Few experiences are sadder than those of a Ukrainian who arrives at a Ukrainian food store located at an hour’s drive from her house and realizes that she left her wallet at home.

All this food – so near, yet so far away. Oh, the pain, oh, the cruel disappointment.

13 responses to “The Cruelty of Fate”

  1. Stringer Bell Avatar
    Stringer Bell

    Can you ask them for credit? Surely you’re a frequent customer there.

    I wouldn’t walk away after driving for an hour without talking to the store owner.

    Like

    1. Clarissa Avatar

      Shit, I should have posted this before leaving.

      Yes, this is a brilliant idea but I’m a slow thinker and now I’m back home without my food.

      Like

      1. Stringer Bell Avatar
        Stringer Bell

        That has happened to me before at an Indian grocery store and the owners were more than happy to extend me credit. The only time ethnic solidarity has been of any use to me in america. 😀

        Like

  2.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    Fate could have been even more cruel. Suppose you’d been pulled over by a policeman for driving while blonde, and he’d discovered that you were driving without your driver’s license (which is presumably in your wallet)? N might have had to bail you out of jail! 🙂

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  3. Dreidel Avatar
    Dreidel

    Fate could gave been worse. Suppose a cop had pulled you over for driving while blonde, and then discovered that you didn’t have your driver’s license in the car. N might have had to post bond for you! 🙂

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    1. Clarissa Avatar

      I know! I was very worried that this would have to be the first time ever that I’d be asked to show my licence. That would have been really bad luck.

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    2.  Avatar
      Anonymous

      What happens in these cases? In Canada, we are given 24 hours to show up at a police station with a driver’s license

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      1. Clarissa Avatar

        I don’t think anything would have happened. Law enforcement people tend to love me. St Louis is such a high crime area that I can’t imagine anybody wanting to bother with my license.

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  4. cliff arroyo Avatar

    All that salo….. alone, lonely, uneaten…..

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    1. Clarissa Avatar

      The goal of today’s trip was actually the virtuous tvorog.

      Like

  5. Dreidel Avatar
    Dreidel

    “What happens in these cases?”

    In America, it’s up to the cop’s discretion. If you look innocent and harmless, the cop may let you off with a warning. If you look suspicious for ANY reason, the cop can detain you for a background check, or issue a citation.

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    1. Clarissa Avatar

      If there is anything I know how to do is to look innocent. 🙂

      Like

  6. Jones Avatar
    Jones

    You have only one wallet?

    If I’m able to wear my backpack or travel jacket, I have at least one more wallet with cash in it, and sometimes two. Travel enough in places without easy bank card acceptance and you’ll get used to multiple wallets as well as having plenty of cash on hand.

    Or you could simply chain one of these things to one of the supporting structures in your car boot and leave it adequately stocked …

    http://www.pacsafe.com/travelsafe-5l-portable-safe.html

    (they also make a larger one, and I’ve seen these for sale at Ellis Brigham in the UK, although the lock they include with it is a bit crap for my purposes …)

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A conservative literary critic and college professor