Miracle on 68th Street

So...on Saturday I decided after a long week at work I was going to be a man about town. I dressed down in my cargo shorts, flip flops, and a t-shirt and I went to the matinee showing of INCEPTION which I loved (of course--why wouldn't I? A heist movie involving alternate dream states...come on). It actually touched me very deeply--which I did not expect. The protagonist had to accomplish a specific yet very difficult task in order to return to his two young children and preserve his wife's memory--it's a beautiful story hidden inside a darker maze of complexity that Christopher Nolan orchestrates with great skill. On a certain level--especially right now--I can identify with the character's journey.

But the miracle part wasn't in the movie-it was in the theater. I was comfortably nestled in my reclining chair and watched until the credits ended and the MPAA rating filled the screen with blue. I exited, admired a few posters (we are heading back to Narnia in December)--and on my way out the door at 68th street I thought "mmmm...the Food Emporium." It is one of our favorite snack-on-the-go places near Lincoln Square. I was going to grab a tasty morsel before my trek across Central Park to visit the Whitney Museum.

When I reached for my wallet to check the cash level...it was GONE!

I returned to the theater and together with an usher and a flashlight searched the place on hands and knees. Even the patrons who were entering with drinks and popcorn checked the area surrounding their chosen seats and were very accommodating when I had to search around their shoes and hand bags. In the optical illusion of black on black my wallet eluded me.

So I was left with nothing. No tasty morsel from the Food Emporium. No walk across Central Park to visit the Whitney.

I filed a report with Guest Services, left my number, and began the 40 block walk north to the home of my gracious hosts the Kerrs.

My one hope was that someone would find it during the midnight cleaning--so I held on for one more day. Upon my return to the neighborhood for church I went back to the theater and waited at the Guest Services desk. I waited for 20 minutes while the guy made phone calls to inquire about the wallet and although I clung to hope, his continual rant about not wanting to be on shift or at the desk because he was the only guy who could do the job gave me my doubts. He got a call, asked me my name--and I continued waiting.

And then--a young man came through the doors into the lobby with my wallet in hand. He told me to check if everything was there. My unlimited one week pass for $27 dollars and another old unusable Metrocard were the only things missing. I said "They can have it! I am just glad I got the wallet back!"

And that was my Miracle on 68th Street.