I used to work at a fast food restaurant, one of those places with bright neon signs and a drive-thru that always had a line. My day usually started early, wiping tables and checking supplies before the morning rush. The job itself wasn’t glamorous, but it paid the bills and gave me a steady routine. I mostly handled the register, greeting each customer with a smile and a cheerful hello.

One morning, about an hour before lunch, the shop was quiet—only a few people in the dining area. That was when I saw it: a fancy brown-and-gold Louis Vuitton handbag resting on top of one of the sticky tables. At first, I thought maybe its owner was just in the bathroom or ordering more food, so I kept an eye on it. But no one came. Soon enough, a small crowd formed for lunch, and the bag was still there, alone.

Feeling uneasy about leaving it out in the open, I picked it up carefully and looked around, hoping to spot someone rushing over to claim it. No one. So I did what I was trained to do: I brought it to the lost and found behind the counter, where we keep items like wallets or phones that people leave behind.

“Hey, boss,” I told my manager, “somebody left a really expensive-looking bag on a table.” He looked up from his paperwork and raised his eyebrows at the designer logo. “Guess she didn’t realize,” he muttered. He handed me a little ticket to log it in. That was that. We both expected someone to come running back, apologizing for forgetting such a valuable item.

But a week went by, then two, then three. Nobody called or came by to ask about a lost Louis Vuitton bag. It felt strange because, in my mind, anyone who owned something that nice wouldn’t just forget it forever. The store phone stayed silent about it, and we never saw any social media posts or missing-bag flyers taped to our windows.

After an entire month, my boss approached me while I was restocking drink cups. “So, that Louis bag is still in the back,” he said. “We’re running out of space for lost and found. Do you want it? If not, I might just toss it. There’s no sense keeping it forever.”

I blinked in surprise. “Are… are you serious?” I asked. I had never owned anything close to a designer brand. The idea of tossing it seemed like a waste. Even if I never used it, I could donate it or give it to someone.

My boss shrugged. “Take it or leave it,” he said, waving a hand. “I just want it gone.”

So I nodded, still feeling a bit guilty. What if the owner came back the day after I took it? But a full month was a long time. Most people would’ve come by much sooner. So I decided to accept the offer.

After my shift ended, I grabbed the bag from the back room. It felt lighter than I expected, as if nothing was inside. Out of curiosity, I unzipped it. Sure enough, there were no keys, no wallet, not even a stray lip gloss. The bag was completely empty, except for one small piece of folded paper in the corner of a side pocket. I thought maybe it was a receipt or a personal note. My heart sped up, imagining it might have an address or phone number.

I unfolded the paper. My eyes scanned a single sentence, written in simple black ink:

“You owe me big time.”

My stomach flipped. Was this some kind of message for the original owner? Or a note left by the owner for someone else? The handwriting was bold, almost angry, the words underlined twice. I looked around, half expecting someone to jump out from behind the counters and say it was all a joke. But the dining area was quiet, mostly empty except for a couple of customers sipping sodas.

Taking a deep breath, I refolded the note and slipped it back into the bag. My mind buzzed with questions: Who wrote that? What debt were they talking about? Did it have anything to do with the bag being abandoned? I felt a chill creep up my spine. A part of me wanted to toss the bag in the nearest trash bin and forget about it. But another part was intrigued. The bag was clearly expensive. Was it stolen? Did someone place it in our restaurant on purpose?

Over the next few days, I found myself growing more jumpy. I’d scan the crowd for anyone who might recognize the bag or for anyone giving me a suspicious look. My boss teased me, saying I should just enjoy my new accessory. But I rarely even carried it—mostly, it stayed hidden in my car trunk. Whenever I took it out, that piece of paper was all I could think about.

“You owe me big time.”

The words echoed in my head. I couldn’t help imagining a scenario: maybe the bag’s owner was caught in some dangerous situation, and they left the bag behind to send a warning. Or maybe it belonged to a couple who had a falling out, and that note was a final message. The more I thought about it, the more my imagination spun wild tales of mystery and betrayal.

I even considered the possibility that the note was directed at me. But that made no sense—I had nothing to do with the bag until I found it. If the note was for me, how would the writer even know I’d see it? It was all so strange, and each theory led to a dead end.

Eventually, my curiosity got the better of me. I called a friend of mine who worked at a police station, just to ask if there were any reports of a stolen or missing designer bag. He ran a quick check and found nothing matching that description. No news articles or bulletins about a lost Louis Vuitton or a suspicious note.

So, for the moment, the story seemed to end. I kept the bag, uncertain what to do with it, and stored the note in my sock drawer at home. Every time I glanced at it, I felt a little rush of unease. If someone did come looking for it, I was ready to turn it over immediately. But days turned into weeks, and nobody came knocking.

Now, I’m left holding a fancy bag with a cryptic message, not sure if it means something or if it’s just someone’s weird idea of a prank. Part of me wonders if I should throw it away, letting the mystery fade. Another part is still curious, wanting to dig deeper, though I’m not sure how.

So here’s my question for you: if you found an abandoned bag with a strange note inside saying “You owe me big time,” would you keep it, throw it away, or try to find out who wrote the message and why?