Checking the Cart for a Missing Wallet After Work

Checking the Cart for a Missing Wallet After Work

I was at the grocery store after work, looking for pasta, when I realized my wallet was gone. Not just missing—someone had taken it. I kept checking the same cart over and over. The aisles mixed with my office hallway, fluorescent lights buzzing. A coworker from accounting was there, or maybe it was my neighbor; same face, different voice. He said the police had already been through, that there was a theft last week, but nobody would tell me what was stolen. I tried to call my partner and my phone wouldn’t unlock. I ran toward customer service but my legs barely moved. The cashier asked if I had seen the person in the gray coat. I hadn’t. I felt this tight, guilty panic like I was supposed to know something. When I woke up I still wanted to check my bag.