Those Fifteen Hours

Jacqui wanted to get out of the apartment for the day, but needed to get work done, and I had nothing to do. So we headed down to the New York Public Library. She was able to study and I perused.

I read a few parts of a book entitled The New York Irish. I read the introduction, and the overview of Part IV entitled When New York Was Irish, and After, and now feel like an expert. I borrowed Jacqui's laptop and clicked around until I got bored. She was studying chemical pathways, or something.

I texted my friend Mark, who lives in the city. For those of you who don't know, Mark and I went to college together, and he moved to NYC to follow his artistic dreams (Premonition). We had yet to meet up since I moved up here and he invited me to a relaxed gathering to help Toys for Tots. "You don't need to bring a toy," he told me.

So I got onto Subway One and headed uptown to Harlem, to 110th street. I think it was only natural that I had this song playing in my head while I was on the subway, so I didn't know what the hell was going to happen.

Walking around the city, through buildings, onto the subway, I realized how smooth the ground felt through my shoes. I guess that's what happens when there's a million other shoes also walking around.

On the subway heading uptown I saw an advertisement that read: Surf the train and you could get wiped out-- forever. On it there was a picture of a guy holding onto the side of a moving subway car for dear life. I wonder where they got that picture, or if they took it for the ad.

When I finally made it uptown, Prem took me down into this little spot where the DJ (a Mount Kisco native) was spinning some nice tunes. I was introduced to a couple other underground MCs and writers. The beers were free, and the bartender would walk from around the bar so see who needed more.

It's been forever since I was able to vibe out with good tunes and beers. I had a great time doing it. Santa showed up and gave out toys to the kids running around. A picture was taken, and somehow I got shoved into it. I got the feeling that I should have been the guy holding the camera, if anything.

The library closed at six and I headed back towards the subway to meet up with Jacqui for dinner and a movie. I swiped my prepaid metro card only to realize I was on the wrong side of the tracks. A part of me really wanted to hop down and run across the tracks, another part of me wanted to head over the safe way, but then jump the turn-stop when I got there. I ended up just paying an extra $2.25. I assumed I was being watched.

As soon as I got off the subway, there was this old man with long white hair playing an electric keyboard. On the keyboard were dancing dolls. The man wore black cotton gloves with fingers exposed. He was so hunched over the keyboard it looked like his head was growing horizontally out of his chest.

***

Jacqui and I got dinner at a crowded Irish bar that was reminiscent of Kildares. Afterwards, Prem sent us a text inviting us to his buddy Cavalier's small show on the lower eastside. We were down for it.

The three of us met up, checked our coats, enjoyed the $3 PBR special, and waited for Cav's arrival. He showed up, we were briefly introduced, then we went into the bar's basement and rocked out on the mic for a few minutes. We were introduced to a few more independent MCs and a singer by the name of Jeanette Berry

After the show we were taken to a birthday party where bottles of Grey Goose were being passed around.

Long story short, Jacqui and I hit the subway, made it to grand central, got on the last train home and fell asleep.

When we woke up, we were in Katona, two stops past Mount Kisco. As soon as I stepped off the train I almost fell right on my ass. Everything was covered in a sheet of ice. We found a sign that guaranteed taxi service. There was no answered.

We called #411 and found a different taxi service to get us home.

As Jacqui and I walked to the taxi, a kid asked hanging around asked if he could hop a ride with us, and we said sure. "Where you heading?" I asked the kid.

"233st. in the Bronx. Where am I anyway?"

"You're all the way hell and gone in the middle of Westchester county."

He then told the taxi driver that money was no issue, if he could just be driven to the Bronx.

"No my friend, I am sorry, but in this weather it will take one hour at least, and cost you a hundred dollars. You are much better off waiting an hour for the first train at 5AM," our taxi savior said to the kid.

The driver drove me to the ATM so I could give him $20 (it would have been an extra $5 with my credit card). When I walked back to the cab, the back door was wide open, and a healthy pile of vomit was neatly lying on the ground and our new friend was sticking his head as close as he could do the pavement. Jacqui was trying to explain what was going on to his aunt. The guy's phone was dead, and he was using mine.

We left him at the Mount Kisco train station, wished him luck, and had the driver get us home.

For some reason, at 4:30AM, I felt like I had caught a second wind, and was wide awake.

I was asleep by 5AM.

***

I was bored, and went into the city looking for adventure. I'm happy with the
result. Thank you to Jacqui for the motivation and company, and thank you to Prem for showing us around town. It was a great fifteen hours.