the coat she brought for him.

"Yes, gentlemen. How can I help you?" - said an old lady over the counter.

"Yes. I am looking for my coat. It is deep dark blue in color designed by Kenneth Cole Collection." - said Pete. Who was trying to impress the old lady as to how much he loved his coat. (Also, giving her a hint on the consequences that would happen if he lost it.)

"What time did you lost it?"

"humm.. I didn't lose it actually. It just got misplaced somewhere." - said Pete, still trying to persuade the old lady.

"You lost it, didn't you? And let me guess, your beloved one gave that to you."

"How did you know?" - said Pete looking shocked.

"Son, I have been in this profession since last 35 years. And I know every inch of it. So why don't you have a seat and I see if I happen to find it for you." - the old lady said mockingly as if we both were preschool kids.

It look a long time before the old lady came back. "Son, I am sorry. But your coat is nowhere to be found. Why don't you come along tomorrow and check. I have asked all the stations in central line, but nobody has information on missing coat.

Disappointed we reached office. The time passed quickly for me with loads of work, but for Pete, I was going like dead slow.

"Hey, Pete. Office is over. Lets go." - I said to him.

"Na man. I don't think I should. If she finds out, I am a dead meat." Peter was disappointed more than he looked in morning. "Hey, why don't I tell her that I kept it in office or kept it in your car."

"Pete. we came through tube today." - I said disapproving his theory. "Lets stick to leaving in office version."

"Right." - said Pete.

3 days later one night, I got a call from Peter. It turned out that Alice found her coat in grand central station which she was heading to work. She found it when she was waiting for her colleague to show up. She picked it up and kept with her.

"Was she mad at you, Pete." - I asked.

"Nope. In fact, she thought of a way to punish me. She didn't tell me she had the coat for 3 days." - Pete was angry on himself.

"Well, that's something. Woman are good in those matters."
..........

There are many things we lose in our lifetime. From material objects to soul mates. The whole life is all about lost and found of these things. Sometimes when we find it, it brings joy; sometime it doesn't. The same feeling goes when we lost a thing. It is so strange as to why we change our moods when we lose/find things.

Strange, isn't it?