Sticky fingers

Magnet #26 - Monet, Metropolitan Museum of Art

Monet and I are likethis.

So, when I saw this magnet one Saturday afternoon during a break at a Cary Grant marathon at the Met, I knew it had to be mine.

I mean. Look at it! It's like the trifecta of win!

1. It's Monet.
2. It's blue.
3. The piece de resistance - there's a Monet quote at the bottom that you can slightly see: "Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment."

Come on, people - the thing had my name on it! Oh! And, it was on 50% OFF! Hel-lo!

But it was the only Monet on display. There were tons of Gauguins and (I think) Degas, but only one Monet. OMG! What to do!

And so the quest began. Start the clock - I had 25 minutes before the next movie started, and I knew I'd have to fight the old ladies of the upper east side for good seats to see Cary.

I asked the young sales clerk to look in the back. He looked. Nada. "But maybe you can try in the main store downstairs."

So I walk quickly from one end of the Met to the other end, ignoring the masterpieces and brushing past their wandering admirers. I stop at not one, but two other kiosks and a smaller store on the way. I inquire at the smaller store. "No. Check the main store?"

I get to the main store, where I proceed to stalk the entire magnet section (I know! They have a magnet section!). Again with the Gauguins and the Degas? What up with that, why were there like 30 each of those, and none of my Monet? Grrrr. So I ask. They look. "No. But maybe one of the other stores/kiosks?"

I walk across the hall to another small store - even though it was Egyptian-themed, still I asked. "Uh. No. Did you try the main store?"

So I run back across from that end of the Met, back to my young sales clerk. And I proceed to wheedle him into letting me buy it - and say that I'll even buy a red Gauguin, just to make him feel better.

He looks surreptitiously around for his manager, and success! He takes down the Monet, pulls out a small bag. I hand him a 5-spot, and he proceeds to not take it and drops the Monet into the bag, and shoves the tiny bag into my hand. You could almost see him thinking, please, God, just leave already, lady!

Little guy at the Met - thanks so much!

Although, I have to say, I didn't have a receipt, and I was SO afraid I was gonna get nicked for shoplifting! I was already playing out NYPD interrogation scenes in my head. But, whatever guilt I felt was certainly assuaged by the piles of Met crap I ended up buying at the end of the day.

Oh. And, in case you were wondering, yes. I made it to the movie, and no little old ladies were hurt in the process.