Friday, December 09, 2005

I get by with A LOT of help from my friends...

Now you may think that this is the beginning of a John Lennon memorial post, since yesterday was the 25th anniversary of his death, but it is not. Rather, it is a post about me and my amazing friends, who are always willing to come to my rescue.

On Wednesday I left the office and went to CVS to buy some hairspray. The bus I take home is right in fornt of cvs, so I left my wallet (with my new bus pass) in my coat pocket. I soon (like 1 minute) realized that the bus would probably not be coming because the street was all blocked off with emergency vehicles. So I walk toward the T station (subway), and on the way a woman asked me for money. I looked at her and thought, "it is winter, she says she has kids, I have two five dollar bills in my wallet, I should give her one", but I just walked by. As I walked down the stairs to the T station I reached into my pocket to get out my wallet, and to my horror I did not feel it. So I retraced my steps looking very carefully (it was a 1 minute walk). I went back to CVS and asked if I left it there...nope. I checked my purse....nothing.

Enter angel #1:

Bekka
I went back to my office and immediately called Bekka (she was on her way from work to my house to watch America's Next Top Model with me). I told her the situation and we decided to meet at a T station. After much deliberation we decided to get some food to make and head to her house (she lives close to the station). After providing me with warmth, food, entertainment, and warm socks, Bekka gave me money for the T and Bus so I could get home.

I got to Sullivan Station (where I normally catch the bus home) close to 11 pm. I was waiting and waiting and waiting for the bus, freezing my butt off and wondering what time my bus stopped running (I had never attempted to catch it this late and there were no schedules available). There was another bus at the station that had been there when I arrived (this was the second time it had showed up), it said (town) via Broadway. I live off of Broadway, and somehow I decided this bus would take me near home, and I was so confident that I didn't even check with the driver.

And of course, it went the opposite direction (didn't think of THAT possibility, did you Melanie?). I walked up to the driver and asked him for a transfer and to let me off at the next stop. So I got off the bus in the freezing cold and walked to the bus stop on the other side of the street. It wasn't long before I decided that since it was 11:20 pm I had very little chance of catching a bus back to Sullivan and then another bus to my house.

Enter angel #2:
Molly 
I decided since I had no money, my only option was to call a friend with a car, but who to call? I tried my roommate first, but she did not answer. I thought about calling my ex, Cameron, but I didn't think she would answer either. So I called Molly, and sure enough she answered. She told me that she had been drinking, and then I panicked, but she came up with the perfect plan. I flagged down a cab, took it to her apartment, she came out and gave the cabbie $20 and I took the cab home- the whole trip including tip was exactly $20.

I do not know WHAT I would have done without my two angels. Both times I was stranded, with no money, no way to get money, insufficient clothes for the cold weather, and too long of a walk in heels for walking to be an option. I honestly do not know what I could have possibly done with out the help of my friends. It is a scary feeling to be so incapable of helping yourself, but it is so comforting to know that when I am defenseless my friends will always be there to help me.

Morals of the story:

Always be there for your friends
Leave an emergency cash stash in your office
Leave an emergency cash stash at your house
Follow your strong instincts (if I had tried to give money to that woman I would have notice my wallet was missing sooner). Unless your instincts have to do with buses, because as my friend Anastasia once said, and in the words of my crazy friend Corrie: "Buses, they do what they WANT".

The winter is cold and lonely, do something to help those in need

2 comments:

D.B. Echo said...

Hmm, is that last comment for real, or just a spam comment? This entry hardly qualifies as "very funny". I was actually concerned that you wouldn't make it out of this one OK. The fact that you were able to write it up as a blog entry should have tipped me off that you made it through. But where could your wallet have gotten to? Was your pocket picked at some point? Did anyone bump into you?

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Kid Krusader said...

My wallet was located and returned to me, but it was found a half hour after I lost it, in a different location. Soooo I cancelled my cards (even though they were still in the wallet). Actually my wallet is waiting for me at the Somerville police department (the guy who found it dropped it there for me) so I have yet to find out if my bus pass and cash are still in it...