Left my phone in Uber, the driver refuses to own up

20/02/2016 - I left my phone in a Uber SUV - Toyota Innova (MH-06-J8193). The name of the driver is Suraj Ruke.

I took an Uber from Western Railway Cricket Ground, Lower Parel at 2:32 PM to Nehru Nagar, Kurla. I reached my destination at 3:39 PM (The timings are in my Uber Receipt). As soon as the car left, I realized that I forgot my phone in the car, immediately (Within a couple of minutes, I'm trying to obtain the call log of the person whose phone I used) I called on my number, expecting the driver will answer the phone, guess what, it was switched off. Now I can definitely say that the phone had 60% battery and was on charging when I left it in the car.

Uber Receipt

How can I be so sure that it did not fell down and went off?
Moto G3 has an inbuilt battery, so possibilities of it going off within 2 minutes on its own are very low. So there are still 99.9% chances that the driver switched off the phone, considering he won't get his next passenger in 2 mins.

My last seen on whatsapp is 3:38 PM so chances of me dropping it somewhere on the way are also quite less. I also sent an image on a whatsapp group at 3:27 PM. Though all this aren't valid evidences, I'm sure the driver has taken the phone.

Last Seen on whatsapp

Image sent at 3:27 PM

With my conversations with the driver on the way, he told me he owns this car and he and a partner have 7 cars that are with Uber. Well, Uber has given me the information that he isn't the owner but merely a hired driver. I would like to believe that this is man is a crook. I had 2 kids with me when I got off, and they are also sure that I left my phone in his car.

The police is also helping me in every way they can, hoping that they just increase their speed of the whole process. Nonetheless I'm glad they are hearing me out and doing what needs to be done and whatever is under their control.

Uber has been patient with my anger and has been providing me all the information I have asked them for till now. They have promised me to help me in anyway they can, and I appreciate that. I still cannot say this man took my phone openly, until it is proved. Either he proves that he hasn't taken the phone or I prove that he has. The later sounds more convincing.

She was a mess - forever

She was a mess. She learnt every lesson the hard way. She loved and she lost. She fought and she fought. Nothing ever gave her strength for more than a few moments. She pulled people towards her and then pushed the same people away from her. She was often confused. She would make a plan, dress up, and in the very next moment she would be sad and in two minds to go or not to go. She was a mess and it wasn't cool.

She was love. She made happiness out of every emotion. She found joy in little things. She loved herself. She was organised and excited and beautiful. Her heart was of gold and silver and glitter and so many different colours. She gave strenght to many. She would crack jokes and make people happy. She had moments of despair but those wouldn't last for more than a few moments. She was happiness and made up of love.

She loved and she lost, yet again. Only this time the love lasted a little longer than usual and she believed it is forever. But she was wrong, yet again. She was a mess again. And you know it is more difficult to be a mess after being happiness. Because people don't believe your head and your heart. They say it's temporary because a women made up of so much substance cannot lose so easily. But who knew the depth of those scars. They kept saying 'It will be okay', 'You will be fine'. Who knew the transition was difficult, time consuming and painful. When those hopes are crushed again and again and again, it becomes harder and harder and harder to be able to walk again. Untill then, she dragged herself through, because contradicting to everything, life had been unfair enough to give her those small chunks of strenght.

She didn't need the advice, what she really needed was a hand to hold, a ear to listen and a heart to understand. She wanted that 'everything will be fine' to change to 'you are beautiful'. Sometimes all you need is someone to remind you that  'You are beautiful'

I'm guilty!

As I was beginning my morning meeting on a Wednesday , Arman walked in with his sister, crying. Unusual, because Arman had started to love school and would enjoy learning, unusual also because his mother hadn't come to drop him. As he entered class, I asked him why was he crying. He ignored my question and kept asking me, whether his mom or dad or someone from home will come to pick him up from school in the evening.

I assured him they would, but he wouldn't stop crying until I let him cry and continued with my morning meeting. Sometime later he got angrossed in the classroom activities and stopped crying.

In the recess, I took him on a walk around the school and asked him what was wrong. He said nothing. I kept trying to know what was wrong because I was sure something was extremely wrong. After a while he opened up. What he said got tears to my eyes and stabbed me inside.

'Didi yesterday I made a mistake, my mom got angry and she hit me, and she said I don't want a son like you, tomorrow I will leave you to school and not come to take you back'

'Arman does she do this all the time?'

'No Didi, but whenever she does, I feel she will really not come to take me back, didi what if she does not come today? Am I a bad son?' Tears rolling down his eyes.

No Arman, relax, she will come back, she is just angry, she loves you, she will definitely come to take you'

So many kids, including all of us, may have had similiar experiences like these. Do we as a parent or a teacher or even as a human ever think about these small things that affects a kid so much? Do we realise that these small little things, build up to damage the confidence, the feeling of security, of a child? Do we realise that this little kid might grow up and become the most insecure person we know? This little kid will have a huge inferiority complex, that will hold him back from being the best he can be? I ask myself these questions, and I feel guilty for saying whatever I said to a friend who was being stupid, because she wasn't sure if she should buy a expensive phone or save money for her grad school and she choose buying the expensive phone. I feel guilty for telling my mother she did not do anything to solve her problems in life. I feel guilty for shouting at a kid when he could not speak in a loud and clear voice. I feel guilty when I unknowingly made fun of that boy in my school who was the most quite and secluded person I have ever met.

I'm guilty.