Life lessons-what a pain in the patootie they can be. Just ask my high school granddaughter. She learned an expensive one at a friend's New Year's Eve party. Even though she had hidden her wallet with her coat, it wasn't enough to deter another partygoer with thievery on their mind and evil in their heart. Gone: driving permit, gift cards, money and skinny digital camera. I know what you're thinking: Why in the world didn't she leave those things at home instead of bringing them with her? I asked the same thing. (Her ride was waiting, she was rushed and hadn't stopped to think about it.)
     I also want to know why another partygoer, perhaps someone she knows, would steal from my granddaughter and a total stranger would turn my purse into lost and found after I'd left it on the chair of a Florida mall food court? What kind of nasty person would sneak into my husband's office, rifle through the suit coat left hanging on a chair and brazenly remove the leather wallet? Made of leather, so slim it slid into the inside breast pocket of the coat, it had been a recent birthday gift. One for which I'd paid far too much.
     Inside had been his Social Security card (Remember? We were told to keep it with us at all times.) and a driver's license and Super America credit card. With his identification stolen, my husband had to find his military discharge papers in order to apply for a duplicate driver's license. He had to file papers for another Social Security card. For months, we received a call from Super America that someone had attempted to use the cancelled credit card again. That a person had phoned the toll-free number to inquire whether the account had a cash advance feature. We were told crooks scam each other, selling the same useless items to one another over and over. The police called that summer to say they had found my husband's driver's license in the back seat of a stolen car. Every time we received information regarding the theft, we felt victimized all over again.
     I changed our phone number and had it unlisted. Because our mail box was across the street and alongside the curb where it could be opened with ease, I opted to have our letters delivered to a post office box. We installed a state-of-the-art security system. Even so, every time I heard a noise I became certain the perp was trying to jimmy open a window. As irrational as it sounds, it made sense to me.
     I worry about my granddaughter. What happens when a teenager learns people can be creeps? It won't make her feel better to hear my sad saga and those of others, but my granddaughter should know she is not alone. I have a friend whose online bank account was broken into. Another had her billfold lifted from her shoulder bag as she rode an escalator in New York City. Another's daughter, traveling in Spain, set her backpack on the floor next to her in a restaurant; a sneak-thief slid snakelike under her table and pilfered her credit card and travelers' checks while she ate. I've read about many people who have been the victim of identity theft.
     It seems everyone has their own story. What's yours?