No Good Deed and all that....

I happened to remember that I had put a lot of my photos of local shots on Facebook! I am now in possession of a few of my “lost” photos…and since I’m so happy, I’ll share some, all from Deibert Park.

I've never been able to capture this spot quite like this again.

Green Heron

Sea Gull

and a Flock of Sea Gulls

Interesting Story…

Ole Boy works on computer/office equipment. That’s what he does. He keeps the computers running for a lady who has a local business, and several rental houses. She had one of her renters evicted, and when they left, they left a couple of laptops, which she gave to Ole Boy, telling him that he might be able to “use some parts” from them. One of them was obviously broken, with a crack in the screen. The other one was in fairly good condition. 

Ole Boy had to order a charger in order to get it up and running. He also spent a little time repairing minor issues. Got into it, figured out it belonged to a local college student, and we decided that we should try to contact her and give it back to her.  We didn’t know if she’d lost it, left it somewhere, or if it had been stolen.  (My guess was that it had been stolen and abandoned.)  But for all we knew, she was the one evicted and left it at the house, and the landlord then had the right to do whatever she pleased with it...which was give it to Ole Boy.

I looked up the name/address we found in the computer in our local phone book. Nothing. I got online and found the name and address, no phone number. Spent a little time looking for the chick in various places, and finally found a name/area on Facebook that matched who I was looking for, and I contacted her. I’ll call her Buffy.

Facebook Email dialog:
Me: “Hi, Are you missing a computer?”
Buffy: “yes, why?”
Me: “I have one I think belongs to you.”
Buffy: “What’s your number?”
Me: I gave it to her. Probably not some of my better thinking.  I never...well, rarely give out my cell phone number.   Wish I'd thought better about that!

Telephone Conversation:
Buffy: “Hey”
Me: “Hey?”
Buffy: “It’s Buffy!”
Me: “Ah, yes. We’ve come across a computer that we think belongs to you.” Then, in an effort to get a little further information and ascertain I indeed did have the right person, I said, “Did you lose your computer?"
Buffy: “My house was broken into, and it was stolen.” She then described it to a tee, and I’m satisfied it was hers.
Me: “Yes, that does sound like the one we have.”
Buffy: “I’m out of town until late Saturday night or Sunday. Can I meet you somewhere and get it?”
(This is an important factor…keep in mind that she asked me if she could pick it up on Sunday.)
Me: “Sure, give me a call when you get back into town.”
Buffy: “Thank you!!”
Me: “You’re very welcome.”


About 20 minutes later, I get a phone call on my private cell phone from the local police department. Detective SmartyPants wanted me to "explain how I came to have Miss Buffy’s computer." I was a little…unnerved.  (My mind was trying to wrap around the fact that Buffy had called the police and given them my cell phone number without even asking me if I minded, or giving me the opportunity to contact them.  She could have told me.  She had my FB info, my phone number, my workplace.   I obviously wasn't the criminal.  Just sayin')  I told the man what I knew…but I didn’t have any of the details. I had no names, no address where the thing had been abandoned, but I told him what I knew, which admittedly wasn't much.


Det. SmartyPants “Where are you so that I can come pick this computer up and get it back to Miss Buffy?”
Me: “I’m at work right now.”
Det. SmartyPants: “You mean you don’t have it with you??!!”
Me: “Uhm, no.”
Det. SmartyPants: “When can you get it to me?”
Me: Silence…I was pretty dumbfounded at everything that was transpiring. Didn’t know what to say. Was trying to think of something. Was also a little miffed.
Det. SmartyPants: “Here’s my name and number. You can call me when you are available to meet me with it.”
Me: “Fine.”

I then got back on to Facebook and sent Buffy a message: “Wow, no good deed goes unpunished.”

Three minutes later, my phone rings again. Its Det. Smartypants demanding to know why I am on Facebook “threatening the victim.”

Me: "I didn’t threaten her. I merely said that no good deed goes unpunished. I think chick could have given me a heads up that I would be getting a call from the police. I was, after all, trying to give her back what I think is hers…I'm trying to do the right thing here.”

You know, if he’d been nice from the beginning….he wasn’t...he was rude.  Accusatory.  Abrasive.  Presumptuous.  Not nice.

Det. Smarty Pants: “…after all, she’s the victim. She doesn’t know you from Adam, and you call her (I didn’t call her) and tell her to meet you ON A SUNDAY (I never told her to meet me anywhere or at any time, and Sunday is different than Monday??) and you think she shouldn’t call the police?  Why wouldn't she call the police??”
Me: "I never told her to meet me on a Sunday, that was HER idea.  I told her where I worked, and was willing to let her pick it up here.  Like I said, no good deed goes unpunished and this phone call is proving it."
Det. Smarty Pants: "I just don’t understand your attitude. You act like victim has done something wrong….blah blah blah"

What? He was acting like *I* had something wrong! I hung up on him..though to be honest, I think he was hanging up on me as I was hanging up on him.

I called Ole Boy and told him what was going on, and he got Det. SmartyPant’s name and number and called him, and took him both computers. I want you to know, Det. SmartyPants was sweeter than sugar to Ole Boy.

I'll probably think twice about good deeds in the future.
Grrrrr
Double Grrrr to Buffy and Det. SmartyPants.


UPDATE:   This morning I find that Buffy has added me as a friend on Facebook!    ????