in a blink…

I’ve lived in NYC for almost 20 years. (Woah!) I’ve always been the one to point out to a stranger when his backpack is un-zipped, or to tell friends in town to keep their eyes open, or to always hug my bag close to me, putting my wallet FAR far down within.

Today, as I was walking home from the train, doing a quick e-mail check on my iPhone, I felt a push on my back, on both shoulders, as if a friend was approaching me from behind. I turned to my right, behind me, and around from my left, a man reached around, grabbed my iPhone, and took off running.

At first, I thought it was Bobby, or Narda, playing a joke, as my brain could not wrap itself around the fact that I had just been robbed. My eyes welled up, and I said, NO! Please, no! The pictures of my daughter!

When I realized that I would never be able to overtake him, I went to a pay phone, and called 911. I realize that I was highly aware of the style of quilting on the back of his jacket, that he was bigger than me, not white, and wore a knitted pull down hat. Not much else comes to my mind, except the moment being played over and over and over in my mind.

Malka was great when the officers came to our house to file a report, and the officers took me around the neighborhood for a few minutes, looking for the guy, but even though I saw a few guys that *could* have fit the bill, I didn’t get a good look at his face, and well, i saw no covert iPhone passing going on. So we went back home. And wow – the backseat of a police car? NOT comfy! It’s a hard plastic seat with a seatbelt. No smooshy backseat there.

So we filled out paperwork, and they informed us that there’s been a RASH of robberies around the train stations as of late. That people who are paying attention to their phones aren’t paying attention to their surroundings. And that simply, the iPhone is new! pretty! shiny! And makes one a target, and that “perps,” (yes, they used that term,) are hanging out around the train stations, specifically near 116th and 125th, at the end of the day, when it’s slightly dark.

I NEVER thought it could happen to me, as I’m a savvy NY’er, but I guess I was wrong.

I already called AT&T, and had the service disabled, and outside of that, there’s not much else we can do. Someone suggested looking at the buyer insurance on our credit card, as the phones (Narda’s and mine) were purchased on November 7th.

I’m SO grateful that Malka wasn’t with me. Ultimately, I wasn’t really hurt, I was just stunned, and saddened that people can actually do this. How do they sleep at night? Really? I don’t understand how someone can do something so cruel and be OK with it. I pray for HIM, and I hope he can work though his demons. I don’t know, but a part of me really, really, really hoped it was his first “hit,” or his “initiation” into a gang or something, but that our encounter was a first for him, and that there’s still something left of his soul. Because I just can’t imagine it any other way.

Yes, it’s just a phone, I have it all backed up on the computer at home, even most of the pictures, so in theory, upon purchasing a new phone, it can all be synced, and restored, but it’s the thought of the moment of the phone being stolen that will haunt me for a while.

So keep your eyes open out there, and don’t “walk and text,” because it could happen to you, too.