The Closing Chapter - We Think

Last Monday, after our friend thought he was done with issues with his car, he received an email (or call - I don't remember) from AT&T.  The phone that had been stolen had been turned on.  AT&T wanted to know what message they should send to the person who opened the phone, since it could not be activated.  They decided to write "This phone is stolen, and we know you have it at this address.  Please call me at ??????."

Within just a few minutes, he received a phone call from the people who had purchased the phone in the flea market at 47th and Pawnee.  He had paid $250 for the phone and was clearly frustrated that it was not a legitimate transaction.  He suggested that my friend and he go back to the dealer to see if he could get his money back.

The man approached the vendor, who clearly denied that the phone was stolen, and he was not about to refund the money.  Eventually the man called my friend to the counter to verify that the phone had indeed been stolen.  Not about to give in, the vendor insisted that he prove it.  When my friend suggested that the contact list on the phone would match the contact list on his new phone, the vendor agreed to refund the money to the purchaser.  (The vendor also knew that the next step was to involve the police, which of course he did not want.)  Then my friend and the purchaser went to the AT&T store, got the phone wiped clean, and my friend sold it to the man for $50.

On Tuesday, my friend was asked to testify at a trial, which of course he agreed to do.  His new garage door "bwipper" is on order.  He has purchased a car - used and smaller, but his wife likes the color better.  And he hopes this adventure is behind him.

The morals of the story:

1.  Never leave your car keys in a group box, hanging on a rack, or in an unlocked locker . . . even in a place where you think they are safe;
2.  Justice moves slowly, but sometimes the bad guys are caught;
3.  Just when things seems weird, they can get weirder, and
4.  All's well that ends well . . . or maybe it is All's well that is insured.

Anyway, my friend's life is getting back to normal.  But this is not something he will forget very quickly.