The vibe bar saga - part 2
The e-mail was immediately passed around all over the place, and messages started pouring in full of suggestions, offers of help, and simple love and encouragement. There were many tears around the Richmond house those couple of days. I truly felt that I had lost my best friend, and even worse, it was my own dumbass fault.
Sunday, May 28 - a week after the loss, and only 2 days after I realized that the loss had happened. Kari got a call from someone she knows from Asheville Mamas - a parenting support group. She had mentioned the missing case to her husband, and he thought he may have seen it on Friday night. He had been outside for a smoke break behind the restaurant where he works, and happened to see a guy with a black case in the alley. In fact he spoke to the guy, whom he described later as pretty drugged up. The guy stuck the case behind a dumpster, and the employee didn't think much of it - until my story got passed to him.
Needless to say, Kari and I high-tailed it over to this alley, not daring to expect anything. After all, it had been two days since the sighting, and we didn't even know if it was the right case to begin with. Imagine our amazement when we found the bars and the case, right where our new best friend had said to look! I think this was the first time in my life I actually cried for joy.
Here's the e-mail I sent out after the happy event:
The vibraphone bars have been found!!!
Thanks to a friend of Kari's whose alert husband works downtown, the bars were rescued from a certain hiding spot behind a certain dumpster. The case was found not far away. Except for the case strap, which is missing, and a little more dirt and scratches on the bars than they already had, everything is fine. All in all, we could not ask for a better outcome.
The case seems to have been taken by a homeless person. The bars had been unrolled, then re-rolled and dumped, and the case was apparently being used as a pillow. As upset as I have been the last couple of days, I have to acknowledge that my problems could be a lot worse.
We are SO grateful to all of you for the wonderful suggestions and messages and offers of support from all quarters. I can't tell you how much it means to me to receive all the help and well-wishes everyone has been giving.
Thanks again,
Matthew and Kari
photo: Jeff Tobin
