Losing my Identity

So, I was the victim of a crime this week. I stupidly left my backpack unattended when I went to the ladies room and came back to find my wallet gone. Luckily for me I hadn't brought my most valued possession, my laptop, to school with me that day. Unluckily for me it is merely days away from Christmas and the Grinch who stole my Christmas was really quick at making a mess of my life. By the time I managed to call the police to file a report and call all two credit card companies I have accounts with and navigate their endless automated telephone systems the thief had managed to rack up over a thousand dollars worth of bills. While I am eternally grateful for fraud protections of my credit card companies and bank, I am eternally miffed and the many stores where purchases were made and it is clear that they either failed to check ID or failed to check it very closely. I never thought I would see the day when my credit card company was the good guy . . .so often over the last few years have I preached against their business tactics and the slimy ways they recruit unwitting customers to spend more than they have.

So here I am a few days before Christmas returning gifts in order to make sure I have enough cash to cover the checks I have written for bills and my expenses to travel home since one of the most damaged cards was my check card which is directly tied to my checking account. I am really much more upset than I let on to the wider world since I not only feel poor but also violated in an odd way. I just feels so unfair that my modest spending habits and trusting ways are financing someone elses Christmas while my own family's presents will be late and probably less spectacular than usual. It also just feels odd to know that someone out there is wondering around claiming to be me attempting to use my credit cards and possibly even my personal information . . . It is also troubling that for the first time in months I was brought to tears while returning items I bought for my younger sister and her husband. There is nothing more undignified than crying in the Gap.