In 2010. I came to London with my wife and daughter to visit my son who was studying for his MBA at the University of Wales and some close relatives. For the first week we stayed with my close cousins, Lynsey and Sunny, who are British citizens, in their house in Sutton Town. Sunny took us to all the major tourist spots in London. About 175 km away from London, Stateside fulfilled his lifelong wish to see the birthplace of world famous author William Shakespeare. His house is a memorial that thousands of devotees visit every day. After a week, son Shilpi came to take us to his residence near his college.
The three of us got on the train with our son from Sutton railway station. He had to get off at Watford Interchange three stations from Sutton and change trains to get to his home in Bedford. It’s quite a long journey. As it was office time, the train was very crowded. The train travels mainly through an underground tube line, occasionally exiting and re-entering underground tunnels.
After taking my heavy bags before boarding the train, my son gave me a light bag filled with his laptop and other study materials. So there was reason to warn. In that bag was a laptop containing his year and a half MBA study notes, internship projects and certificates, along with the CDs they were copied onto.
The four of us got separate seats even though they were close. After placing the small bag containing the video camera etc. on his lap, he placed the thick bag containing the laptop etc. on the ground. When he came to the station where he was to get off, his son signed again. There is only a momentary stop. As Watford was an important interchange station, there were many people getting off. When the train stopped, I got out with the bag on my lap. When the son noticed it when he got to the next platform to get on the train to Bedford, I was shocked to hear the question, “Where’s the laptop bag, daddy?” As if he had been struck by lightning, his throat dried up and froze. In the rush to get up, he only took the small bag on his lap. I forgot my laptop bag on the ground.
All his hard work of a year and a half gone down the drain? The exam is coming soon. Everything learned is on that computer! If I lose it, I have spent lakhs and studied hard, it will be a waste of my care!!
What to do next? I sweat from standing up. Because this disaster has happened because of my carelessness! How to recover a valuable thing like a laptop in this big city full of people from different countries! It doesn’t matter if you expect it.
After thinking for a while, Shilpi took us to a bench on the next platform. Then he sped towards the platform where we landed. He jumped onto another train which followed within two minutes. After that, we pray to all the gods and wait anxiously.
He realized that the train we took from Sutton only went as far as Milton Keynes Central, the third station where we got off. That’s where he went. As he went out and looked for an officer in charge of the station, he saw the station’s security personnel standing carefully in a circle. No one is brought near him. The bomb squad investigates a piece of luggage found off the train without an owner!
He ran to their officer and explained that the bag was his and how he had forgotten it. He apologized many times for what happened. They asked for evidence to confirm that the bag was his. He provided accurate information. When they checked, everything was perfect. After giving a small warning, they returned the bag. The security personnel, holding their breath, parted with laughter. At first, we couldn’t believe him when he appeared in front of us about half an hour later, carrying the bag. We were also out of breath.
English Summary: The story of a lost bag
