I waited in the hotel lobby, which was on the 39th floor. It was somewhat confusing as back in India, hotel lobbies would always be on the ground floor.

It was a dinner meeting and I was excited to meet my client Luciano, who was more of a friend.

“Wait for me in the lobby, I will come and get you” texted Luciano.

I was in Nanjing, to attend a trade fair. After 6 hours of walking and having several short meetings at the fair, I was completely exhausted.

I wanted to just crash even if it was just for a while. Somehow, I found a perfect place in the lobby.

A tall single-seater sofa was literally calling me towards it.

It was the most comfortable thing I knew at the moment and without caring much about my formals or the etiquette to be followed in a 5-star hotel, I slowly sank into it.

Ting! rang my phone, a WhatsApp from Luciano “can you come to the restaurant on the 61st floor”.

“Sure” I texted back as I gathered myself pulled up my pants a little and walked to lift. Excitement was building up just at the rate at which this high-speed lift was climbing floors.

The doors quietly opened and there he stood. Luciano was my friend from Italy.

He was tall, and fair, had white hair and looked classy yet casual in his Jeans and loafers. The calm on his face and his eyes easily hid the fact that even at 63 years of age, he was a black belt in karate.

.

I would usually oscillate between calling him “Luciano” and “Sir. He was easily the oldest person I would have the privilege of calling my “friend”. We shook hands and hugged.

We were both really happy to see each other. “So how was your day?” Busy aah, busy is good”. “And how was yours?” I asked. “Ah not so busy for me, shall we take a table? ”.

We took a table next to the window. The view of the city from the 61st floor was phenomenal. The place looked rather upmarket.

I hadn’t had a good vegetarian meal in china so far. “This is a 5-star, there has got to be something in this huge ass menu for me, if nothing there will surely be pizza,” I said to myself.

I removed my jacket and emptied my pockets to remove my phone and wallet, as I usually do to sit more comfortably.

My wallet! It struck me, wasn’t there in my back pocket.

I checked my coat followed by my bag. It was nowhere. I freaked out a little on the inside and looked at Luciano, who curiously just looked back at me. He knew what had happened, but maintained a surprised look.

“I can’t seem to find my wallet,” I checked every pocket and my bag once again, thoroughly enough before I announced “It’s not there”. “where did you last see it,” asked Luciano and we went through the regular series of questions, but it was just not there.

I wasn’t thinking of where I lost it anymore, but rather what was in it. All my credit cards and all my cash was in it. Carrying all that cash in my wallet was a foolish stake.

.

I was immediately disappointed. Then remembered that I stood for a long time at the exit of the trade fair, chatting with some people. There were so many people there and this is china.

“I think I got mugged,” I told him as I looked out of the window. I could see the exit gate of the trade fair, which was about 500 Metres from the hotel, from the window itself. It was still crowded.

“It’s okay, It happens”. I said, trying to calm myself down. Luciano stayed silent. “It’s not okay and it does not happen if you are careful enough” he must have said within.

But He knew he couldn’t do much at the moment and gave me time to absorb the fact that I had just lost my wallet on day 2 of my arrival in china.

Once I sat back in my seat wondering what to do now, came to his very timely response “Maybe you should block your credit cards”.

Yes, and No I said to myself. Blocking credit cards is something you do when you’ve lost all hope of finding your wallet.

“Hello Sir, My name is Graham Hewitt, I am the General Manager of this hotel.” said this gentleman respectfully as he smilingly approached our table.

“You seem worried. Can I help in any way?”

In a crisp grey suit, having a genuinely concerned smile on his face and with his half-rimmed glasses, he definitely looked like the General Manager.

He was white and bald and his accent instantly revealed that he was British.

He seemed in his late 50s and I felt a bit weird when he called me sir. “I.. I think I lost my wallet, but it’s fine, thank y..”.

.

“Where did you lose it, sir,” he asked before I could thank him for his concern.

“I don’t know, I had it when I exited the fair, and then I walked to this hotel. Maybe someone flicked it at the exit, it was crowded. But really thank y..”

“Could you show me the path you walked on sir” he cut me off again. “Show you the path?

How? ” I said in a confused tone. “What can he do anyway, trying to make brownie points by showing fake concern towards the guests ”

I thought dismissing him in my head. “From right here, just the window, which side of the road did you walk on?” He seemed committed to helping.

“I came out of THAT exit, walked a bit, then crossed the road and walked straight up to the hotel,” I said while pointing out the path on which I walked, from the window of the 61st floor.

I was a bit amused for a second, but the man looked focused. Luciano merely nodded as if acknowledging the concern displayed by this gentleman and empathising with me for my loss.

“I will go for a walk on that path sir and see if I can find it,” said the man rather confidently. It was a rather stupid idea.

“It wouldn’t have just fallen while I walked and even if it did someone would have already picked it up by now,” I told him smilingly, this time sincerely thanking him, for his concern and offer to help, as I realized was genuine.

“There is a small chance sir and It’s a rather short walk, I will be back in about 20 minutes, maybe I find it. Please enjoy your dinner” He smiled once again and left us stunned.

.

“Crazy man” laughed Luciano as he looked at the menu. He was starting to get hungry. “Maybe he does find it”.

I was still stunned at what had just happened. I was amazed to see the extent to which
this man was ready to help.

I felt rather guilty having the General Manager of the hotel, a rather old Gentleman; go out to look for my wallet on the road, while I shamelessly ordered some fine pizza. “But it was his call,” I thought and I opened the menu.

My mind was still stuck on him “Are these English etiquettes or is this the hospitality standard of the Hotel chain or was he just a different person? A good person.

But do such good people even exist?” These were some of the questions that circled me when I found the only veg pizza on the menu. Meanwhile, Luciano was ready with his 3-course order.

Mugging doesn’t really happen in china, are you sure you saw it last at the exit” said Luciano as we went on to talk about it for a few minutes.

The sofa! screamed me “The sofa on the ground floor where I waited for you Maybe I left it there”. I had a strong feeling it could be there. I was literally sleeping on that sofa plus the habit to empty my pockets to get that extra comfort.

“Can I go and check, I will be right back?” I said while I got up from the table “Of course, please go” said Luciano almost praying that I find my wallet so that we may start talking on a happier note.

.

I walked fast and straight into the elevator. “If no one picked it from there, it’s got to be there, I have a solid chance” My heart almost sank this time with the speeding elevator.

Everything would be just fine if I find it there. The lift gently came to a halt, 39th Floor, the door opened, and to my amazement, stood Mr Graham Hewitt, with my wallet in his hand and a big smile on his face.

“I knew you would find” I shouted. “Wherever it was, you would somehow find..” … “No No No, I didn’t find it” he cut me again courteously. “you left it in the lobby on that sofa.

Someone handed it over to the reception”.

I knew exactly what had happened but I let him go on.

“As soon as I came down, and asked the reception if they knew anything about a black wallet, they placed it right on my palm. I didn’t even have to walk it”.

What an egoless man! my mind whispered.

“Thank you so much, Sir, I really appreciate your help,” I said smiling. I knew it was all sorted now.

“It’s your lucky day I guess” he smiled back at me and blinked both his eyes. I went on to have a look at that damn sofa “yes that’s how it happened. Mystery solved” I thought.

I was elated. He accompanied me back to the elevator. Once again my heartbeat was matching the speed of the elevator.

I had lost all hope and then found my wallet back. Luciano was patiently waiting and I proudly waved my wallet from a distance, while we walked to the table.

.

Mr Hewitt walked right beside me. “You found it, you found it” shouted an excited Luciano just as how I had done a few minutes back.

That’s the confidence we had subconsciously developed in this gentleman within minutes of meeting him. Mr Hewitt corrected Luciano and explained once again rather respectfully and with a smile, the story and the fact that he deserved no credit.

“But you are a good man Sir,” Said Luciano. And he repeated it while I nodded and Mr Hewitt very humbly accepted the compliments. “Please enjoy your evening sir” Mr Hewitt smiled and took our leave.

We were highly impressed by this man, his will to help and the extent to which he was ready to go.

“The best part was, he didn’t send anyone else to look for it, He said that he would go himself,” said Luciano while our dishes got served.

We forgot the wallet or the fact that we found it, and we just spoke about this man – Graham Hewitt, General Manager of Fairmont Nanjing.

Highly inspired by him, we praised him amongst ourselves several times before we finally broke into our business talks.

.

I finished my dinner, and bid farewell to Luciano. “Keep it in the front pocket” Luciano gave some parting advice.

Once again the elevator sank and I hoped to meet Mr Hewitt one last time if I could. He was not there at the reception anymore.

It was late, perhaps he had left. I remembered that I had gotten some small Indian tea packets to gift to some Industry friends at the Expo.

I pulled one out of my bag, put my business card inside it and also added a small note with it, before handing it over at the reception.

“Dear Mr Hewitt, It was a pleasure meeting you today. Many Thanks once again for your gesture to help out with my wallet.

Here is a small token of thanks – some Masala Tea from India. I will fondly remember this
incident and if I ever choose to stay at any Fairmont property, it will be because of you. Best regards

I wrote about how I felt about his gesture, what I couldn’t say to him then and thanked him one last time in my note.

The rest was my learning, which I added to my definition of what a thorough gentleman is and I haven’t thanked him yet for that.

But they don’t do it for anything in return anyway, do they?

I think meeting a really nice gentleman is like what I felt.

You get it but you don’t always “get” it.
Got it ;)?
KG/ 25 July 2018

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Author – Kanav Gupta (KG)

Note*

Okhvicky – I would like to thank Mr Kanav Gupta for donating his writings to (reviewtestify). As a result, he taught us how to be thankful and proved that there are still good people in this world.

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