So we were all set. We had our Subs Your Way sandwiches (a Subway knockoff, if you couldn't tell) and we were all heading out to the beach to hear a little music and eat and enjoy the sunset. We pulled up and were the only car in the area, no big surprise. We headed in and Grant went to chat with Inofo as I got the kids settled at a table and pulled out the food. There were some island boys swimming in the little ocean pool and we exchanged "hellos". They asked, "are you guys going to swim or just here for a little bit?" It seemed a totally normal question to me, at least here in Samoa. People here in Samoa are, for the most part, extremely social and friendly. I dare you to find a group of people more smiley and jokey and conversational. It is extremely easy to start up conversations and so that is what I always expect. So I figured this kid was just curious about our evening plans, "Um, no swimming for us tonight. We're going to listen to music and eat and hang out for awhile" More pleasantries and then they left.
About 10 minutes later I heard raised voices and lots of commotion. Grant came over and told me someone just told him that a kid ran away from our car carrying a little black purse. Um, what??? Turns out that "friendly" boy was trying to figure out how much time he had to scope out our car. I had decided to leave my backpack in the car (which I never do) because I had a beach bag and the food bag and I figured I had everything I needed in the beach bag. Well, I forgot my wallet was in the backpack AND we left the car unlocked. I'll admit I'm really bad about locking my car. I almost never do it. Back home it's always unlocked. My philosophy is, hey, if you really want some dirty toddler shoes, a half eaten granola bar, some kids books and some old 90s CDS, have at it! I never leave valuables in my car, so I never worry about locking. But this time I had made a mistake.
Immediately I felt that horrible sinking feeling when the people around me started asking, "was that your black purse?" "was there anything valuable in it?" Yep, about 50 bucks cash, my ID and all my credit cards and debit card! There were a couple of other young boys and an older lady who were watching the boys that stole my wallet. Initially she thought it was their car, but then saw them run away. Also a man running for Congress was there and I'm not sure what he saw, but he was very helpful. Inofo immediatly called the police and everyone was speaking loudly in Samoan so it was a little strange for me. Inofo and the other lady, in a conversation of mixed English and Samoan, realized they knew the boy and his parents and even knew where he lived. That is one thing about living on a small island with virtually no tourists, everyone knows everyone! Really, they do. The police showed up fairly quickly and first asked, "how could you leave the car unlocked?" and then asked, "Oh so you removed the tint off the windows?" Um, what? Can you please just help me! You see we bought our FJ cruiser from a police officer here on island and the windows were tinted so dark that we could not see at all when driving at night, so we had them removed. Anyway, they took a statement from me and took pictures of the car, and apparently they knew the boy too. Everyone left, and while I was hopeful because they seemed to know who it was, it was hard to stay positive because I know how things work around here. Things move at a different speed and don't always follow a set protocol. I didn't know if the police were even going to look for it. And even if they did if it was tossed in the bushes it would probably be lost forever. They place is surrounded by wild, jungly terrain. Inofo got me a glass of wine and I was soon laughing with her and her husband as he sang to us and even had a little comedy routine with a friend. They were very sweet and supportive. I went to sleep knowing that I probably needed to get a new Samoan ID and cancel all my cards and wait FOREVER for new ones, because mail here takes like 3 or 4 weeks. And the cash, I was sure, was gone.
Saturday morning I felt better, still bummed, but putting it behind me. We went to a nice breakfast at DDW. I always get my favorite island breakfast: Fried spam, rice, and tropical fruit. So good. And the kids always get the banana pancakes with fresh made banana syrup. It is SO good. Then Grant took us over to Moana O Sina. Moana O Sina is a little resort that Grant has stayed at many times here in Samoa. He always tells me how beautiful it is and how much he likes it. I knew it would be nice, but I was blown away. It's only about 10 minutes from our house, but I felt like we were a world away in our own little tropical paradise. Everything from the gardens, to the local art decor in the sitting room, the fales, the pool, everything was spotless and pristine and spectacular. American Samoa is a beautiful, beautiful place, but it is far from spotless. I was so happy to be in a place with not one piece of trash laying about. Nary a neon pink Bongo bag in sight :-). The pool had a little wading pool (perfect for Finn) with a beautiful rock waterfall and from the pool you could see over the sea cliff to the crashing waves below. It was amazing. The sea sprays were breathtaking.
After that we headed back and on the way home I got a call from the police and they found MY WALLET! I was so excited! It was at the Tafuna police station so we headed over there and I wandered through the strangest office building that looked completely deserted, kind of post apocalyptic, in fact, but I finally found a tiny room with a police officer at his desk and there was my wallet. He said the officer who found it was out, but asked me if it was mine and told me I could take it. Do I need to sign anything? Nope. Cash was gone, but all my cards and ID were there. I was one happy camper.
After that we headed back and on the way home I got a call from the police and they found MY WALLET! I was so excited! It was at the Tafuna police station so we headed over there and I wandered through the strangest office building that looked completely deserted, kind of post apocalyptic, in fact, but I finally found a tiny room with a police officer at his desk and there was my wallet. He said the officer who found it was out, but asked me if it was mine and told me I could take it. Do I need to sign anything? Nope. Cash was gone, but all my cards and ID were there. I was one happy camper.
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