* Feature image uses photos by Nathan Dumlao and Emil Kalibradov on Unsplash.
Losing your wallet is one of the most annoying and frustrating things that can happen, especially when that wallet contains cash or checks that you need to make ends meet. When that happens, it can actually be devastating.
Luckily, while one young man who lost his wallet on a plane, he was blessed to get it back -- with a little something extra!
A Lost Wallet's Improbable Journey back to Its Shocked Owner
Twenty-year-old Hunter Shamatt was traveling to attend his sister’s wedding in Las Vegas when he made the mistake of leaving his wallet on the plane. The billfold contained his photo ID, debit card, $60 in cash, and a not-yet-deposited paycheck from his work.
Like most people in this situation, Hunter's stomach dropped when he realized it was gone. Worried, he turned to his parents for advice.
Hunter’s mother, Jeannie Shamatt, immediately sprang into action
She and Hunter called the airline and asked if the wallet had been turned in to someone. The customer service agents promised to keep them posted if it turned up, but there was no sign of the billfold yet. The Shamatts feared the wallet was lost forever... until something strange happened.
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A package showed up a few days later at their door, inside it was Hunter’s wallet! Everything was just how he left it, with one notable exception. Now, instead of $60 cash, the wallet held $100!
Hunter and his mom also found a handwritten note from the person who had returned it:
“Found this on a Frontier flight from Omaha to Denver-row 12, seat F wedged between the seat and wall,” the note read. “Thought you might want it back. All the best. PS: I rounded your cash up to an even $100 so you could celebrate getting your wallet back. Have fun!!!"
The wonderful note was only signed with the initials T.B., but Jeannie and Hunter wanted to track down the lovely soul who had helped them.
A Mother and Son's Journey to Find the Good Samaritan Who Returned a Wallet
Jeannie shared the touching story on her Facebook, including a photo of the note she and her son found. The post went viral and was shared thousands of times. Not only that, it also helped the family track down the good samaritan!
His name was Todd Brown, and he wasn’t sure the wallet and all of its contents would actually get back to Hunter if he gave it to the flight crew. So, he decided to return it himself, and have a little fun doing it!
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“I saw he was just a kid, 20 years old," Brown said. "He had a paycheck in there, so I figured, ‘Well, he’s doing his best to make ends meet,’ but I was 20 once and that’s a lot of money for a kid. I wanted to have a little fun, I wanted him to have a little fun. I imagined what it would be like to get your wallet back, so I added a little bit so he could celebrate.”
Good deeds like Todd's are not always about sacrifice or sadness. Like him, we can all inject some fun and playfulness into our acts of kindness. You never know who you’ll help!
