Trials and tribulations

My dad always says, "If it weren't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all." Of course I tend to agree to with that statement. However, I also always feel that just when things are going good, the bad is right around the corner. Case in point for me. Every time things start going my way, something always seems to go wrong. I have been battling with all of my health problems and I finally had surgery. I am so happy with the progress I am making and that I trullt believe that this was a big part of my pain issues. I have been feeling great and happy. But that fell to pieces yesterday. I don't know if I will ever get back to where I was emotionally. I feel that I have been violated and don't really know how to go on.
Let me explain. This week I have had various training seminars and meetings for the start of the new school year. Tuesday afternoon I had to go to one of the local high schools and get a physical in order to be eligible to drive one of our vans that we use to take my class on outings in the community each week. On my way home home I stopped at Aldi discount grocery to pick up some much needed toilet paper. As usual I ended up getting a few more things and was trying to juggle getting everything in the grocery bag and return my wallet to my purse. I went home and went about my evening. The next day my assistant picked me up at 7:45 am and we headed to our big opening day staff meeting. We left there early in the afternoon because I was scheduled to see the surgeon for a follow up. I soon discovered that I had missed a call on my cell and that my appointment had been canceled. I arrived home and checked my voice mail. The manager from Aldi's called to say they had my wallet in their office. I didn't even realize that it was missing. So I grabbed my purse and headed to pick it up. What ensued has been nothing but aa nightmare for me.
I got my wallet and as anyone would do opened it to check it. To my absolute dismay my check/debit card was missing. So my next stop was to the nearest branch of my banking institution. As the woman behind the counter accessed my account she quietly whispered, "Do you know your account is overdrawn?" I looked at her and asked how could that be. The next thing I know I am sitting in an office going over printouts and finding out what I needed to do to get my money back.
So, today I have done nothing but track down all of the spending someone did at my expense. Between overdraft charges and the fraudulant charges, I was looking at the majority of my paycheck that is too be deposited tomorrow will be gone. All though the woman helped me file disputes to the charges that have posted to my account, I was offended by how she had treated me the night before. That could be another entire blog. So I ended up calling an 800 number for the bank after they so graciously left me an automated message this morning that there was a problem with my account. After talking with 2 different services reps during the day, whom were both very nice and understanding, the secon one put me through to the fraud center. The woman I then spoke with was so helpful. By 7:30 tonight she had called me back and let me know that she had pushed through some bureaucratic red tape and is getting everything refunded to my acoount over the next few days. The people at the bank said it could take 10 business days to get a response. That meant the end of the month. How do they expect me to live for the next two weeks? I mentioned my disappointment with the banking center to Sharon. She was very upset and apologized profuely and said she would be looking into the matter.
I also have been calling the stores where the purchases were made. One was at the JC Penney;s in the mall. The store manager was very helpful. She called me back to let me know that she had found the transaction and had an electronic copy of the signature. She left it for me in the catalogue department and I picked it up. I have also filed two police reports with the local police department. The second being an addendum to the first. Walmart requires a police report before they will assist you in a matter like this. When I talked with my supervisor from work today she let me knoow that she had dealt with a similar situation. She was very surprised at the progress I had made today. I am proud of myself also but it still hurts. Someone was out there for a few hours pretending to be me. My sister is hoping that we will get the person on a camera from one of the stores. I hope the same thing but that doesn't mean that they will ever catch the person. How I dropped my wallet, I will never know. Being that I had been carrying it in my left hand and I was having problems with numbness in that hand at the time, it is no wonder I didn't feel that I had dropped it. Also, we all know how my memory is lately. I have said nothing of this experience to my parents. Part of me wants to have it resolved before I tell them. the other part of me is scared that they will be disappointed in me that I could have not realized I had dropped it.