The chase
Stanley woke up to the sound of his alarm. It was going to be a big day for him and the firm he worked for. As he stood up from his bed to stretch, he got a call from his colleague, Mark.
"It's pretty early in the morning to call, Mark" Stanley said.
"I wanted to make sure you were awake. Today is a huge day. The investors are already in town. Is the report ready? Are you ready for the presentation?" Mark asked
"Yes, everything is ready. I'm set. We're good to go" Stanley replied.
"Great. Everything is dependent on that presentation. Now go get dressed and get yourself to work asap" Mark said.
Stanley got into the shower, freshened up and got dressed. He put his laptop in his bag and stepped out, headed to work.
He took a bus as usual. He kept his bag by his side while he tried to rehearse his presentation. When he got to the bus stop, he came down from the bus while he was still engrossed in his mind with things about the presentation.
He began walking to the firm where he worked when he suddenly realized that he wasn't holding his bag. He forgot it on the bus. His heart skipped a bit. He could feel his chest tighten. His laptop was in that bag. Every important document and report for the firm was in that laptop. He turned back and saw that the bus had already left and was far gone.
He looked at his watch. He has only 20 minutes before the time for the presentation. He couldn't afford to be late. His job was at stake.
He decided to look for that bus. So he entered a taxi going to the destination he thought the bus would stop at next. He was already sweating profusely despite the fact that it was cold weather.
His phone rang. It was Mark.
"Where are you man? You're supposed to be here by now" Mark said.
"I know but something happened" Stanley said.
"What happened?" Mark asked.
"I was already close to the firm but I forgot my bag containing my laptop in the bus I entered" Stanley said.
"You did what? This is a big problem. We can't afford any mess up today. The investors just arrived and we are getting them settled. It will soon be time for the presentation" Mark said, obviously distressed.
"I'm trying to get it. I'll call you soon" Stanley said.
Stanley was running out of time, and with every minute that passed, he got more nervous.
He got to the next stop where the bus was supposed to be. It wasn't there. He saw a man sitting nearby and decided to ask him a question.
"Excuse me sir. Did you see a yellow bus stop here?"
"Yes. It dropped some passengers and left not long ago" the man said.
Stanley got in the taxi and began to make his way to the next stop. He was worried that someone would see the bag and decide to steal, but he tried to stay positive.
As he approached the next stop, he could see the bus.
"Please hurry up sir. I need to catch up to that bus before it leaves" Stanley said to the taxi driver.
As soon as he got to the stop, Stanley ran out and rushed into the bus. He quickly went to the place he sat and he couldn't find his bag. His heart sank. He was devastated. He didn't know what he was going to do or say to his employers, and he was running out of time.
The bus driver saw him and wondered what he was looking for.
"What are you looking for sir?" The driver asked
"I'm looking for my bag. I forgot it here" Stanley said.
"Is it this bag?" The driver asked, bringing out Stanley's bag from his side.
"Yes that's the one" Stanley said with so much relief.
"I saw it there and I decided to keep it in case the owner came looking for it" said the driver
"That's very kind of you. Thank you very much" Stanley replied.
"But how do I know you're the owner of this bag?" the bus driver asked out of curiosity.
"Oh! There's a grey laptop in it and a bunch of papers" Stanley replied.
The driver opened it and confirmed that what Stanley said was true. Then he handed the bag over to Kelvin.
Stanley rushed to work. He was in a race against time. As soon as the investors and everyone at the company were seated and ready to listen to the presentation, Stanley walked in, ready to present. Eventually, he gave an amazing presentation.