In theater five, the credits were rolling over a lugubrious martial score. A teenager with a buzz cut was sitting in the seat closest to the door, engrossed in his phone.

“Eli!” the manager shouted. The kid didn’t startle, just looked up slowly when he’d finished the text or whatever.

“There was no one in this one,” he said. “There was nothing to clean.”

The manager walked into the second row, bent over with theatrical effort, and held a straw wrapper in his pinched fingers like a used condom. Eli stood abruptly and grabbed the broom from where it had been leaning against the trash can, sending the dustpan clattering into a row of seats, and swept hurriedly at nothing.

“Okay, Eli, okay,” the manager said. “Listen, this gentleman is looking for his car keys. He was in theater eleven, in the show that just got out. Did you collect his car keys?”

“I didn’t collect anything,” Eli said.

“You’re sure, when you were sweeping…” The manager paused while we all silently acknowledged that Eli had not been sweeping. “You’re sure you didn’t see any keys?”

“I’d tell you, Uncle Jordan. I didn’t see them.”

Jordan turned to me, for the first time signaling apology, or maybe just desperate loneliness, with his eyes.

“I’m running out of ideas here, sir,” he said. “Do you have anyone you can call?”

I had Triple A; I had a couple of old friends in town who would probably come help me, if I appeared abject enough. This wasn’t something I wanted to explain to my stepfather, under the circumstances, though he was not a judgmental person. He wouldn’t be able to help, but he also wouldn’t scold me, at least.

“Is this the garbage can you use for all of the theaters?” I said to Eli.

“Um,” he said.

My phone buzzed.

“Your Mom is out of surgery,” the text read. “Things looking OK. She will be awake in approx 2 hours. Will keep you posted.”

I turned to Eli.

“Where are my keys, Eli?” I tried to sound forceful, but it was probably closer to hysteria.

“Dude, what?” he said.

“Sir, I understand your frustration,” Jordan said. “Let’s go down to the office and file a lost-and-found report. That way if your keys turn up, we’ll have everything ready to go here for you.”