Pay it forward

I am going to start this blog off by going back a few years. Five years and ten months ago I was about to marry the man of my dreams. I had the bright idea to have a joint bachelor/bachelorette party. (Don't EVER do this!!!!) May 28, 2004 came and by the end of the night on the party bus, I threw my beautiful diamond engagement ring at Jude and told him it was over. There was a lot more to it that night, but this is the important part of the story. Jude was intoxicated (okay, we both were) and we parted ways that night/morning after getting off the bus not speaking. The next morning, with no ring on my finger, realizing what a huge mistake the whole night was, I called Jude ASAP. After some apologies, I asked where my ring was. He had NO CLUE what I was talking about. After hours of rehashing, we met at his friends house from the night before and called the party bus driver. Now, he was a real big, tall, very dark, scary, tough looking (but kinda cute) guy named Bernard. I had chatted him up the night of the "party" and really thought he was cool. So, we called Bernard and asked him if he had found a diamond engagement ring on the bus floor. He said he was driving the bus back from Baton Rouge, but would look for it and give us a call. I cannot explain what those minutes/hours felt like. The ring was expensive for our budget. Very! I had almost convinced myself it was just a materialistic item that could one day be replaced, but Jude couldn't be. We waited and waited and then the phone rang. HE FOUND IT! He was bringing it to us immediately. I was so happy, I definitely didn't imagine it all going down that way. There were many thoughts that had entered my mind earlier that day...he'd keep it, it got stepped on and smashed, someone else would find it and keep it, he cleaned the bus and lost it, etc. etc. When that bus pulled up with Bernard on it, and my ring, I tackled that man like no one was around, just him and I. lol I was all over him with joy. We all thanked him. We gave him a few hundred dollars (from our wedding funds) in an envelope for returning it and driving it to us. A thank you to him! There are plenty of times I have thought about ol' Bernard over the years. What an amazing man he was! He has a place in my heart, where ever he is.
Flash forward, last night out with the girls, Amy found a cell phone in a parking lot by this club. I looked through the numbers and found one that said "Momma". That was the one to call. Momma answered and she was just as sweet as can be. She said it was her son's cell and she would let him know we would be leaving it at the bar we were at. Well, at the bar, I didn't feel it was safe after I left it with the odd bartender. She just rubbed me wrong, and she did Amy too. So when we left, we took it back. I called Momma again and she said she would call me tomorrow with a plan. She was very thankful for the kindness. On our way to the next place out, I decided to peek at the pictures and see whose phone I had. (You would have, too!!) Well, I was a tad scared at that point as it was some thug guy with pictures of guns, him holding guns, money photos, etc. It was too late now, I already had Momma calling me back the next day to set up a drop off and it was very late at night. Maybe, I could just chalk it up to we lived different lifestyles. The next day I waited and waited, and about six that evening, she called. He got on the phone and was so courteous and pleasant, thanking me over and over. Jude and I decided to go eat at a public place and have him meet us there. Over dinner, I look up and see an old (used to be close to) friend I hadn't seen in a long time. Just as the old friend was walking past our table to leave, we started having a brief conversation, then ol' boy walked in and I excused myself to meet this "guy in a red and white shirt with dreads" (that's how he described himself) and return his phone to him. He was quite little in person, not as scary as I thought he'd be, so nice and he even grabbed a hug. I knew that feeling he had inside and it felt nice to do a good deed. I went back to the table, and when it was all over, I asked Jude if that could have been any more awkward of a moment. We laughed. Talk about a weird dinner! I know the cell and the ring do not compare in comparison, but when you lose something, anything, and a stranger gives it back, it renews your faith in people, if only for a short time:)