An excerpt from the New York Times piece “We Found Our Son in the Subway” by Peter Mercurio:
Danny called me that day, frantic. “I found a baby!” he shouted. “I called 911, but I don’t think they believed me. No one’s coming. I don’t want to leave the baby alone. Get down here and flag down a police car or something.” By nature Danny is a remarkably calm person, so when I felt his heart pounding through the phone line, I knew I had to run.
When I got to the A/C/E subway exit on Eighth Avenue, Danny was still there, waiting for help to arrive. The baby, who had been left on the ground in a corner behind the turnstiles, was light-brown skinned and quiet, probably about a day old, wrapped in an oversize black sweatshirt.
In the following weeks, after family court had taken custody of “Baby ACE,” as he was nicknamed, Danny told the story over and over again, first to every local TV news station, then to family members, friends, co-workers and acquaintances. The story spread like an urban myth: You’re never going to believe what my friend’s cousin’s co-worker found in the subway. What neither of us knew, or could have predicted, was that Danny had not just saved an abandoned infant; he had found our son.
Three months later, Danny appeared in family court to give an account of finding the baby. Suddenly, the judge asked, “Would you be interested in adopting this baby?” The question stunned everyone in the courtroom, everyone except for Danny, who answered, simply, “Yes.”“But I know it’s not that easy,” he said.
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“Well, it can be,” assured the judge before barking off orders to commence with making him and, by extension, me, parents-to-be.
Fidelio
What an awesome story. Improbable is right. I wanted Mercurio to marinade a little more in those moments of reconciliation, with the Judge, with Kevin, or with Danny. It’s the kind of stories from which movies are made. *sigh*
Fidelio
Found the story in Parents Magazine that goes into more detail, but only through 2004. I’m all fuzzy and warm inside now. But that might just be taco I had for breakfast.
http://www.parents.com/parenting/adoption/stories/adoption-stories-miracle-on-14th-street/?page=1
Cam
Wow, what a beautiful, fantastic story.
Chad Hunt
DAMN LUCKY BASTARDS, … me and my boyfriend have been trolling high school dumpsters during prom season for the past few years. Apparently we should have been trolling the subway instead. Some people have all the luck.
viveutvivas
@Chad Hunt, maybe you will have better luck prowling the dumpsters 9 months AFTER prom season 🙂