11am Sunday: I accidentally leave my camera (sans case) on the table of one of our favorite restaurants. There are many many pictures on the 2GB SD card inside the camera. Like, 1100 pictures and 40 little videos. That are not backed up or copied anywhere else yet.
8am Monday: I realize the camera is missing, know immediately where I left it. Drop off the little one at my parents’ house and head off to meet M. for appointment.
10am: M. reaches someone at the restaurant. They say they don’t have the camera and they will ask the server from yesterday.
11am: Appointment done. I go to the restaurant. Yesterday’s server is there, is very sweet. No camera. Now they are trying to reach the busser from yesterday, who is new and might not know where to put lost items.
11:15am-12:00pm: I sit in the car in the parking lot and FREAK OUT. So mad at myself (why do I lose things? why do I wait so long to deal with my pictures?), and so mad at the bad bad person who took the camera. Really way more angry than I would have expected. (Seen the movie Shallow Grave? Remember the scene near the end, with her in the car? This is kind of like that.) Talk with M. via text and phone; he suggests I post a reward for the SD card. Brilliant!
12:05: I go back into the restaurant and ask for a piece of paper to make a sign. Sign promises $100 for the return of the card with pictures, no questions asked. Staff in restaurant is extremely kind and accommodating. I love everyone there that I talked to. They are awesome. They promise to call (M.’s cell) with any new information.
12:20: Calm enough now to continue with my day. Lots to get done — getting ready for weekend guests.
~3:00: M. calls. Restaurant called! Camera is returned! Wooooo! Suggests I bring the cash reward when I go to pick it up.
3:15: Restaurant manager is happy to return camera, absolutely refuses to accept reward even though I insist several times that it is for everyone at the restaurant. Everyone except the busser, that is, who claimed that she found it on the table and accidentally put it in her pocket and accidentally took it home. Management and owner didn’t much like that and terminated her employment. Manager says they got a bad feeling about her explanation of what happened.
3:25: I go to the car, put a fresh battery in the camera (strange, battery was full yesterday) and find that all the pictures are gone. Proceed to freak out again. This time my bilious rage has a target.
3:27: I go back in the restaurant to let the manager know that her instincts were correct, the camera had been messed with and the pictures are all gone. I want to make sure the busser’s bridge is thoroughly burned. I do not feel charitable.
3:30: Back in car. Text M. to let him know the pictures are gone. He replies: don’t do anything, there is a slim chance he can recover the pictures. I get my hopes up. But not enough to prevent me from continuing to be very very upset.
3:30-5:00: Try to think about other things. Leave the camera & card at home for M. to work on.
5:20: Arrive at parents’ house to have dinner and pick up the little one. Tell my tale of woe. Parents can relate — they once lost 2 years worth of travel photos (and negatives) in a stolen checked bag at Heathrow.
7:30: During dinner, a text arrives from M.: Got all the pictures and movies back.
And there is much rejoicing!
7:55: Another text arrives: It didn’t save the filenames but that’s no big deal. Couple pictures of the jerks who took it :)
Ha! LAME. So we figure the busser panicked, thought oh no, how do I get this picture of me off of here, and just deleted all of them. Or so she thought!
8:22: Another text: Went to [restaurant] and told them the good news, the nice server lady and the manager were there and so happy for us :)
What I am hoping is that the busser saw the reward sign as she was heading inside, and felt very sad that she had no way to claim that $100.
Anyway, once again, M. is my HERO!
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Now it’s about a month later. We were back there for breakfast a few days ago, and the owner — we’d never met him before — stopped by our table. He said hello, how are you. Then a slight pause, and then: “Hey, do you mind if I borrow your camera?” Hahaha! He was really nice, said some things about how his wife (the manager mentioned before) and everyone had told him about what happened, and he thanked us for being so understanding. It was cool. I love that place. And I love leaving a $20 tip — that time, and the next four times we go (at least). We’ll give these lovely people the reward money one way or another! :)
