One of these Thursdays, I invited friends for dinner, and my daughters were allowed to invite their friends to sleep over, wich is more than common here in our place. We had kids coming in and going out all night.
Dinner finished early - at 1:30am I was in my room, but the kids were still awake downstairs.
The next morning, I wake up to find out Anita's phone was gone. Things do not "disappear" and I was sure it would appear under a piece of furniture or tucked into the cushions of the sofa, for example.
We looked, looked and looked, until we were exhausted. Anita was hysteric, wanting the phone back, the maid was getting nervous thinking someone would end up blaming it on her.
In this part of the world, Friday and Saturday are the weekend. Nothing happened - and the phone did not appear, even after we put the house upside down.
I was still skeptical, did not think any friends of the girls would steal a cell phone (even though it was the newest blackberry that cost more than $ 600 and only had 2 months of use).
We were concerned, but not ready to call anyone's parents...
On Sunday, we managed to track down the phone ... and it was in use!
Oops, someone did take the phone, after all. Crap!
I managed to speak to the person who was with the mobile. He bought it from a phone store that sells new and second hand phones. He had the receipt. Another victim, just like us.
He gave me all the details, so I went to store, found out the shop had bought the phone from another store, who bought it from a 18 year old guy.
To sell phones in Bahrain You just need to present a copy of your identification document and a telephone contact.
Now we had to make a decision. We had located the phone and the
thief guy who sold it to the store.
The guy who ended up with the phone, was super friendly and returned the phone to the store and got his money back. The store quickly returned the phone to the other store and got their money back too. But this guys did not want to lose the money they paid for the phone, so fabio had to PAY to get the phone back.
He gave money to the guy and came home with a device seemingly broken (but still under guarantee), the name and telephone number of the boy who sold the phone to the store.
I have asked an Arab friend to call the boy and tell him to return the money he received for the phone or we would call the police.
The kid does not seem worried at all, and says he only talks to me or to Anita's dad. I did not feel I had any other alternatives, so I called the guy. Here is the conversation we had:
- I am Anita's mum. You want to talk to me?
- You guys are saying I stole her phone, but I did not steal it.
I had nothing to say, so I kept quiet...
- Someone stole my identity two monthsago, I do not know who sold Anita's phone.
- But you came to my home after 3 am, meet other teens at the exact time the phone was gone, right?
- Yes. but I did not take the phone. The kids came to my car to listen to some music. The next day Anita called to say she dropped the phone in the car. I looked everywhere and could not find it. At all.
- I see. And on the following day the phone was sold by someone using YOUR identity to a store in the city, right?
- But my identity had been stolen.
- Let me see if I understand. You came to my home in the middle of the night. My child's phone was gone at that very same time. The next day, someone goes to a mobile phone shop and sells the device, using your identity and giving your phone number - the same number I called just now, and you are talking on... but you have nothing to do with it?
- That's right. I have not.
- My God, this will be all over the papers as the most amazing coincidence of the century! After I go to the police station to file a complaint of theft, of course. You will be famous ...
- I did nothing wrong.
- Ok. I am busy. What would you like to do? I can report you to the police - as I have the original receipts PLUS receipt for the money I paid to get the phone back PLUS copy of your document as the device vendor ... or you can choose to return the money that you received from the shop and I will call it quits.
- Do whatever you want. I did nothing wrong.
We hung up the phone and I wonder just how stupid I must seem - or how stupid this boy is ...
In less than five minutes he calls back:
- Look, I did not steal the phone.
- ok
- But nobody will believe me
- ok
- And I never stepped into a police station before. my dad will kill me.
- ok...
- I will pay for the phone
And I was so amazingly generous, I even gave him 20 days to get the money, as he had already spent the cash he received for it...
