I exit the vehicle and instantly got mesmerized by the restaurant's exterior. When friends from Tijuana recommended Restaurante Cien Años for their "Chiles en Nogada," I know I must not miss this iconic, patriotic Mexican dish, served only at autumn time.
It wasn't long before I realized I left my wallet in the Uber car back seat - with all my debit and credit cards, cash and Malaysian permit and residence access cards in it. But the car has already sped off and the driver isn't reachable through the app's call function.
I tried to whatsapp his number, but he isn't on the messaging app. I called my colleague Jose Angel and asked for help. He can't reach the driver either. I ran out of options. I reported the issue to Uber’s Customer service and prayed and waited.
I had time to think, evaluating my options. I am coming back to Malaysia in 2 days. Without cash and my bank cards, how will I be able to return? My hotel bill isn't a small amount to settle.
I keep gloom scrolling my Uber app. The trip's time stamp to the restaurant says: 13 Sep 26, 13:55. There it is - my "cloud by day" and "pillar of fire by night" - those numerals 1 and 3, what I always joked as my lucky #13 - the number that weirdly shows up every time I am in a predicament - to give me comfort and assurance that God is there, that He is near! This number has always been my companion in seemingly no-win situations, acting as my "highway marker," pointing me to the right direction.
I said a little prayer again. I reminded myself, “God, you’ve been faithful before, and you’ll be faithful again.” For this reason, I wasn’t overly worried. When Jose Angel and his wife, Salome arrived at The Cien Años to pick me up, the first thing I blurted isn’t the missing wallet but, "the kitchen is closing in 15 minutes and I will miss the chiles en nogada." 😂
At this time, I got notified by the app that the driver has found my missing wallet, but his phone remains unreachable. There’s no guarantee I will get it back. And there’s no communication line. I can only wait for the driver to reach out to me. I said a little prayer yet again.
“Whenever I find myself stuck in a predicament, the number 13 unexpectedly appears on my screen like a divine guide, reassuring me of God's comforting presence and direction.”
Eventually, we decided to head back to the hotel and while we are enjoying our chiles en nogada takeouts, I received a whatsapp message from the driver. At his end, he told me that a gentleman after me had taken my wallet and he had to go back to his house to ask for it - a whole adventure! 😅 At 5:45pm, I got my wallet back — everything intact!
Truly, our God is mighty to save and He is still in the business of finding the lost - may it be souls or someone's wallet! Glory to His name!
Thank you, Angel and Salome for staying with me on this eventful day!😁
Oh..by the way, forget about tacos. The chiles en nogada is my new favorite Mexican dish. And aptly so — because it marks the Thanksgiving and the traditional celebration of the autumn harvest.