This is just further proof that New Yorkers are the best and worst people, all at the same time.
Reilly Flaherty was at a Wilco concert in Brooklyn when he lost his wallet. After searching the venue and his Uber for the missing wallet, he returned dejectedly to Manhattan without it.
[seealso slug=eggs-expiration-date]
"I was fairly certain [my wallet] was lost and not coming back, but I held onto a little hope that it was lost at a Wilco show in Brooklyn, and most of the people I know that are into Wilco's brand of music are generally good people," Flaherty told Mashable in an email.
"I was thinking there could be a small chance one of those people will find it and I will be reunited with my $10 Barnes & Noble gift certificate and shoe shine loyalty card," he said. "Turns out I was 50% right."
i am trying to break your heart. @wilco A photo posted by reilly flaherty (@reillyflaherty) on Feb 5, 2016 at 8:27pm PST
Over a week after Flaherty lost his wallet, he received the following note in the mail, along with his driver's license and credit cards.
thanks.. I think? A photo posted by reilly flaherty (@reillyflaherty) on Feb 15, 2016 at 5:45pm PST
The message reads,
Dear Reilly Flaherty,
I found your wallet and your drivers license and your address so here’s your credit cards and other important stuff. I kept the cash because I needed weed, the metrocard because well the fare’s $2.75 now, and the wallet cause it’s kinda cool. enjoy the rest of your day. Toodles, Anonymous
The note says a lot about New York City, with its unique mix of kindness, concern and hybrid selflessness/selfishness.
"To be honest, I was thinking this person is the Walter White of wallet returning," Flaherty told us. "They start out with seemingly good intentions, but then you quickly realize they're actually just a villain plagued with an insatiable appetite for MetroCard spending and marijuana-infused subway rides, hurting everyone they love around them."
By the time he received the note, Flaherty had already replaced his credit cards and his ID, making the whole act pretty worthless. He was not charmed by this stranger's underwhelming kindness.
"Sadly, this is the plot of Breaking Bad all over again, but instead of meth and illegal firearms, we're dealing in stolen MetroCards and vintage leather goods," he said. "If I could say one thing to this altruistic stranger, I would tell them, 'It's not your fault. It is not your fault.'"
Vince Gilligan should probably buy the rights to this entire saga immediately.
[h/t USA Today]