Lost in a Pocket. - An unsuspected trip.

Lost in a Pocket. - An unsuspected trip. (Chapter 2)

Chapter 2

And I went out.

In the realm of banknotes, we say that the first impression of a human being will mark the rest of your life as a banknote. And it is true: depending on the kind of human being that you first find in your way, you will see your life in different ways, as I became aware after different conversations with numerous banknotes in different wallets of European bodies. In my case: I was distributed via ATM. It was very cold outside in the streets of Helsinki; furthermore it was freezing compared with the indoor of a bank. That occurred during late 2002.

I was withdrawn with one of my brothers and a smaller note which was darker than us. There was also a bigger blue banknote that had been withdrawn before. He was already inside the human’s wallet.

So I said ‘good bye’ to the rest of my partners and got nervous… we went directly to the wallet, but I felt that my life as a banknote had then begun. Exciting!

My first wallet and pocket were warm. It was pleasant to be there despite the strange position in which I was laid. I had never been put like fold along the middle of my body inside a wallet, and I did not know that it was the correct way to be transported by humans. - Or at least, the most common (and better) way to do so.

Soon we started to talk:

“Are you excited?” I said, with an evident anxiety and expectation.

My brother answered: “I really love this! When I heard the sound of our ATM… I almost jumped of joy! This is F@#*k amazing”

20€ note: “Oh my Goodness!! Two pink banknotes are swearing inside my wallet! You’re pink! Aren’t you guys? What’s wrong with you swearing pinkies?”

5€ note: “Hello. Is someone certain about what this is? What’s going on?”

As soon as we had some time and we calmed ourselves the excitation of being part of a big community, I started to explain what I learnt during almost two years in a parcel with other 10€ banknotes.

The youngest and smallest bill (5€) did not know even that he was a banknote. So I had to explain everything starting from the beginning of our existence. Once I told him about our job, he was indeed excited as well. The 20€ banknote, looked at me showing incredulity:

“really?” He said.

“Yeah! Sure!” replied my brother with a big smile and popping eyes motivated by the fact of sharing such an experience and knowledge.

“Oh! I see…–  

–Then I am worth double than you!” 

Suddenly, the shaking movement of our wallet inside our owner’s pocket stopped.

And everything became quiet again.

We all were picked up from the wallet by our owner and he started to attentively stare at us. This man brought us in front of a computer and started a long typing. Then he carefully examined each one of us again. He started to read and type  our numbers. The ones that we (banknotes) have as serial number and short code… you should know what I mean.

“Oh, I know” -I thought.- “This guy is a banknote collector and he’s gonna keep us somewhere inside a comfy album, giving us protection from every single microbe that might cause damage on us.”

But no far from that, after the examination and of course, after storing our respective Identification Numbers in the computer, he left us in the wallet again. Why was that man interested in our ID only? What was that unusual behaviour in front of the screen of a computer? No way to know it. At least by now.

Soon, I had to say good bye to my brother, and also to the twenty-Euro note. However, I was not alone: there were coming a lot of small grey banknotes. If something can characterize a five-Euro banknote, that’s curiosity. They are freaking curious! And if you stay with a small brunch of them inside a wallet, you’ll become sick for sure.

Once you have explained them the purpose of our creation, there is the madness of questions:

“Why are tennies pink coloured and fivies are grey? I whish fivers were pink!”

“I didn’t choose that. Some Human beings have chosen our designs. That’s all.”

“Are we going to be spent?”

“I suppose so, but I cannot predict the future!”

“Are we going to be separated?”

“We may be. That’s not known yet.”

“Where are we going to be spent? Who is going to pick up us? What may happen if someone forgets me in the street? What happens if I get wet? Can my colours get faded? Why wallets are dark and the outside is bright? Why human beings say that you’re worth 10 and I am worth 5?

An everlasting list of questions. At least, they were attentive and sometimes they could answer their partners’ questions just by deducting the given knowledge.

Tiring: yeah; As the banknotes’ life is. Being spent or wasted, being grab, being paid with, being stored in a wallet even for months, being in the dirty pocket of a trouser, as fold as it gets and getting fold all your corners… then the following owner may put a tone of books above you to make you feel and look better…

Fortunately, I haven’t been destroyed yet. I don’t know how long is going to be my life from now on, as I am already quite old and pretty damaged. A lot of time has passed since I get out of that ATM in Finland. That is the reason why I want to

write here my life so that the accumulated experiences can be read by others, instead of getting lost when I pass away in a banknote destructor machine or whatever is used to get rid of used banknotes.

During all my life until now, each time I got inside a wallet, I started to talk to other banknotes, in order to tell and being told about our affairs.

That way, I shared my knowledge and some banknotes told me their experiences and knowledge. There were banknotes that had even greater knowledge than me about the Euro currency and specifically, about us: the Euro bills.