Divine Grace 5: Found Stolen Book Before Finding It Was Stolen!

This is the fourth episode in the series on Divine Grace in My Life.  The foreword explains

what triggered me to write and share these events.  Divine Grace is not exclusive to recovery from serious illness or escaping a near death situation.  Any event that happens totally unexpected and rare could be Divine Grace.  Finding a lost article in an unusual place or when all efforts to find it have been to no avail is also of this category.

I am reminded of one such event that happened in the year 1981.  This was the time I was a Graduate Student at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA.  We used to display a bumper sticker which read: "Is There Life After Graduate School?".  Going to graduate school 20 years after bachelor's degree, with daughter and son already in their elementary school was, to say the least, tough.  There was only one thought in my mind those days: to get out of graduate school and get employed.

It was semester break.  The grounds were still covered with snow and slush.

 Purdue University - Civil Engineering Building

The university town of W. Lafayette was practically deserted like any university town.  Undergraduates will be almost all locals and would have gone to their parents' place during the break.  Only international students among graduate students will be left on campus.

We were living at 220-16 Nimitz Drive (one of the Married Students' Housing units).  It was a two-roomed apartment in the top floor of a two storey row house. My wife and children were thrilled to  live in an apartment with running hot and cold water and so spacious for the first time in our life.  There is a small shopping complex within walking distance.  The complex housed a grocery store and a book shop.

 

Follet's Book Store - W. Lafayette, Indiana

One fine morning, I had some time to kill and strolled to the book shop.  As I was browsing, I saw a copy of "Civil Engineering Handbook" by Urquhart (McGraw-Hill Publication) on the top shelf.  I already had a copy of this book in my book shelf in the graduate students' office.  I got it as my free copy when I joined the McGraw-Hill book club.

I was curious to know the price of this copy in the store.  I took it and opened up

and was shocked to see that it was my own copy, with my name!

I went and pleaded with the store manager and explained to him that it was my copy stolen and sold to the store by the thief.  The manager simply said "I bought the book.  If you want, you can buy it for the marked price!"

I had no recourse but to buy back my own book (which I got for free the first time!) for $34.00!

Thus, even before I knew my book was gone from my shelf, I found it in the book store!  Going to the book store, checking the book which I already have and finding it to be my own book -- none of this was planned for, nor the result of any effort on my part!