Let me tell you a story

Once upon a time there was a girl named Charlye who lived in New York City. One day she was going to lunch with her friend Ryan at Shake Shack and then to the Met. She arrived a bit early, so she decided to browse at the Barnes and Noble next door while she waited for him. She made her way to the children’s section, as she always does, and picked up a book called “You Can’t Bring a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum.”

She went over to meet Ryan and they had some delicious Shake Shack. She tried a new concrete, the Pineapple Upper East Side Cake, which was part of the deliciousness. While they were eating, she mentioned to Ryan the book she had read while she waited. She also expressed her desire to test the title. “I really hope there’s a balloon stand on the way, because we would definitely stop and get one so we can see if the book is accurate,” she said as they were leaving Shake Shack.

They had barely gone one block before Ryan nudged her arm and said, “Look, there’s a party store. I bet they have balloons.” Charlye’s face lit up. “We are definitely getting a balloon!” she said. “And it has to be yellow, because that’s what color it was in the book.” They went inside and asked the man behind the counter for a single yellow balloon. Charlye clapped her hands, and as they left with the balloon in tow, she said, “I love today!”

They made their way over to the Met, the balloon bobbing in the wind. As they went through one crosswalk Charlye could feel the balloon hit a man they passed. “Sorry!” she called over her shoulder. The man didn’t even turn around, just held up his finger in acknowledgement of the apology. A dozen blocks and one errand later, they got to the Met.

“OK, this is it,” Charlye said as they climbed the steps. “The moment of truth.” She opened the museum door, took a step inside, and a security guard yelled, “You can’t have a balloon in here, you have to leave it outside!”

Ha ha! Just like the book!

The guard said she could tie it to the trashcan, but of course Charlye wouldn’t do that. That’s yucky. Instead, she tied it to the banister, just like in the book. “Now we’ll have to see if it’s there when we come out,” she told Ryan as they went back inside.

A couple hours later, after a room with a view and guitar hero exhibits, and a visit to the roof, Charlye and Ryan ended their trip to the Met. As they stepped outside, they realized their adventure was over. The balloon was gone. But hopefully it made a child very happy that day. The end.