yesterday, i had a very odd set of circumstances compress into a very brief period of time.
in prep for brunching, i was seeking an open liquor store. surprisingly, many of the options i know and love near the brunch itself were closed. damn the puritans and the remnants of their blue laws.
in a flash if inspiration, i ran over to warehouse liquors off astor place on broadway, which has saved my butt many times. the first drink i bought legally after turning 21 was at warehouse, except it was not for me, it was for a bunch of kids looking for someone to buy for them out front. i was wandering back to the train from dinner, and they were looking for help. i figured it would be a good war to ring in a legal id.
on the way there, i ran into one of my co-workers, who was out doing errands. we exchanged minor pleasantries, and remarked on how small the goddamn city can be sometimes.
anyhow, walking over, i witnessed something totally hilarious (in an awful way). someone popped the question to his girl, and had been slick enough to hire a photographer to document the process. the street was fairly empty as that area goes, but the photographer did not seem out of place, and was tailing the couple diligently but conspicuously. the guy guided his gal over to a newsstand, which was butt up against a little bench thing. he then took a knee, and produced a ring box. the photographer hurried over and started snapping away. when mr. man popped open the box, and the question, the woman was speechless, and all she could do was shake her head. much to mr. man’s chagrin, she was not shaking it affirmatively.
i was far enough away that i couldn’t hear what they were saying, but i was close enough to see the looks on their faces. he was totally shaken, and asked something again, gesturing a bit more with his free hand, and proffering the ring with a bit more urgency. her response to question two was to shake her head no vehemently.
all the while, the photographer snapped away. finally, the guy got up, pocketed the ring, and walked over to the photographer, who he told loudly and angrily “ok, you can stop now.”
i was going to catch a cab to run back to brunch, but instead ran over to beard papa first, to bring extra delicious goodness. when i came out to hail a cab, who cut across broadway at 30mph but tom, who apparently spotted me from afar coming down broadway.
he gave me a free ride back to the brunch spot, and updated me on his life and situation (paying way more attention to me than the road, much to the detriment of some sunday cyclists). apparently his son is now re-committed, and he has taken another roommate on to share his expenses, at least until the end of august, when his son should be coming up. apparently the roommate is a large jamaican man. tom was very unhappy with the situation, but, as he put it, he had no other choices if he wanted to keep his apartment.
his girlfriend situation didn’t pan out as he hoped either. apparently he is going after some indian exchange student he met at the hospital his son is at. i told him to be careful.
all of this took place in less than an hour.
this is one of the many reasons i love this city, despite its costliness, impracticality, and constant horrors.
how was your weekend?
