My son left his oboe on an MBTA bus, and Randy at the lost and found department did an admirable job tracking us down. He called the company we rented/bought the oboe from and shared the serial number with them. THEY called us and put us in touch with Randy.

To recover the oboe, I had to / got to make the most incredible journey into the belly of the MBTA. It involved being advised to drive right into an ominous “Buses Only” type work yard, ignore security guards, walk through a break room where bus drivers were playing pool.

I followed signs for the “Lost & Found” department, mixed among the various admonitions and adulations targeted at bus drivers.

Eventually I found my way to Randy’s office, who was on the phone with somebody, trying to help return a lost phone. It became clear to me that “Lost & Found” is a full-time job at the MBTA, and with good reason.

Randy told me about his past life as a software engineer, and that he was working on a database to catalog the donations the @MBTA makes of any items left longer than 30 days. They give things to the Big Brothers & Big Sisters. He pointed to a stack of receipts.

He joked about how he didn’t know who we would find to donate a lost oboe to. Luckily, he didn’t have to make that call! I gained an apprecation today for the hard work and dedication of a great MBTA employee who seems to enjoy his mission reuniting people with their things.