This evening, my little boy had something to do with making someone’s night very… serendipitous … in every sense of the word.
I left work at roughly 6:20pm this evening and ventured toward Park Avenue to collect my boy from his father …
I work on the West side — making the undesirable shlep to Park Av an f-ing nightmare … on a good day!
I f-ing hate the 6 train …
Anyway, so there I am taking the E to the 6 and finally waiting for my little itty bitty on the platform while his poppa brings him down to me.
Once I have him, we wait SIX minutes!!
Do you know what SIX minutes does to a New Yorker? … … …
It makes … our skin boil!
Do you know what SIX minutes during rush hour does to a New Yorker?
Renders us damn near homicidal!!
None of that really has anything to do with the story — but it’s just, FYI, you know …
So, the train arrives.
There are a million people –CRAMMED– inside … as if the Mayor just issued an evac order or something.
My kid takes one look at this mess and starts to, furiously, back up: “NO, NO!! I DON’T WANT TO GO IN THERE IT’S TOO CROWDED!!”
I’m equal parts shocked at his unusual behavior and frustrated because I REALLY wanted to get home to watch last nights episode of “Revenge” …
BUT … I’ve seen enough horror movies with kids in it to know that when a child freaks the f*ck out … … you pay attention!!
So!
I tell him: “Let’s just get a cab then …”
He responds: “Good idea …”
Now we’re on Park Avenue looking for a cab … in the middle of rush hour …
Do you know what it’s like for a New Yorker to look out to a sea of yellow cabs — and not one of them is available?? Not ONE???!! …
Except that one across the way … that just let someone out … and is about to pull away!
I motion for the child to run alongside me!
I tap on the trunk of the moving cab!
HALLELUJAH! he stops!
My boy gets in as I’m apologizing for my brash move and exhaling at the same time (not an easy task, I might add!) …
Then …
My kid says: “Mommy! Someone left their iPad behind!!”
There are few phrases that a person will hear in their lifetime … as beautiful as that one …
I grab the iPad.
I lift the black, smart cover and go to slide the “unlock” bar thinking the whole time: Could I be so lucky that it doesn’t have a password?
YES! … no passwords! no obstructions! nothing to keep me from this wonderful iDevice!
Except …
My conscience …
And my kid! Who, upon witnessing me look through various apps on the iPad, tells me to “stop looking through their stuff, it’s not nice …”
This coming from the kid that just moments after discovering that someone left their iPad behind, wondered aloud if it had “any games on it” …
But, alas, my son’s admonishment was undeserved as the reason I was looking through the iPad was to try and find the iPad owner’s contact info.
So what if I went via the ‘Photos” app!
I found an email.
I sent an email.
I found a phone number.
I called a phone number.
I got an extremely relieved, happy and moved young lady on the other end. A person who felt tremendously lucky to have had her iPad found by such a wonderful, honest person …
Her words … not mine
Ok … maybe I paraphrased a bit here …
After profusely thanking me … she asked if she could pick it up from me later this evening …
Wait! So … it’s not enough I found and am returning your iPad, I gotta babysit it for you now?
(*sigh*) “No problem!”
One more “Omigod thank you so much” …
Followed by one more “You’re very welcome” …
And, just like that my son and I found ourselves hosting a foreign iPad for the night …
When the owner is finally reunited with her iPad – she instantly hugs it to her chest and she says things like “this is so important to me”, “I was FREAKING out …”, “I’m so moved …” and “thank you, again, so much” …
I had this overwhelming feeling of happiness wash over me: for her … for having done such a nice thing for someone, in a city where such kindness isn’t aways found … and for setting such an important example for my little boy!
When the owner mentioned something about how she could ever repay me, I waved my hand at her and shook my head … there is no need to repay me for something that came naturally to me. I told her that I knew the feeling of losing one of these expensive devices (my iPhone was stolen right out of my hand last year) and I would never knowingly have someone ever go through that horrible feeling of having lost such a costly item and having all your important info floating around out there in the hands of someone that holds the same value as human excrement!
The karma points were enough repayment … I figured, if Karma had a rewards catalog, I’d qualify for the digital camera AND the 7 day Caribbean cruise for two!!
So!
We exchanged a few more niceties … we said ‘good night’ … she disappeared back into the cab in which she came … while Aidyn and I disappeared back into our building lobby and back upstairs …
… where I proceeded to ‘Google’ the owner …
And find out she’s … loaded!
Drat!
