I forgot my iPad was under my coat when I went to order coffee at Starbucks. I didn’t realize it was missing until I got home. No worries. I was sure someone would find it and turn it in. But just to be safe, I used a Find My iPhone app to locate it. That’s weird. Apparently my iPad was now in a beauty salon a few stores down from Starbucks. I drove back to the salon to retrieve it, but it wasn’t there.
In fact, according to my trusty app, my iPad was now in a pizza parlor ten miles down the street. I was pretty sure I’d never see it again.
That afternoon, I got an email from someone at a car dealership who said he mysteriously found my iPad in his office. The next morning when I reached the man who’d found my iPad, he was terribly apologetic. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “God, I can’t believe what I did!”
“What’ja do,” I asked.
Yesterday, I interviewed a guy for a job at my dealership and after the interview, the guy came back two hours later. So I asked him, ” Michael, what are doing back here?”
“I came back to pick up my iPad. I left it here.”
“I insisted, it couldn’t be his,” the sales manager said. “I traced it to a man named Jack Goldenberg.”
“I know,” said the thief. “Jack’s my best friend. He loaned it to me. I’m so glad you found it. Jack would have been pissed if I lost it.”
“Do you happen to have his phone number and address?” I asked.
“Sure. He was here for a job interview. I have all that. His name is Michael, but his friends call him Mikey.” Then he gave me his cell phone number.
I wasn’t sure what to do next. Should I rat on Mikey and call the police? Nah, too drastic.
Should I ring his doorbell and confront him? Nope, too dangerous.
So instead, I called him early the next morning. I was pretty sure I woke him up. “Mikey, hi, it’s Jack Goldenberg. (The fact I knew his nickname must have startled him!) You’re my angel, Mikey. I understand you found my iPad. Thank you so much for being such a good Samaritan.”
“So glad I could help out,” Mikey said. “Would you like to come to my house to pick it up?” Right! And be shot dead when he answered the door? No way.
So instead, we agreed to meet at a McDonald’s in my neighborhood. When I left my house to meet him, my wife asked me where I was going. “I can’t tell you,” I said, “but if I don’t come back, you’re gonna need a new iPad.”
Anyway, long story even longer. I got my iPad back from the thief who stole it. To this day, I bet he still wonders how I tracked him down. Guess he never heard of angels.
Jack Goldenberg is a prolific Copywriter, innovative Creative Director at Einstein, da Vinci & Goldenberg, and consummate, strategic marketer. Read his blog at 10 minutes of brilliance. With all he’s done, he still believes his best efforts are ahead of him.
