ConfessionsStoneMilk

3 Sept 1 min read

I FOUND A DRUNK MAN’S BAG IN A BUS AND WHAT I DID WITH IT STILL BOTHERS ME

Last weekend, I was on a bus when a man sitting beside me got down at his stop. From the way he was behaving, it was obvious he had taken more than enough alcohol. He was barely steady on his feet and kept mumbling to himself. A few minutes after the bus moved, I noticed a small bag under the seat where he had been sitting. I picked it up and realised it was filled with some of his personal belongings. I immediately thought, “This man will come back looking for this.” I told the driver about it and asked if we could keep it somewhere safe in case the man returned or someone came looking for it. Surprisingly, nobody seemed interested. The driver basically told me there was nothing he could do about it. I tried asking around and even considered taking it to the police station. But finding a police officer willing to take responsibility for a random bag on a bus became another problem entirely. Everyone kept directing me somewhere else. After going back and forth for a while, I became frustrated. I eventually put the bag inside a nearby bin and walked away. Honestly, I still feel bad about it. I know the man was responsible for leaving his belongings behind, but I keep thinking about what was inside that bag and whether he desperately needed any of it. At the same time, a strange part of me wondered if losing his things might finally make him realise how much his drinking is affecting his life. But now I keep asking myself one question… Did I do the wrong thing by throwing the bag away, or was I simply tired of trying to help when nobody else wanted to take responsibility?