The door swings both ways...

Hold your anger against the thief

and he’s stolen from you twice

– Anonymous

“Hi Ted, my name is Garret…” And so began one of those days that reminds me that honor, integrity, and character still matter…one of those ‘memory making’ days.

A little background
It was a Southern Californian morning…the kind I have become accustomed since coming here – sunny, warm…not a cloud in the sky. The luncheon had been one of those ‘spur of the moment’ ideas that floated up through the liquid chemistry of my brain. My wife was returning from Missouri that evening; the morning busy and productive, so I called my dear friend Ann to see if she and her granddaughter might want to grab a bite of lunch. They were free; the date made for an early lunch to beat the crowds, and I throttled the morning down.

Lunch was wonderful – you know the kind…pleasant conversation, good food, the relaxing atmosphere that comes in the company of old friends. I like these kinds of breaks from the work of the day.

There were six young military folk eating in the restaurant, and Ann, in the consistent giving manner that has characterized her 76 years, quietly paid for their lunches, AND mine! Theirs because she wanted to thank them for their service in a tangible way…mine because…well just because she loves me! It was gratifying to see the surprise on their faces when they found sometimes there is a “…free lunch…” We finished up, drove back to her house; hugged each other and I headed home.

The Surprise – Yikes!
I parked the car in the driveway and went inside. I did a couple things and then headed to the office to pick up on the morning’s work.

You know what it is like when you see something that seems so strange, for the briefest of moments; the brain simply does not register the reality? I found myself staring at an empty space on my desk...MY DESKTOP COMPUTER WAS GONE! WHAT??!!

For a couple of seconds, I actually looked around wondering if I had misplaced it. I know that sounds strange, but I could not wrap my head around the fact that the house had been robbed.

A quick look around the office resulted in the realization that all my computers and electronic equipment had evaporated into the ether like the evening mists in one of those midnight graveyard movies!

I had just replaced my faithful laptop of 5 years with a brand spanking new sleeker, lighter and faster model. That old traveling workhorse had willingly given up all her secrets to the newer model realizing resistance was futile. Both the old and the new laptop were taken in addition to the one my wife uses for business.

Over the brief time it took to have a pleasant and relaxing lunch, the house has been cleaned out of its electronic glitter! A few other things were taken including my passport.

Once I realized everything was gone, my first thought was, “Man did they get all the backups?”

To put the potential damage into perspective, everything I have done electronically since 1984 was on that desktop machine…it was a lot of stuff. Over the years, I’ve lost a drive or two, and as a result I have become a compulsive ‘backer upper.’ It seems the intruders dropped and broke one of the backup drives, took a second, but left the most important master drive.

It was then I realized, no matter what, the forces of the universe had smiled and with a gentle nod, spared my electronic life. Our home was violated; the cats terrified, but none of us was hurt nor were things broken.

The cleanup
When something like this happens, there is an initial shock that descends into the reaches of the mind – Why me? How could this happen in broad daylight? Who were these people who would violate the sanctity of our little home?

Then very quickly, reality sinks in…realizing all one’s personal information could be found on those machines. Suddenly there was a different feeling of violation and vulnerability…suddenly, there was the potential for significant damage to take place to our personal lives – identity theft…a shopping spree through the internet…withdrawals from our bank accounts. You know, the usual PANIC!

The next few days were consumed with canceling credit cards, closing bank accounts, thinking about password changes and making police reports. We understood sometimes stolen items are recovered, but that is the exception…not the rule.

The day after the ‘event’ I went to the computer store and replaced the desktop. That evening, I hooked up the backup drive, went to sleep and in the morning, things looked pretty much the way I had left them when I headed for lunch the day before.

In the end I lost about four hours of work.

Then came the call
The voicemail said, “Hi Ted, this is Garrett…I bought a computer yesterday from a college student and when I looked on it there was a massive amount of information. I think this computer might have been stolen and it might be yours. Before I wiped the computer, I wanted to check with you.”

In a world where the economy is tough and people are doing all they can to survive, this young man made the call. He didn’t have to, but he made the call. It would cost him more money and could have exposed him to legal action for purchasing stolen goods – knowingly or not, but he made the call. He had a small business, four young children and a wife to care for and a financial situation with his own home, but he made the call.

I explained that I would not now be able to claim insurance loss for my computer, and that if he wanted to keep the computer I would be happy to sell it to him… For him, doing the right thing was going to cost him more money - it stung. I couldn’t just let him keep it, and had not budgeted for a new computer myself. He confessed for a moment that if he had known he might have to pay more money, he might not have contacted me, BUT HE MADE THE CALL.

Character...you have to love it
We negotiated a price that we both felt was fair. There would be a little financial pain for both, but he did the right thing. I told him, in the big picture he would be rewarded for the sake of character, because character is never apparent when there is little risk. It only truly emerges when ‘…the shoes are tight…’ and the choices difficult.

The price this young man paid for the sake of his integrity and willingness to do the right thing will be repaid in his life many fold. I was grateful for being a part of that teaching moment for both of us.

A postscript… Garret and I met at a Starbucks this week and formalize the transfer of ownership. He was a bright and thoughtful young man. Our transaction over coffee lasted long enough to sign the papers, and the nearly three engaging and interesting hours of conversation before we signed off, made the day.

This all began having lunch with an old friend, and ended having coffee with a new one. Not too bad, all things considered.

Lemonade anyone?

- ted