Lost Credit Cards and Driver's License

The wife and I drove up to a gas station on Friday and saw a young man running toward a pickup truck where he got in and left the parking lot with other occupants. As we walked to the front door, there was a young boy sitting on the pavement sorting through a fishing tackle box. There were items scattered about and I remarked to him that "You're losing your stuff, young man". He said that it wasn't his and he didn't even see it there. I picked it up and it was two driver's licenses and two credit cards from out of state. I assumed it could have belonged to the man who was running to his truck but they had left the parking lot and disappeared by then. Told the boy I would try to find the owner as they were important documents. I took it to the counter inside and the gal remembered he'd just left after buying a few items. I left everything with her overnight, thinking he may come back to claim it. The next day he hadn't returned to the station and I was unable to locate the vehicle at a local motel. It appeared they were out of state hunters.

I told the same attendant that I wanted to take the cards and see if I could somehow contact the owner.....rather than risk the items to come up missing from the gas station. The young man's (age 22) name and address was noted on the license so I used the internet and found a phone number that was connected to his business account and called him. It happened to be his cell number and he was still in the area (within 30 miles). We met him and his three friends this morning and he was VERY grateful to get his stuff back. His trip back home will be a more relaxed 600 miles. Of course he wanted to pay me, but I told him to just "Pay it Forward". I know he'll remember that experience for the rest of his life and he'll pass on the obligation to someone else. Nice young men.



Something to be learned here:
1. Don't put your credit cards and license in an unbuttoned side pocket on your hunting pants.
2. Returning valuable items to their rightful owner is as much a blessing as receiving them.