On Sunday afternoon, I lost my wedding ring. It was my fault: It was too big. It's been too big the entire time I've had it. It was a platinum band with gypsy-set diamonds interspersed all the way around. The jeweler who designed it said it couldn't be sized without ruining the design, so I got it a size too big, figuring I'd gain weight over the course of my marriage.
Oops.
So usually I hold it on with my engagement ring, which is also too big. (That will soon be rectified.) On Sunday, I wore just my wedding band. And I tried on a pair of running shoes at Dick's Sporting Goods in Lee's Summit, MO. I think my band fell off in the shoes. Why? Because when I called all the places I'd been on Sunday, the cashier told me she'd received a call from someone who said they'd found a ring that looked like a wedding band in a pair of shoes they bought on Sunday. Unfortunately, that person didn't leave a name and number.
This morning I got all this information. I called around, and then finally The Editor Across the Aisle said, "Look, you should go down there." So I did. For three hours.
So I sent my first Tweet:
I lost my wedding ring in a pair of shoes yesterday. A guy bought the shoes. Now can't find the guy.
And my second:
The shoes were at Dick's Sporting Goods in Lee's Summit.
And my third:
I have to find the guy who bought my shoes. Please, universe!
Immediately, people started responding.
Pauladrum:
@ritaarens Oh Rita. How terrible!!!
Worleygirl:
RT @ritaarens: I lost my wedding ring in a pair of shoes yesterday. A guy bought the shoes. Now can't find the guy.
Pauladrum:
RT @ritaarens: I lost my wedding ring in a pair of shoes yesterday. A guy bought the shoes. Now can't find the guy.
I wrote back:
@worleygirl @pauladrum Thanks, guys. If Twitter can find the guy who has my wedding ring, it has officially reached nirvana.
dw27:
RT @ritaarens: I lost my wedding ring in a pair of shoes yesterday. A guy bought the shoes. Now can't find the guy.
cadykansas:
Did you buy a pair of shoes at Dick's in Lee's Summit yesterday? And did you find a wedding ring?!?! DM @ritaarens PLEASE.
average_jane:
RT: @cadykansas Did you buy a pair of shoes at Dick's in Lee's Summit yesterday? And did you find a wedding ring?!?! DM @ritaarens PLEASE.
FXofKC:
RT @average_jane: Did you buy a pair of shoes at Dick's in Lee's Summit yesterday? And did you find a wedding ring?!?! DM @ritaarens
Auggy:
RT @average_jane: Did you buy a pair of shoes at Dick's in Lee's Summit yesterday? And did you find a wedding ring?!?! DM @ritaarens
Twig1gy:
RT @average_jane: Did you buy a pair of shoes at Dick's in Lee's Summit yesterday? And did you find a wedding ring?!?! DM @ritaarens
Mediaenthusiast:
RT: @cadykansas Did you buy a pair of shoes at Dick's in Lee's Summit yesterday? And did you find a wedding ring?!?! DM @ritaarens PLEASE.
Porqchop:
RT Did you buy a pair of shoes at Dick's in Lee's Summit yesterday? And did you find a wedding ring?!?! DM @ritaarens PLEASE.
Binkytowne:
@ritaarens How AWFUL! Crossing my fingers. (Also when less traumatized, do tell how the ring got in the shoe?)
Beloved (Made_Dad)
@GSDispatch RT @ritaarens: I lost my wedding ring in a pair of shoes yesterday. A guy bought the shoes. Now can't find the guy.
The GS Dispatch is the local Lee's Summit paper. I have to hand it to this guy, whom I've never met, who is not only on Twitter, but is good at Twitter. He DMed me several times, and I am now a #1 fangirl.
So around 11 a.m., I headed over to Dick's, hoping I could solve the mystery during my lunch hour.
On my way to Dick's. There's got to be a way to find the guy who found my ring.
I was there for two hours.
I talked to the girl who took the call, who described in detail how this guy had picked up the shoes and took them home. The person who tried them on said she found "a lump" in the shoe, which turned out to be a ring, which looked like a wedding ring, which is why he called the store. The manager looked through all the transactions for a pair of shoes like the one I tried on. He thought he found the guy. I tweeted, excited:
found shoe transaction. cash. trying to find someone who can pull phone records.
This is where things got ugly. I e-mailed Dick's corporate and tried to find someone who could pull phone records from yesterday and call the guy who found my ring back. I didn't want them to give ME the phone records -- heck, I understand privacy -- I simply wanted them to call the guy back. After all, he called them first, right?
Um, no. Corporate so did not agree with me. I tweeted:
found shoe transaction. cash. trying to find someone who can pull phone records.
And again:
Corporate Dick's are dicks.
I apologize for that one. I was a little emotional. The corporate people basically said they didn't have a way to find phone records for the store. They suggested I call the police. I tweeted:
Dick's says I need to file a police report to subpoena the phone records.
I called the police, and the police were flummoxed as to why I should get a subpoena when the ring was lost, not stolen. They took my name and number, but then they had to go, as they had a 911 call, which I think we can all agree is more important.
The police suggested I get the subpoena from a lawyer. This is when I realized the jig was up.
I don't believe in clogging up the judicial system with stuff like that. If Dick's couldn't figure out how to call back someone who called one store between the hours of 3 and 7 p.m. on a Sunday, I wasn't about to get a lawyer to do it for them.
I called The Editor Across the Aisle and asked her to tell the crew at the office I was going to have to take a half personal day. At this point, I was really upset, clearly in no mindset to work, and I also don't believe in lying about when you're working. She said no problem, and I continued to go through every drawer in my house.
Then Dick's corporate called. The lady said I'd contacted a number of departments (marketing, since they weren't on Twitter, and customer service) and said all my contacts would be routed back to her and she wasn't able to help me. Then she wondered aloud why it had taken me 24 hours to realize my ring was lost. Um, listen ... I lost it last night and I called you this morning. AHEM.
I asked exactly what she was insinuating, and here, friends, I got a little pissed. I mean, seriously? My ring is lost, someone called saying they'd found it, and they couldn't be bothered to check the phone records? I totally understand privacy, but this woman was rude, and I was very upset. I'm not taking this out on the brand, which is why I've held out on blogging it. This is clearly a her problem and not a Dick's problem, as the manager was very kind, and I'll be writing him a thank-you note for his efforts as soon as I wrap up here.
But I was mad:
Lee's Summit police said call a lawyer. THIS IS HOW IT HAPPENS, PEOPLE. ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHH
And some more:
I guess now I hope the guy calls the store again. I am not going to subpoena phone records. This is ridiculous. E-mailed KCTV5 instead.
And, yes, I admit, I did ... I was hoping if it got on TV, someone would recognize the story and contact this person who found my ring. But then I realized, hello??? Since when does the world revolve around me and my accessories? That was so dumb.
In the meantime, my Twitter friends were pouring in:
Goofy_Girl:
@ritaarens Any chance they might have a pic on a security tape of the shoe guy?
Goofy_Girl:
@ritaarens I feel like I'm being tweeted a CSI episode..."The Case of the Ring in the Shoe"! I'm on the edge of my seat!
MomStreet:
@ritaarens Are you going to blog this so that we can get all of the details? After you've handled everything, of course!
Hieronymus:
@ritaarens sorry to hear about the wedding ring recovery trials. Hope it all works out!
MomStreet:
@ritaarens I can relate as wedding ring #2 graces my finger currently....good luck!
I wrote back to GSDispatch to tell him there is a $100 reward -- basically the price of the shoes. He immediately retweeted:
GSDispatch:
RT @ritaarens: I lost my wedding ring in a pair of shoes yesterday. A guy bought the shoes. Now can't find the guy. REWARD
Arinapz:
@ritaarens That sucks. I'm so sorry...
Lauriewrites:
@ritaarens reading along & so pissed on your behalf.
ParentopiaDevra:
RT for @ritaarens
After the call from corporate, I got depressed and had myself a big, old, ugly bawl. I talked to my parents and Blondie. I cried in that wolf-howling way you cry when something has gone horribly awry. I tweeted:
I give up. Dick's corporate says call the police. Wanted to know why it took me a day to realize it was gone. Over and out.
And then I put up a lost-and-found ad on Craig's List:
KC lost wedding ring Craig's List lost and found ad: http://kansascity.craigslist.org/laf/1077809964.html
And my lovely peeps picked it up:
Mublogger:
r/t @ritaarens - Help Rita get her wedding ring back! http://kansascity.craigslist.org/laf/1077809964.html
Joditur:
RT @mublogger: r/t @ritaarens - Help Rita get her wedding ring back! http://kansascity.craigslist.org/laf/1077809964.html
Beloved:
For those who haven't seen: Please click @ritaarens and follow the saga. Please pass on if u can!!
I went and picked up the little angel after the third visit from Neighbor Girl, who is on spring break and lonely. I dropped off the little angel to play with Neighbor Girlz and went for a jog. On the jog, I got several texts from Beloved, who reminded me I hadn't lost HIM, just the ring, and the good Lord knows stuff is just stuff and can be replaced. And knowing that I still had him, and the little angel, and even Stinky Bella made me feel a lot better.
It's just metal and diamonds. So I tweeted, feeling silly:
thanks for helping me today w/ dramatic twitter saga. Now just praying. :)
I think I'm over it. I've made peace with it. I had my cry. I'll get another wedding ring at some point. So I wrote this post for my dear friend Goofy_Girl with the insatiable curiousity:
@ritaarens I'm sorry...I have to ask: How did you lose a ring IN a pair of shoes??
Because I AM AN IDIOT. But I dedicate this post to all my lovely Twitter friends, who made me feel that someone really did care that I lost the ring I've worn on my finger for seven years. Because it really upset me, and they made me feel a lot better. Thank you, friends. And Dick's? Get on Twitter. Then I wouldn't have had to tell my story to your inconsiderate customer service supervisor like eight times.
The end.
