It was 2:30 PM and I was happily enjoying a long afternoon nap. Suddenly my mom woke me to remind me that it was the last to day to pay the telephone bill and added the fact the telephone office would close by 3:00 PM.
Lazily I woke up took my wallet and mobile, pulled out the car and rushed to the BSNL office, which just about a half a kilometer away from home. When I reached the office, I found a small queue at the cash counter. I walked to information counter to pick a form for a new Internet service and then made call to Rajesh, a friend, to let him know the details of the Internet Service. Then I came back stood in the in queue paid the bill and left the BSNL office.
I came back home, started munching some snacks. After 20 minutes Rajesh called on my landline, and asked me why I was not answering the call on my mobile. I searched the whole house, and then I thought I might have left it in the BSNL office. I immediately drove back and searched every place where I passed in that office. I checked with the cashier and the lady at the information counter if they had seen my mobile. To confirm if my phone was stolen, I requested to make a call from the office and called my mobile, it was still ringing. This made it quite sure that the mobile was not stolen and I could still vaguely hear my ring tone ring in my ears. I came back searched in my car thoroughly. I went back home disappointed searched again and again.
My mom, Srinu and Rajesh, all of them consoled me saying that the mobile would have been stolen and that I wouldn’t have noticed it because I was so sleepy. They told me that there was no point in crying over spilt milk. Some how I couldn’t believe that the mobile had been stolen, I argued with them that there was actually no chance for the mobile to be stolen. I and Srinu drove to the BSNL office again.
Srinu started questioning the security person at the door and he answered as if he hinted us to search the office thoroughly. We then took permission to search the office. Srinu started calling my mobile and we were trying to hear the phone ringing. We could vaguely listen to the ringtone but could not make sure if it was mine. Srinu tried following it keenly and it led him to behind the cashier’s cabin. Srinu was stopped by the cashier saying that he cannot enter any further. There was a small argument and some of the staff members opposed Srinu to enter into aisle behind the cashier’s cabin. We were continuously calling my mobile and could hear the ring tone better then. We pushed all of them and walked to cashier’s cabin and asked them to open the cashier’s desk. With a lot of pressure the cashier opened the desk – “a mobile was ringing in the desk”. The cashier removed the mobile and claimed that the mobile was his (It was not mine). I was almost happy that I found my mobile but I was not lucky, We decided to return back. And then all of a sudden we could hear my mobile ring from the same place. This time we had to fight with the staff to allow us open the desk. With a big resistance we were allowed to open desk only to find my phone ringing (Luckily.Rajesh was calling to check) in the cash locker of the cashier drawer.
The cashier had pocketed my phone. His hands were trembling when he was returning my phone. All the staff members were quite bewildered to see this happen in front of their eyes. My happiness for finding my phone did not last long, I was worried to find my phone picked by a man of my fathers age, an employee who was sitting in most reliable seat, a citizen who made enough money for running his family, a person who was well educated. I just felt how nice it would have been if I never found my phone.
Many thoughts were rambling in my brain. It was very difficult for me to maintain calm through the situation. I was taken aback with this weird experience. I felt as if it were my mistake to forget the phone.
Why do people behave like this!!??
Is it because, they suffer from some kind of a metal disease or disorder called kleptomania (where they have habit of theft which happens involuntarily) ? [A medical Explanation]
Is it because, forgetful people like me provoke people and give them a chance to pick something that they actually do not need and just picking for the sake of getting an opportunity?[My Stupidity]
Or do these kinds of episodes just happen to catch the thief and let him learn a lesson.[My mothers consolation, and her theory where she says might have a spark of divinity]
Rewind 