Magic Lantern

Magic Lantern

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Cat Pagano - Keys and Strangers

Dear Reilly Flaherty,
I found your wallet and your drivers license had your address so here's your credit cards and other important stuff. I kept the cash because I needed weed, the metro card because well the fare's $2.75 now, and the wallet cause it's kinda cool. Enjoy the rest of your day.
Toodles,
Anonymous

Interactions between people can often be unexpected. Bizarre really. This correspondence between an average Joe and someone who seems to be a homeless man is no exception. It happens. Wallets are stolen all the time. Unusual, though, is the fact that someone found a wallet, kept the contents (and the wallet itself) yet returned the owner’s driver’s license and credit cards – that is just not something that happens every day. Isn’t it somewhat charming? He was genuine and earnest with his reasoning for everything. In the strangest way, it kind of restored my faith in humanity. A man with nothing to his name could still find the decency within him to return the (partial) belongings of a man he doesn’t even know? Now, that’s pretty cool. Questionable as to why, but after reading this letter, the first object I thought of was a key. After thinking more deeply about it, a key is a symbol of trust. Keys open and close the barriers between houses, cars, jewelry boxes, and success. Some may start with a certain silver sparkle only to fade while others maintain their polish and shine. You wouldn’t just give the key of your car to anyone – it would only go to someone you trust. Although they didn’t know each other, the average Joe and this anonymous homeless man exchanged a possession. They now share a trust and more figuratively, a key.

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