Flight AF072 to Los Angeles was packed. By the time the plane started its descent, I had seen three movies, I had stood-up four times to let my fellow Indian neighbours made their way to the toilet and could feel a migraine grow under my scull.
It was Friday and I would rather be somewhere less than on my way to a trade show.
Surprisingly, I made it through custom quickly. Luckily my luggage shot out of the carousel in a flash. Before I knew it I was in a cab on my way downtown.
LAX airport is about 40 minutes from Los Angeles downtown. That’s enough time to 1) get a full fledged headache. 2) Wonder if it is still far. 3) Entertain the driver with conventional small talk.
The cabbie was a Rasta man. A nice guy from Nigeria. He went to school in Texas but has lived in Chicago for the last 20 years.
I did it all. I got got my camera out. And my phone, and my PDA too to check the hotel address.
I know better and before I got off the cab I had all my stuff with me. I was sure, I took them all.
Friday night didn’t really happen. I checked in and crashed. Slept until 6 am.
Saturday was great. Started with a run in the streets I checked -out the area.. Then I took a bus away to the nice Farmer Market, and went to dinner with colleagues in Santa Barbara.
I was checking my emails after dinner when I noticed the red flashing light on my phone. I don’t know if it does it to you but I always had a hard time imagining anyone could leave me a voice my in an hotel room.
So I checked the message convinced it wasn’t actually addressed to me.
“Hello, this is Paul,” says the unfamiliar voice. “I took you from the airport yesterday and you forgot your ipod, no I mean your HP Pocket PC in my car.”
What is he saying. This must be an error. I haven’t forgotten anything… I know better…
But I check and sure enough, I am missing my PDA!
I go back to the message and three time in a row I listen to it carefully writing down the phone number Paul had left.
And I call Paul. “Paul this is Stan… You called me about my Pocket PC.”
I thank him several times. I say I will not be in on Sunday morning but that he can leave my Pocket PC at the reception. I say I will leave an envelope for him, to thanks him…
All day I wondered if in the end he would bother. After all he knows I have more money than he. He could keep the PDA and maybe get some dollars from it… Maybe he won’t get an opportunity to come this way and won’t bother dropping my PDA to the hotel… Will I get it back. Now that I know I am missing it, I found a lot of reason why I really want it back…
When I arrive to the Wilshire Grand I run to the concierge. “Did anyone come to drop something for me” I ask. The concierge remembers… “Yes someone left this for you,” he says. Oh God, Paul brought it back!
I run to my room to text Paul. “Thank you very much for you honesty. If more people were like you the world would be a better place.”
Would I had done this if I had been in his shoes?
Would I had thought my cab driver who picked me up Friday was someone of this calibre?
Paul is someone good and honest like many people we run by everyday but that we ignore. We live convinced that most people are not good when the contrary is probably true.
Next time you need a cab in L.A. make sure you call Paul on 323 459 70 84, he deserves your business.