lucky bass

June 10 9:30 p.m.

Crazy day. I arrived in Athens yesterday, one day early thinking Eden would show up today. I had my dys off. Her 2nd leg in Jersey to Athens left on the 10th but as was unstated, arrives on teh 11th. Amo (uncle) insisted I stay the extra night at his place and directed me by taxi to Sindogma Square, the most amazing shopping district I've seen, while he did his rounds at the hospital. I'd bought a shirt and in a second shop, a pair of pants like nothing I'd eve seen before. I was finally warmed up, at first a bit nervous at so few people knowing English and a system which either involved giving your purchase to a sales lady, taking a ticket to a counter in another room where your purchase item arrived through a back door. In another shtore, which seemed liek 5 little botiques in one, I took the purchase down the spiral stairs to the counter on the first floor.

Two shops down, I saw some things in a window that I hyad to see on me. The mood was on. I walked in as a few people were walking out. Here I should have paid more attention. I'd put my back pack on my back for the first time, ready to dig into teh garaments. My wallet was tucked into the same small compartmentt I'd used all day directly in back of my pack. The alarm sounded as we walked into teh store and I passed those other people. We spun around a few times, in, out. One young guy seemed to be spinning excessively, making all of us dizzy. A girl kept walking and was called back from the side walk. More spinning, in, out.

We found it was my back pack. My computer was inside. The sales lady swung it by the sensors and it sounded. The others had walked out.

I placed my pack on a table to see what might be insde and saw that the zipper behind which was my wallet, 70 Euro and two cards, was open. The wallet wasn't there. What to do? I searched the entire back and retraced my steps, nothing.

So what to do now?

Call the person you know doesn't complain that it's 3:30 in the morning, answers the phone, calls my bak, goes to the ATM where she draws the max $1,000, drives to the airport to hand the cash to Eden before her flight, then asks, "What else can I do?"

I could feel sorry for myself, victimized, robbed, angry, or I could sit here in this cafe, heaped smoked salmon on cream cheese in cups of fried wonton with a side of spicy guacamole, black lable on teh rocks and a cool Athens evening breeze and appreciate how incredibly fortunate I am to have such a friend.

Thank you Jenn! I don't know what I did in this life or in one previous to be so...to share the connectoin we do, to know you now.

And how can I possibly feel self pity or anger when I have someone like Eden in my life, who, amid the predictably frantic morning of an overseas flight precedin sunrise, called a cancelled credit card company to reactivate a card for my use? And neither of you acted even for a moment, put out.

So naturally, I continued my shopping spree and found a few more things this evening. I'd never seen in the states.

so lucky am i