Mysterious 'Quarantined Mom From Dyckman' Leaves A Note

INWOOD, NY — Easter Sunday in 2020 was not like most years.

On April 12, New York City was the coronavirus hot spot of the world, and the city was quiet on the usually-festive holiday.

In the stillness, Willie El Bori decided to go to Dyckman Street and play music.

Almost no one was in the area, as the music traveled freely, dancing off parked cars and closed windows in Upper Manhattan.

El Bori was playing music from the seventies, Alicia Keys, the song "Rise Up," and tunes that "lift up spirits."

He did not expect what happened next.

"All of the sudden, a young lady walks over and hands me a bag of snacks," El Bori wrote on Oct. 30 in his first time sharing the story publicly. "In the bag was a note. Thank you, mysterious quarantine mom, you made my year."

El Bori didn't share the story until the end of October because he wasn't aware of the existence of the community Facebook pages.

The note was signed, "From a quarantined mom from Dyckman."

El Bori loves the note so much he keeps it in a plastic pouch. One day, he thinks he'll put the note in a frame one day — a memento of a year when everybody could've used an uplifting interaction with the quarantined mom, or at least some unsolicited snacks.

"What a great feeling I had. Not only me but a guy that sat next to me also felt great about this note," Will said. "It's a great neighborhood. Needs a little cleaning up. I love it here."