It’s 1 a.m. and I’m making a call to someone I’ve never met.  The conversation goes something like this:

Me: ‘Hi, do you speak English?’

J: ‘Yes.’

‘Is this J?’

‘Yes.’

‘It seems like you may have a suitcase that’s not yours but looks like yours as we have your suitcase here.’

‘I don’t have the suitcase any more.  I gave it to the bus company and they have it.  You can collect it tomorrow after 5 a.m.  I’m at the station now.’

‘OK, great.  If you want to get a taxi over here you can get your case.’

‘Why can’t you bring it here.  Who’s fault was it that you have my case.  I didn’t pick up the wrong case and I’m leaving for Switzerland at 6 a.m.’

‘Look, I’m just saying …’

‘Well, it’s not me to blame for this, you are the one who picked the wrong case so you should bring it to me ….’

What the ?????.  At this point I gave up and told him where I thought he should go and hung up the phone.

I mean, I wasn’t there.  I was trying to help.  V & C had already paid €20 to go back to the station to try and sort it out, with no luck.  And it wasn’t like C could actually get her case back anyway as the office was closed.  And there was absolutely no need to have a go at me.  Of course, I do understand that he was a bit mad.  I would be too.  However, if you get a call to say ‘here’s your case’, I think I would do virtually anything to get it back rather than argue the toss over the telephone.

V, of course, hadn’t heard the conversation.  He thought it was just me – overtired.  He phoned.  During his conversation the guy confirmed that the suitcase he had handed in was, in fact, C’s.  And then he had the nerve to say to V that he would hop in a taxi to come and get his!  Too much!

Anyway, several conversations ensued and, at about 2 a.m. I told him that we’d take it to the station in the morning sometime and he could collect his suitcase from there.  He did apologise to me but it was really too late.  I wouldn’t tell him where we lived.  He did ask to speak to V again but I was just so angry at his rudeness.  If I had been him, I would have been so relieved that my case was reachable, I am sure I would have just said ‘OK, give me the address’.

And his 6 a.m. train?  No idea whether he went or not.  And, after his extreme rudeness, I don’t really care.  Maybe next time, before he jumps down someone’s throat, he should check that he’s a) jumping down the throat of the right person and b) not jeopardising the return of the item or whatever.

As I always say, be nice to people until you know that they are, in fact, bastards!