Lost in America

“See you later,” was the last thing I said to my sister, V, as she and my mother sped off after dropping me at a mall.  I had been handed my mother’s celphone and some pocket money.  I was all set for the afternoon.

For a time my attention was drawn to a shop that carried every conceivable kitchen gadget and more. Fancy cupcake holders, fold-away kitchen implements and the sharpest knives to die for. These were as tantalizing as jewelry would be to my mother and sisters. But like jewelry, they were all nice to look at but had hefty price tags. Time to move on.

And moving on I did—to another mall over at the other side of the highway.  After crossing to the other side of the street under a cruel sun, the cool air of the mall felt delicious! I walked around for awhile marveling at the many offerings.  As always, the food outlets were the ones that held my attention. Like the Godiva Chocolate store with their free samples.  This was one merchandise I could splurge on and not feel guilty.

It had been about 2 hours since the time I was dropped off by V and thought I’d check the celphone for any messages.

There were no messages but I was alarmed at the “low bat” notification that was flashing.  Calmly, I immediately started to text V that  “if I loss contact, I would be waiting for her at the…..” The celphone automatically shut down before I could send my text.

O oh! I waited a few seconds before turning on the phone again. But before it could power up, “Good bye” popped up.

This was not good at all.

I found a bench and sat down to take stock of my situation. 

Hmmmm… celphone is dead; can’t remember any contact numbers; can’t even remember home address.  I was in deep trouble.

I had to reach V soon before she started calling me. I would not want for my mother to worry.

I started to pray as I searched for a communications company selling celphones.  Maybe they might have a charger for my phone; maybe they could dig out the numbers stored in the cel’s SIM.  Maybe…

Not too long I came across an AT&T kiosk.  When a sales rep became available, I quickly explained my predicament.  My mom’s cel was an old model and they did not have any charger.  And although the SIM was purchased from their company, the sales rep soon found out that all phone numbers were saved on the phone’s memory and not on the SIM.

I then remembered that my sisters had iphones and could get emails. Maybe I could reach them via email.  When I brought the idea up to the sales rep, he said he would be glad to help if I could supply him my sisters’ email addresses. 

Once more, I hit a brick wall.  I imagined kicking myself for not being able to remember this important information. I asked the sales rep if I could get into my email account on his phone. My sister’s email address along with the email addresses of other family members would easily be available.

“Sorry, I can’t let you do that as I would loss all my data,” was the sales rep’s response.

“Do you know if there are any internet cafes in the mall?”, I asked.

“Sorry, we don’t have internet cafes at this mall,” was his answer.

And just as I was starting to loss hope, he said, “But you could easily access your email account if you visit the Apple store around the corner,” he continued, “all their demo units are connected and they wouldn’t mind if you use one.”

I thanked him profusely and hurriedly walked to the Apple store. 

The store was full of customers and there were no sales rep available to help me.  Seeing a vacant stool and a laptop, I immediately typed in my email address and password and quickly shoot off a message to two of my sisters—V and M.  In a matter of seconds, I get a response from M.  And as fate would have it, M was leaving her office and could pick me up in 15 minutes.  M then called and advised V that she was taking care of me.

There were no words to describe the flood of relief that washed over me as I waited the few minutes at the perfume section of a large retail store in the mall where I had agreed to meet up with M.

My smile was so big when I caught sight of M walking towards me.  I was like a little kid who was being picked up after the first day of school.  I would not leave her side.

We passed for some pizza on the way home where we popped the cork of a bottle of sparkling wine to go with the stories that went around the dinner table that evening.  It was the perfect ending to another unforgettable experience.

Being with family or friends in a foreign setting should not have been enough reason for me to forget basic rules on keeping essential information accessible. At all times!

Battery life of celphones should be checked.

A short list of contact information (could be the size of a calling card) should always be placed in one’s pocket or purse. Several lists should be prepared and placed in all carry-on containers/bags.

An ID card or a copy of ones passport would also be most helpful should inquiries about citizenship come up.

When you plan to be on your own, always leave a message with someone of your whereabouts and the estimated time of your return. In the case with my sister, we should have agreed that if communication becomes impossible, we meet up again at a specific time and place.

The only recourse when all else fails: Pray for safe travel and guidance to be able to calmly think of ways out of any predicament.

Least I forget, besides a full battery load on ones celphone, every excursion should start with a full belly. The better to keep one energize while taking in the sights.

For convenience and the American experience, there are the many quaint diners.  A favorite with my sisters is Mel’s diner.  There’s 50s and 60s pictures and memorabilia on the walls. And every table has a miniature juke box where you can drop a quarter to play a favorite tune.  

I always end up picking an Elvis song to go with my ham omelet and pancakes.  Yum! 

Then again, on Saturdays, my sister M wipes up her own version of a big American breakfast: bacon, eggs, sausages and some tomatoes and cucumbers on the side.  Perfect with brewed coffee and soft bread rolls.

Go on, try something big next weekend. before venturing out on your adventures.