After checking out of the hotel, they came to the taxi desk, where my friend was reading the note I had left. He casually mentioned the watch I had found that morning. The young lady could not believe that it had been found — that too before flying out of Bengaluru!
Credit: iStock Photo
On a serene Sunday morning, we decided to have breakfast at Hotel Ashraya. We were early, and the car park was almost empty. I parked the car, and as I stepped out, I saw a ladies’ gold wristwatch on the ground, clearly dropped the previous night. The watch was not new and seemed to have been used for quite some time.
My wife and I deliberated on what we should do to ensure that it reaches the owner. The best would be to give it to the manager of the hotel. But then, it was too early for him to be in the hotel. Why not leave it at the reception? The idea was turned down for too many reasons. It suddenly struck me that I should give the responsibility to the person who was in charge of the taxis in the hotel. I knew him because I hired his vehicles quite frequently. He, too, had not come in yet. I wrote a small note telling him where I had found the watch and if he could locate the person who lost it. I left the note on his table.
We had our breakfast and drove back home with the watch. On the way, we discussed what we should do in case no one claimed it.
It was around 11 am when the doorbell rang. I opened the door to see a family of five standing there. There was an elderly couple, a young lady, and two small children. They were total strangers to us. After settling down in the drawing room, we were told that they were from Sri Lanka and were on their way to the airport. They had come to Bengaluru to visit an ashram in Whitefield. The previous night they had gone out to dinner, and when they returned to their room, the young lady realised that she had lost her watch. It was very precious to her since it was the first gift given to her by her late husband. The restaurant where they had dinner could not find it. They had given up all hopes of getting it back since they had to fly back the next morning.
After checking out of the hotel, they came to the taxi desk, where my friend was reading the note I had left. He casually mentioned the watch I had found that morning. The young lady could not believe that it had been found — that too before flying out of Bengaluru!
The taxi driver knew our house and brought them straight away. Her prayers had been answered, she said as I watched the expression on her face when I gave her the watch. It was like a second gift from her husband, who was no more. We wished them a happy flight home as we saw them off at the gate, content in knowing we had played a part in reuniting her with a cherished treasure.