Page 32 - NyghtVision Magazine Volume 3 #4
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forward. Someone brushed against me. A fur- car snapped forward and gathered momen-
tive, glancing touch. I turned to look over my tum, I watched the station disappear. She was
right shoulder. It was her. I tried to catch her no where to be seen.
with my eyes but she would not turn her face
towards me. She was gone. Forever.
The train descended into 42nd Street and it Day Two
seemed as though most of the train emptied
as the doors opened. As quickly as it emptied, This isn't the place for a problem. New York
it filled again, and for a brief moment, I saw doesn't tolerate weakness easily or well. And
her. Sitting. Holding the pastry box as though yet, I can hardly step on my right foot. The
it were the most precious thing she owned. pain is severe enough that even with my high
She did not turn her face towards me and yet threshold of pain, I walk with a noticeable
she must have felt my eyes. Her face reddened limp. I try not to walk in such a way that I
again and she lowered her eyes. have to flex my right foot all the way, but that
is nearly impossible. Try walking the floor of
At 59th Street, the train emptied enough for a trade show for seven straight hours without
me to take a seat. Not near her as I might have bending a foot completely. Worse still, imag-
wished, but across and away from her. Only ine walking the streets of New York and ne-
her eyes moved towards me as I sat down. gotiating the subway without bending the toes
Instinctively my eyes turned to her. She low- on your foot. If that isn't enough, there is the
ered her head again as though focusing all her Unpredictable Factor, always present in New
attention on the white box. I moved my eyes York. It happened tonyght and it only served
away. to add to my discomfort.
There was no point to this. I would never see It is another one of those unwritten rules in
her again. And yet I found myself considering the City. “The City reserves the right to change
crossing the car and taking a seat next to her any rule at any time for any reason at all. Or
should one be available, or perhaps, I would for not reason at all.” Of course, the worst part
offer her my business card............ But in the of it all is that you can't ever know which rule
end I did neither. I settled into the rolling will change, how many times it will change, or
motion of the car and briefly closed my eyes. what the consequence will be.
It had been a long day – one that started at
5:45 AM and I had already driven a consid- And so it was tonyght. It was my fault in part.
erable distance. The day before I had driven We had purchased new shoes as part of our
nine hours and had been up late working on more “corporate” look. I thought I had bro-
the book. I thought for a moment I would fall ken my pair in, but my idea of broken in and
asleep but the brakes of the train snapped my walking in them for ten hours without a break
body sharply to my right. 145th Street. apparently wasn't the same. So, by the time
the day ended, my sock on my right foot was
As the doors opened, she stood, turned to face damp. I feared the worse. I was beginning to
me, and curtsied slightly, bowing her head and limp – severely enough for the limp to be no-
lowering her eyes in the way of our people. I ticeable and severely enough to not be able to
held her in my eyes, nodded to acknowledge
her, and savored her beauty one last time. She
turned and stepped on to the platform. As the
32 | New York Chronicles 2013
