It's such a sinking feeling when you step out of a taxi and realize that your phone is sitting in the back seat just as it pulls away. You borrow your friend's phone and call your phone, only to hear it ring until it goes to voice mail. You do this several more times until the phone stops ringing and goes straight to voice mail, signaling that the cabbie has located the phone and you aren't getting it back.
Then the next time you are in a taxi and see the row of phones lining the dash you can't help but be suspicious. It's like a trophy case beeping and blinking at you. You imagine your phone on someone else's dashboard and wonder if that guy even felt a small twinge of guilt as he was turning your phone off. You suspect that you know the answer to that.
My colleague took a taxi from island side to Kowloon and left his very expensive work phone in the back seat. When he attempted to call it, the phone went straight to voice mail. Then ten minutes later his phone called back. The cabbie had been in the tunnel and heard a beep when he emerged. He drove all the way back to return the phone and only wanted the fare in exchange. He finally agreed to half of the reward he was being offered, though it took some convincing. And just like that my faith in the world was restored.
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