Every holiday growing up, my Mom used to always try to do something to get us all in the holiday spirit. Now the big holidays were a given – Easter Eggs and a basket filled with candy at Easter, Little turkey-shaped cookies at Thanksgiving, chocolate hearts at Valentine’s Day, and Christmas was, well, Christmas. At Saint Patrick’s Day, she used to make green ice cream shakes and for dinner, it was cabbage and something that resembled corned beef (I think it was smoked pork shoulder or something to that effect). I could never figure out why she was into that holiday so much – especially since we weren’t Irish. She just said that it would bring us good luck to celebrate a Saint. Being brought up Catholic, it was our job to celebrate any “religious” holidays, so we went along with it. After all, who was I to turn down an ice cream shake – even if it was dyed green?
Now I’m not sure if it brought us luck or not, but ever since I’ve done the same with my own family. I just view it as an excuse to celebrate. Now I’ve traded in the corned beef and cabbage (I live in a house full of guys, so mixing men with cabbage is not something I would suggest) for shepherd’s pie, but we still celebrate somewhat.
It is also known to be a “drinker’s holiday” where people like to go out and put back a few with their friends. In my experience, when people get together to celebrate anything that involves alcohol, it can be a fun time – especially for cheaters. After they’ve polished off a few drinks, their decision-making skills may not be the best, and that is where the magic usually happens – at least for me and my camera that is. Partners that claim to be devoted to their partners, maybe a little less devoted when the spouse is not invited to the local pub.
This was the case with a client of ours a few years back. He was a little suspicious when his wife told him that she was invited to a girl’s night out on Saint Patrick’s Day so would he mind staying home with the kids while she had a glass of wine with the girls at her friend’s house. She had never done that before, and he did not recognize the name of that friend. She had also been working late a lot the past few months – always at the last minute – and would come home slightly disheveled and in no mood to be bothered with him. That is when he called us.
So the night of Saint Patrick’s Day (pre-Covid) we followed her from her job in Coney Island, NY. She was all dressed up and wearing a little sparkly green hat as she headed towards the subway. We followed her all the way to the Lower East Side in Manhattan, NY where she went into a bar on a side street. There she met up with someone. Now I am not one to assume, but that friend of hers looked an awful lot like a guy. They headed to a table in the back and snuggled in for the evening. I moseyed on over to the bar and got a seat facing in the other direction. I picked up my phone and reversed the camera so I appeared to be looking at myself, but it was actually zoomed in on the lovebirds behind me. I suppose they were “getting lucky” so to speak, in honor of Saint Patrick’s Day.
This is the part of my job that causes a great deal of mixed emotions for PI’s. A great night for me is a client’s worst night in most cases. I watched them for about two hours kissing, touching, and playing with her little green hat before they decided to take their show to a different stage. They left and I tossed down some money (which included a big tip since I did not have time to wait for a change) and headed after them. They were too involved with each other to even notice me, but I still gave them plenty of room. They caught a bus (and so did I) a couple of stops and took the subway to the train. We continued for quite a while until we reached the train station in Mineola. There they took a taxi (thankfully there were a few waiting there so I grabbed one as well) to Uniondale where they headed into a small single-family residence. The light came on upstairs and my assumption from the silhouettes in the window was that all that would remain on her before too long would be that silly little hat. I headed back to wait for an Uber to take me back to the train so I could head home, humming Prince’s “Raspberry Beret” to myself in honor of that little green hat. I know it wasn’t a “green beret”, but it was the song that came to mind at the moment. Not a lot of songs out there about little green hats, so it was the best I had to work with. I’m sure Prince would be ok with it.
When I reported to my client that night (he insisted he would be up waiting as long as it took to get my call) I expected to hear the usual reaction – distraught, heartbroken, unsure how to proceed. But this one caught me by surprise. “Thank you so much! You made my night!” I was a little taken back by the response and asked him in the nicest way possible “ You certainly seem happy about this news.” “She’s been miserable to be around for years,” he said, “and I am so happy to be able to finally get rid of her. My family insisted I was crazy and that she was perfect. This will shut them all up and now I can get custody of the kids and start over. It looks like my luck has finally changed.” I guess he got his own good luck on Saint Patrick’s Day. I have to admit, I did not see that one coming. Although I was still a little confused, I was happy for him. He seemed a lot happier than when he first called me, that’s for sure.
So you see, sometimes what we perceive to be a bad thing may not necessarily be bad. If you are being treated badly by your spouse or partner, and you suspect something is going on, and you find out they are cheating, it gives you the chance to find out the truth and start fresh without regret. Knowledge is a powerful thing. Once we prove your suspicions are not “all in your head” like your spouse would like you to think, then you have the opportunity to begin again with someone that will really appreciate you and treat you the way you should be treated. They should be “getting lucky” with YOU and not someone else on March 17th. So the next time they make plans in advance that don’t include you, give us a call. We will be there to find out what is happening and if luck is on your side, it will be what you are hoping for. If not, then maybe luck will come your way when you least expect it. I guess we will see. But for now, I’m off to eat some shepherd’s pie. Maybe I’ll even pick up a green shake on the way.
Investigreat, LLC is a recognized full-service Private Investigation Agency that is fully licensed, insured and bonded, handling cases in Queens NY, Brooklyn NY, Bronx NY, New York City, Staten Island and Long Island NY and all over Connecticut. Terri Dornfeld along with her husband, Adam have been working cases for Legal Teams, Insurance Companies, Private Businesses, Municipalities, School Systems and general investigation services for the public since 1992.
Investigreat, LLC | Private Investigators serving Jamaica NY, Brooklyn NY, Queens NY, Connecticut | Office: 718-412-1845 | Text: 718-309-1269