I left a small bag with an iPad in it at a park once. realized about 10 min later, was on my commuter hub drive. Rode back quickly, gone. find my showed it moving down a nearby street slowly. rode there, didn’t see anyone. looked harder, saw an elderly chinese American lady. approached her cautiously and asked if she saw a bag. she ignored me. I rode 20’ in front of her, got off the bike, and asked again, more directly, pointing at my phone. she said ohhhhhhh bag, opened up her large satchel type bag, removed my small one and gave it to me.
no idea what her intentions were.
Well... if she took custody of your bag to prevent theft, she could not in good conscience surrender it until you had demonstrated that you were the owner and not an opportunist.
One Sunday afternoon I passed a billfold on the road. It was on edge, forming a V. That seemed an odd way for a billfold to land. If it was there by accident, I figured the owner would soon miss it and double back, but it was still there an hour later. If the owner eventually returned, he probably wouldn't see it after dark, and it would be run over. On weekends the police department isn't open. I took the billfold home. I dropped it on pavement several times and couldn't get it to land upright. Evidently, somebody had placed it as a prank. It felt like soft blue leather, but I found it was vinyl, like a toy wallet. It didn't have a driver's license, credit card, or cash.
Most of the content was business cards, such as a kid might collect. There was a recently expired learner's driving permit. That could explain it: he'd transferred his license and other important stuff to a new wallet. This cheap wallet was way cooler than my bulky padded nylon one with a velcro closure that I had to rip open to get a credit card or currency. Besides, mine was worn out. Prank or no prank, this vinyl beauty seemed to have been discarded: finders keepers.
There was a problem: his social security card. It was understandable that he hadn't transferred the card to his new wallet because losing it could invite identity theft. He wouldn't want it left on the street in his old wallet, either. If pranksters had placed it without asking him, it amounted to stolen property.
Phone numbers aren't readily available these days, and I couldn't safely pedal to the address on his permit. I took it to the police chief the next day, explaining that if the owner had discarded it, I would love to have it. The owner claimed it. Darn! I had to buy myself a similar wallet of Italian cowhide.
Two weeks later I lost it. It took about 4 minutes to realize it, double back, and find it. My raggedy nylon wallet was too bulky to lose.
