A purse and not-so-good memory

I have been on a quest for jeans this week. The boys are in school and I have few hours of me time.

I was in a dressing room yesterday trying on dozens of jeans (yet to find what I like) and I heard some store employees arguing. I finished up, came out of the dressing room, looked up and saw a familiar face.

A face that put a pit in my stomach and brought back a not-so-good day for me.

Let me take you back a couple of years...

Brayden had a really rough few months, my spirit was low and Brayden's needs seemed to keeping growing and growing. To cheer me up, Jeremy ordered a designer handbag as a surprise for me. It was delivered in a big box right to my front door.

Carter and Luke were in school so Brayden and I headed out for some shopping (the best way to break-in a new purse). Brayden was heading to the hospital the following day for more tests so I needed some retail therapy. I was headed to check out and I realized my new purse was gone...not hanging on the back of Brayden's wheelchair. I panicked. Not only was the several hundred dollar purse and my wallet gone, but Brayden's medical papers, test orders, etc. were in that bag.

I just wanted one day of no stress. It seemed like we were going on months and months of stress with Brayden.

I immediately went to customer service. I explained to them the purse and even drew them a picture. The store manager and a couple of workers were on the floor with me looking for my bag. NO bag to be found.

I left that store and ran to the one I was in previously. At that customer service desk, I frantically explained my lost purse. They did not have it. A woman in line approached me. She had turned in my purse at the other store. I asked her to walk there with me and she did.

We walked into the store. She said that she turned in the purse to the woman at the customer service desk...the SAME woman I drew a picture for. We walked up and asked for the purse again.

The customer service woman's reply, "Oh, I did not know you meant that purse." And she pulled it out for behind the desk. Clearly she did not intend to give to me...aka she was stealing it.

I hugged the stranger that turned in my purse and helped me get it back.

I grabbed my purse, incredibly flustered...the kind of flustered where you are going to scream or cry. I spoke to the store manager and he did not show much concern.

I stormed out of the store.

Flash forward to this week. I am coming out of the dressing room and there is the customer service woman who tried to steal my purse.

I left the store (without a good pair of jeans).

As a side note, the week that the purse went missing, I did call the district manager for the store a few times and nothing ever came of it.