What are the odds a stranger calling to say he has found your wallet minutes before you are away from the cashier at the supermarket? This is exactly what happened when ANSA McAL Group’s Sector Head of Media, Retail and Services David G Inglefield lost his wallet on Sunday had it returned by Petit Valley Good Samaritan Leo Paul. Inglefield said moments before his wallet fell on the road, he was putting his granddaughter in her car seat and absent-mindedly left it on the hood of his car. In relating the incident yesterday Paul, an auto body technician and a peddler of “life-time warranty cooking pots”, said he was in his car with his wife and children around 1 pm when he spotted “something strange” on Gray Street, St Clair. “I immediately stopped and when I picked it up I realised it was someone’s wallet just lying in the middle of the road,” Paul said.
His immediate instinct was to return it. There was US$300, about US$4 and TT$4 along with several pieces of important documents in the wallet, Paul said. He also spotted a handwritten note leading him to contact a Mr James. “I thought this person must know Mr Inglefield and it turned out that he did. I gave him my number for Mr Inglefield to contact me,” Paul said. Paul said he was on his way to collect cocoa from a friend in Maraval when Inglefield called and told him he was in Hi-Lo, coincidently in Maraval. “I told him well come outside and get your wallet. He was very happy and surprised and he shook my hand. He offered to give me some sort of commendation but I told him there was no need for that. I was just happy to return the wallet,” Paul said.
The next day Paul got a surprise.
He got a call from Inglefield’s secretary telling him to come to his office. “I didn’t have time to change my clothes. When I got there I got a note thanking me for my good deed and a cheque with the equivalent amount of money found in the wallet. “I was really surprised. I didn’t expect this,” Paul added. It turned out that yesterday was Paul’s fourth wedding anniversary and he has already cashed the cheque to celebrate. Paul, a Jehovah’s Witnesses, seems to have a knack for finding lost items. He said that was the third wallet he has found and returned. He has also found cellphones. The incidents, Paul described, were enriching. “I lost my wallet once and I know the hassle you have to go through to get back the documents. It’s really a great feeling when you could do that simple deed of returning someone’s possession,” Paul said. To Inglefield the return of the wallet is a reflection of a wider picture that good men still exist in a society where crime is prevalent. “I am the enteral optimist. There is still a lot of good people. Sometimes that feeling of fear suppresses a person’s ability to step out and do good things but we sill have people willing to do just that,” Inglefield added.