on the long roster of new york city summer, there are countless museums and parks, bike procurement, outdoor performances, restaurants, and a fling.
last weekend i was at one such outdoor event at one such park. flying solo, so it’s sink or swim. either you step up and start talking with people, or…you don’t, and the whole thing can be a bust unless you put on those x-ray observation glasses and simply sit back, but that’s often just a copout anyway. but this evening was on, and it was easy, butterfly easy. and so, among others, i met one particular gentleman with whom i sincerely enjoyed the conversation - architecture and design, the joy of an old man sitting on that which you have built. he lives in new york, but he also had lived in san francisco. so, you see…
at the end, a pleasantly awkward exchange of information, because yes, we’d like to keep talking.
then ensued a week and a half of email and phone tag after an initial proposal to wander. this is a new game for me, enjoying the wait and see of it all, appreciating the days inbetween, the slow progress but underlying sureness that eventually. and then today…today? okay. it had been long ago and brief enough that i had begun to lose his details, and i wondered if he had similar difficulty. so laughed as i conjured up my best memory – form and colors and wire-rimmed spectacles - to spot him in washington square park. it sufficed and the challenge was fleeting.
and then the ambling commenced.
through the meatpacking district, we found ourselves on a pier overlooking the hudson river. new jersey looks pretty from afar. i asked about the high line project, which will turn an old elevated railroad track over 20 blocks on the western coast of manhattan into a sort of floating park. well, he’d done a project on rotation there with 2 bicycles and a 10 foot tower and videocameras on a spinning axle. Oh. and so we set off, but you know, it’s under construction, and so the first staircase we get to, sneaking past snoozing parking lot security guard, is locked and surrounded by razor wire. similarly the second. we near the end of the line, and down into a lot where truck containers reside, slipping in darkness between their slender corridors, to gravel embankment, and then …there we are, wooden slats and metal rails, above the city. walk to one side for a while, to avoid the glance of security man, and to our left is a slumber party of subway trains, then a private tented party to spy. and on and on, down the tracks, overgrown with knee deep weeds, and talk of this and that...i start to realize he has an understated quality, reminiscent of a dear person past that I have not seen the likes of since, it causes an innate shift in the whole way i see things. oh dreamy city lights so strangely seen from wild, meandering peaceful path above it all – it is the best place I have been since I arrived. thank you for bringing me here. it is secret and slightly surreptitious and an incredible treat.
so you see, it already has the makings of a quite special date.
upon our return from the high line, ready for food, so we entered an old diner. the traditional silver fancy pre-manufactured kind, with the red round counter stools and vinyl booths. the cheyenne diner. we order a breakfast dinner, with glasses of fresh squeezed orange juice. conversation continues – friendships with old people, figure drawing. apt words are chosen.
now you may recognize, this date is bordering on classic.
but, no, none of it is planned.
and wait!
halfway through the meal, a spectacular lightening and thunder storm. sheets of rain. each person walking past the window a delightful amusement. one well dressed woman is running down flooded sidewalks barefoot with high heels in hand. shall we wait it out? for a bit yes, but eventually it just seems time to go, and so we set out, getting sensationally soaked, walking to the station together.
clearly, this is an exemplary date, bar none.
down into the subway, and sit down, wet tousled hair and he removes his watery glasses, and well yes, he is quite handsome. some banter, it’s coming to a close soon. and then:
“i suppose i should tell you, i have a girlfriend.”
(apparent awkwardness from him)
“oh,” i smile, “i appreciate you telling me that.”
(pause)
“yeah… i don’t know if this is a date…this feels like a date to me”
(he’s thinking, and then)
“when we talked last week…i wanted to continue the conversation. i enjoyed talking with you…i like you…i’d like to hang out again.”
(our stop approaches - ah, dear rushed conversation-of-import)
“yes, i’d like to, too” my reply, and still smiling, “good job.” which I really meant.
which gets a thankful laughing smile in return.
then a mild hug on the platform and a reassurance that I will see him at his party on friday.
and he departs and I await my transfer.