After 13 years of living in New York I can say that this city consistently woos me with its charms when it feels I might be slipping away. I had one of those nights recently. Here’s what happened…
Wednesdays are in office days for me. I dressed a little edgy for my surprisingly more corporate than I expected (or maybe the real adjective is just bland) office environment. I walked in wearing a green croc, leather mini skirt, a black cropped cardigan, black combat boots and a fully fluffed yet coiled head of hair and a nude lip on this particular day.
I was RSVP’d to attend a talk at Dumbo House later that evening and the only thing that stood between me and a perfect evening was 8 hours of being a good little employee.
By 6:30 I was on the A train headed back to Brooklyn. Around 7:15 I stepped into a curtained off room of the social club I’m a member of and found a packed house. I quietly nodded to a familiar face and stepped into a corner to take in the conversation.
Last week when I RSVP’d to this event I wasn’t entirely clear on the subject I just knew I needed to go be social, take in some creative commentary and be amongst new people. The talk didn’t disappoint. I stumbled into a lovely discourse between Khary Simon and Eric Johnson. Eric shared tales of his time as a photographer and described how he captured the infamous shot of Notorious B.I.G. and Faith Evans in a baby blue Cadillac convertible that donned the cover of VIBE Magazine. Rich.
On my way out of the space where the talk occurred I was stopped by that same familiar face, we swore we knew each other from somewhere and eventually I took his number half expecting the contact to auto-populate from a time long ago. After 13 years of living and mingling in New York. City, my contacts app is quite a gold mine.
I pull up to the bar, grab a seat and order a glass of champagne. No reason except that’s what I was in the mood for. A nice, cold glass of golden bubbles. Catching the attention of the gentleman to my left we plunged into conversation. He ordered a pizza and asked if I’d share, I obliged. Our discussion traversed working in the advertising sales world, the use of honesty as a power tool in the work place, spirituality, soul level karma, religion; punctuated by laughter, knowing glances and clinks of our glasses in agreement with one another on particular views.
He paid the bill and I took in my last glass of champagne solo. Marveling at the exchange we had.
I requested an Uber and made my way to the elevator. Caught up in my phone I almost missed the elevator car, an attractive young man behind me called “you can text him on the way down”. I cackled, he laughed. We smiled the entire way to the ground floor.
I hopped in my Uber, the second one I requested, someone rode off in my original. That realization must have sucked for them. Riding home I relished in my fortune. As we pulled up to my door I grabbed my things and hopped up, revelaing a fresh, unopened bottle of white wine from Enoteca nestled under my work bag. I grabbed the wine, wished my Uber driver a good night and dashed inside.
I didn’t bother to wash off my make up (I know, I know) and eased into bed comfortably alone.
All in one evening I was reminded of what I came here for. I remembered the girl I was pre-every damn thing that’s happened over the last 5 years. And I heard NYC whisper back, love you too.