One night in NYC

It’s another business trip to New York City. This crowed metropolis is filled with people. Yet I come in and out of the city, each time always seeing the same people and never once meeting anyone new. If you think about it, that’s pretty statistically difficult to do. Just standing in the middle of the city, you’re bound to meet someone. Talk to someone. Nope, never in my case.

I think there’s a cheesy song somewhere out there that says you’re never as lonely as when you’re in a room full of people. The ‘room’ couldn’t be more full standing in time square of New York City.

I was more excited about this trip than usual. Unlike the in and out trips of airport, meetings, then straight back to the airport trips I usually have, I was going to meet up with some friends in the city. They told me a friend was going to join us. She had recently moved to the city and wanted to visit new places whenever she could.

I flew in on my usual flight into LaGuardia. I take the trip enough the stewardess has begun to recognize me. More importantly, they’ve started to remember my Jack and Coke. Now that’s service. The flight was uneventful and I grabbed a cab heading into the city.

After I checked in and unpacked my luggage, I was ready to go. I was excited to see my friends and also starving. We decided on a place to meet and I was on my way. One of my crowning achievements last year was figuring out how to use the subway system in NYC. I’m very proud of this. I get lost a lot, and this is huge for me. I’m now totally versed in getting around using the subway which I’m always strangely excited about when I’m in town.

So I get to the restaurant and got a table for 4. It seems that they haven’t gotten there yet. The restaurant was a nice little Thai restaurant. It had very nice décor and a unique fountain/pool in the middle of the restaurant. There was a sky light over the pool which reflected the moon light that night throughout the restaurant.

I was looking at the menu and when I looked up, they were walking through the door. I jumped up and waved wildly at them from the table. Mostly because I could hardly contain my excitement, but also excited I was about to eat. Did I mention I’ve been starving? They waved back wildly and walked toward the table.

Audrey was the first to greet me with a big squeezing hug. She was a hugger. I’m very particular to my touching. I don’t generally like touching people or being touched by people for that matter, but people I like, that’s a whole different story. I always enjoy hugs from Audrey. I greeted Tom as he came up behind Audrey. I met Tom and Audrey randomly on a trip to the city a few years ago. We hit it off pretty quick during that totally random meeting and have since become pretty good friends. I make it a point to see them whenever I’m in town.

Tom introduced me to Emma who was standing behind them. I was extending my hand to her when she made the move and hugged me. I generally get a little squeamish feeling when someone does that, not because of the person, just a reflex. I don’t know what it was, perhaps her smell, or maybe the feeling, but it felt comfortable and familiar like the first hug with Audrey.

We sat down and started talking. Even though we only see each other once every couple of months, our conversations are always fun and never ending. There’s never a lack of things to talk about. We jump topics from our daily lives, to politics to zombies to plans for making the worst movie ever (road trip time!). Even though Emma was relatively new to us, she fit right in. She was charming and witty. She enjoyed the same things as we did and had no problem participating in the conversation. Being able to speak on zombies and politics, now these are qualities difficult to come by.

I snuck in a few looks at Emma during dinner. I don’t know if it was the drinks or the moon light reflecting off the pool, but she was simply radiant. She had gorgeous eyes and her smile was contagious. When she smiled at you, words could not describe that feeling. You just know you need to see it again.

The dinner was wonderful and we had a few drinks that were also delicious. We finished up dinner and decided to go to a near by bar. There were a few more beverages consumed and some darts were thrown. Unfortunately for the floor, the darts were not always aimed at the board. It was a great night and we were all feeling pretty good after the drinks. Sadly, it was still a Tuesday and everyone had things to do the next day. Stupid jobs.

Audrey and Tom were heading south to catch the train while Emma and I were headed east to catch another train. My hotel and her place were in the general direction. We said our goodbyes. Some words were slurred, hugs were given, then Emma and I were on our way home.

To be Continued…