Some people have a knack for losing things … not me. I can tell you countless stories of how things I have ‘misplaced’ – wallets, phones, sunnies – have miraculously found their way back to me. And now I can add to that list a one hundred dollar bill.

Padma and I received a card from Josh for Christmas and upon opening it we found a crisp new one hundred dollar note. In the card, Josh wrote, the money MUST be used to treat to yourself to dinner at Jaime Oliver’s Italian restaurant when it opens in Adelaide. We were thrilled at Josh’s generosity and already started salivating at the thought of a romantic dinner.

Christmas is chaotic in every home and ours in no exception and with all the gift wrapping and cards floating around I took the note and put it safely in my shirt pocket. That night I tossed the shirt in the laundry having completely forgotten about the $100 note.

The next morning I rose early for my morning walk and suddenly remembered the note. I retrieved it from my shirt pocket in the laundry basket. Everyone was still asleep and my wallet was in my study where Josh was fast asleep. So I tucked the note in my hiking shorts.

Along the way I greeted a neighbour but otherwise all was quiet as it was Boxing Day and the cricket hadn’t started so no one was stirring. I got to the bottom of the hill and slipped my hand in my pocket and to my horror Josh’s $100 note wasn’t there. I turned back right away and frantically looked left and right along the trail. But an Aussie $100 note has green and gold colours and blends in perfectly to the thick bush vegetation along the trail. I retraced my steps all the way back to the laundry basket and still couldn’t find it. So I went back again, this time systematically looking to my right on the way down and to my right on the way up. No luck. I passed a neighbour walking his hound dog and told him to look out for it. We met up again as I went uphill but neither he nor his dog had spotted it. I then called the neighbour who I had earlier chatted with but she had not found it.

By this time I knew I was going to get a phone call. Padma knows precisely how long my walk takes and she worries if I’m delayed. But I had already crafted a reply. ‘Hi Honey’, I said when she called. ‘I thought I’d take a double walk today to burn off some of that Christmas turkey’. That convinced her. I don’t like to fib but I just couldn’t tell her that I had lost that $100 note. We were due for Boxing Day brunch at our neighbours so I had to call off the search and admitted I had lost the money.

At brunch, Padma saw me whispering with my neighbour who I had encountered on the trail. I told the neighbour that under no circumstances should anyone hear of my carelessness, particularly Josh. But Padma can immediately detect deception and I told her the truth. She wasn’t fussed but agreed we shouldn’t tell Josh.

After brunch, I thought I’d look one more time. I just couldn’t face the fact that I had been so careless and lost something. This time I systematically looked to my left and went all the way down and then all the way up. I got to the top of the hill and pretty much admitted defeat. But then a small chalk board caught my eye. My neighbours had a little tray where they would put their surplus garden produce for all the take. It said LEMONS. FREE. But under that it said ‘LOST SOMETHING?’ I stood there staring at that sign. What did they mean? Lost your way in life? Lost your virginity? Lost something??? I had indeed lost something but could that sign be talking to me? I know the neighbours so I went to the door and rang the door bell. ‘Happy Boxing Day, Simon,’ I said. ‘I saw your sign but I don’t need any lemons.’ I was a bit embarrassed to continue. ‘But I did in fact lose something. I lost one hundred dollars earlier today’. Simon’s eyes lit up and with his finger he beckoned me to come in and walked to the fridge. And there, stuck to the fridge under a fridge magnet, was a crisp, new one hundred dollar note. Simon had seen the neighbour with the hound dog but somehow a puff of wind must had dropped that note right in the middle of the trail for him to find after I had been past a few times.

Jaime Oliver’s restaurant won’t open in Adelaide for many months to come but I am sure when it does Padma and I will find every morsel of food to be priceless.