This morning I left my university ID card, bus pass, and office key (all of which were on a lanyard together) on the bus. I’m not quite sure how it happened because I was not paying any kind of attention (actually this inattention is probably why it happened). Anyway, I got to my office door with no key, and immediately started saying swears, breathing quickly, and crying a little. I walked back out into the misty morning and retraced my steps without finding the lanyard. Then I walked back to the office and camped out in the lobby, where I looked up when the next bus was coming, realized it was coming in five minutes and ran back out into what was by then a light rain.
From the stop, I called the transit lost and found, where nobody answered, and then struck up a conversation with a man waiting there. I told him the story, and he said I should call the transit office instead. It was a great idea, and the woman I spoke to told me that the bus coming to the stop was not the same bus as before, and that she would contact the bus I’d been on earlier, but that there were no guarantees that anyone would be able to find my stuff. We hung up, but she called me back almost immediately, and let me know that the bus driver must really like me (!) because she would bring my things back when her route went back by the intersection near my office.
An hour later, I had my key and cards in hand. Five hours later, I’m still amazed at how well it all worked out. Infinite gratitude to Tamika, my amazing 6:50 am bus driver.