THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, August 11, 1995 TAG: 9508090149
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
Keri Carlsen will always remember the trip she took with friends to California.
She had a great time, but that's not why the trip was memorable.
It's because she learned a lesson about responsibility and kindness from someone she never met.
The 16-year-old daughter of Pam and David Carlsen of Deep Creek went on vacation to California with her friend's family from June 19 to July 2.
The summer before, Keri had earned enough money at an office furniture business to finance her trip to the West Coast.
For most of the two weeks, Keri's trip to California was ideal, she said. She, her friend and her friend's parents toured and visited scores of top tourist spots. Everything went smoothly until June 28, the next-to-the-last day of the trip, when they were visiting San Francisco.
``We were in a shopping area at Fisherman's Wharf,'' she explained. ``I took my wallet out to buy something, but I was in a hurry and I was rushing myself. Later, I checked my pocket and found my wallet wasn't there. We made a big fuss about it and called the police. We thought I had left it somewhere and then someone else came along and just took it.''
Needless to say, Keri was heartbroken. Up until then, her first trip to California was going wonderfully and now she had lost her wallet with $220 in cash of her hard-earned spending money, all of her identification cards and even a season's pass to the King's Dominion theme park in Doswell.
``At first I didn't cry,'' she said. ``But as soon as I talked to my dad, I started crying. I was afraid he would fuss at me, but he was calm and assured me everything was OK.''
``When she called, she was crying,'' said mom Pam Carlsen. ``I think she thought we would be mad at her. We just told her it was all right and that she learned a valuable lesson to always, always make sure your money and wallet are secure and never keep all of your money in one place.''
``My mom said if your never lose your wallet again then this was money well spent,'' the rising Deep Creek High School senior said. ``I think my positive attitude paid off.''
And pay off it did.
On Saturday, July 8, Keri met the mailman at the door of her family's Deep Creek home. She saw there was a package for her and ripped it open as quickly as she could. Much to her and her family's surprise, the mysterious package contained her lost wallet with all her ID cards intact, including the King's Dominion pass.
Looking at how thin the wallet seemed though, Keri figured at first that the returned wallet did not contain the more than $200 she had lost. How wrong she was.
``Instead of cash, the person who found the wallet sent me a money order for $220,'' Keri said.
``That was such a wonderful thing to do,'' Pam Carlsen said. ``That was on the other side of the world as far as we were concerned and this complete stranger takes it upon himself to mail all of her money back in a money order.''
Keri and her family were delighted to find a handwritten note from her mysterious benefactor slipped inside the mailing package.
It was from a Thomas C. Asuncion Jr. from San Francisco.
``The package was dated the day I lost my wallet,'' Keri said. ``The note inside itemized everything in the wallet. It had a P.S. that said, `Be careful in the future,' and then a P.P.S. that said, `Surprise! You got your money back. Yes, there are good people in this world.' ''
To say the least, Keri said she was very surprised to get her wallet and money back. And very surprised that there are still people like Thomas Asuncion in the world.
``It was cool what he did,'' she said. ``Way cool.''
``I was personally touched,'' Pam Carlsen added. ``I just can't tell you what this meant to Keri and to all of us.''
In her gratitude, Keri wrote Asuncion back, sending him a money order for $25 to help cover his expenses for sending the wallet back and as a small reward. She also wrote him a note that said: ``I don't know how to thank you. Words can't express my gratitude.''
But the story didn't end there.
Last week, Keri received another letter from Asuncion. Apparently, she had made a new friend and touched the heart of a kind stranger in California.
``Thank you much for the very heartwarming letter,'' Asuncion wrote. ``Your words had opened great emotional feelings in me which I never felt before and will be remembered in my heart for a lifetime. You know, the feeling of just plain goodness.''
Asuncion's letter suggested that if Keri and her family were to ever visit San Francisco, they should look him up. He said he would try to visit them if he ever made his way east.
Finally, he ended his letter with a postscript: ``I hope I made a new friend.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by STEVE EARLEY
Keri Carlsen, 16, lost her wallet in San Francisco while on
vacation.
by CNB