The Lost Phone

Mia stopped at the supermarket on her way home from work. She had a shopping list on her phone, but by the time she reached the till, she was carrying bread, apples and a bottle of milk in both hands. She put her phone beside the card reader so that she could pay.

Outside, Mia wanted to call her brother. She searched the pocket of her coat, then her handbag. She found her keys and an apple that had fallen out of the shopping bag, but no phone. She checked the pavement behind her. Nothing.

Her first thought was that somebody might have taken it. Then she remembered using her phone to check the shopping list just before paying. She went back into the supermarket and explained the problem to the cashier.

“Was it a black phone?” he asked. Mia nodded. He looked beside the card reader, moved a long receipt and picked up the phone. Mia felt relieved. The cashier said that several customers had left things on the counter that day because the shop was busy.

On her way out, Mia put the phone in the small zipped pocket inside her bag. She called her brother from outside the door, and he answered with a laugh. “Lost something again?” he asked. “Not for long,” Mia said. She checked the pocket once more before heading home.