Reputation not Indicative of a Place

Wheeling is known as the Friendly City. Why, probably some mayor back in the 1960s paid a marketing buddy of his good money to create a catchy slogan to attract tourism. However, I have found that even those places considered the not-so-friendly can be far more amiable.

During a recent trip to the Big Apple (so recent it was Tuesday), I lost my cell phone in a taxi cab. By the time I realized it was missing, that cabbie probably was on his fourth or fifth rider. Screw it, what could I do. My only concern was for all of the contract information lost. I, like many, many others, use my cell as my phone book. Without it, I know no one's phone number. It is a sad and lazy fact about the current nature of our world - no one memorizes phone numbers anymore.

In what can only be considered a shocker, a college-aged girl calls my home from my phone to let me know she found it in a cab. After a few calls back and forth, she asks me to texted her my address so she can mail it back. I offered to send her money, but she declined. What a wonderful gesture on her part. She took the time to not only locate the phone's owner, but is returning it at her own expense. It made me feel good.

A little less than a year ago, I lost my cell phone while moving items for a relative into a storage facility. The phone slipped out onto the gravel lot, and I never noticed until several miles down the road. Upon returning to the scene, my phone was no where to be found. A little later, I had the bright idea to call my phone and see if anyone answers. Well, someone did. The sleaze had the audacity to ask me if he would be compensated for finding my phone. Which by the way, I would have found myself at the storage place had he just left it alone. After meeting the ass at a bar to retrieve it, I gave him $1o.

So I guess this is just one example of how a reputation is not always a good indicator of the type of people that inhabit an area. And, if you ever find a cell that does not belong to you, please return to the owner free of charge. Like the girl from New york told me on the phone, you never know what might come back around to you later in life.