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A New York Christmas

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jstephens9:
Here is a story I started writing tonight because it just came to me. I wish people would comment on it. I tried a Jack/Ennis type story and I got nothing from it although in other places it went over. So I am going to try again with something that is not related to Brokeback Mountain. It is just an opening.

jstephens9:
“Nice night, don’t you think?”

Somewhere in my mind I heard this, but didn’t really realize anyone was around and saying anything. I was watching the snowflakes fall with the lights of the city all around me. I was almost in trance lost somewhere deep in my own thoughts.

I looked beside me and there was a guy standing there leaning up against the railing apparently watching the same wintry scene as me.  I wasn’t even really sure he was speaking to me so I looked around to see who he else he might be talking to. There was nobody else around that he could be talking to but me.  I said, “Yeah, it looks like something out of a movie.”

“You know what it reminds me of. It is like being inside one of those snow globes. You ever seen those snow globes they sell of the city.”

“Yeah, I have. In fact I have some of those at home. Souvenirs I guess you could say.”

“Well, now you got the real thing,” he chuckled. Some kind of light reflected on his face. I could see the glimmering blue of his eyes. He was rather tall and appeared to have dark close cut hair. He appeared lean and wore a dark coat that did not really appear heavy enough for the cool of the night.“

"I guess I do, now what will I do if I can’t ever get out?” I laughed.

“Well, I guess then you will just have to make the best of it. And you’re not alone cause if you are trapped in here then so am I.”

As I looked at this man standing beside me, my mind had thoughts that I would probably not complain about that. But, of course, I knew that whoever this was would just be a passing memory of a conversation in the snow of New York City during the holidays. I had never been in the city during Christmas although I had thought about it often. All the other times I had been here it was in the middle of summer and much, much warmer. My mind seemed to go back into the trance I had been in before. I was thinking about a love I had, a love I still had in my heart, who I wish could be standing right there with me. I had talked to him earlier on the computer like I had done for the last eight years. After our conversation ended I just wanted to immerse myself in the lights of the city and the heavy snow that was falling. After all, here I was in the greatest city in the world during the most wonderful time of the year. He knew where I was, he always knew where I was. He just couldn’t be there with me like he could never be there with me. I told him that it would be so magical if he were there with me. I felt like this Christmas would be special and I guess it was cause here I was.

“Hey are you still there?”

The man beside me spoke again and made me aware of his presence.

“I’m sorry, I was just thinking about the snow, and New York, and the lights, and all.” I half way apologized for ignoring him.

“You worried about being stuck here with me in the snow globe.” He chuckled again.

“No, I’m not worried about that. It is actually a really beautiful place. I don’t guess it would be all that bad to be trapped in here, but it might get cold.”

“Well, you got a bigger coat on than I do.”

“You should have thought about putting on a bigger coat if you planned on getting stranded in a snow globe.” I laughed.

Something about this guy seemed so familiar although I had never met him before. There was something about those blue eyes, that laugh, that accent that was hard to understand sometimes.

“Are you from here?” he said.

“No, just visiting, how about you?”

He laughed, “Well you could have fooled me with that accent. Yes, I am from New York City.”

“Really, originally, you don’t really sound like it.” I looked at him and I saw the glimmer of his blue eyes. It was almost like a sparkle, like something magical.

He laughed, “No, I am not from here. I am just visiting. I never been here. I have just heard of it. Somebody told me it was a place I should see so here I am.”

“It’s a wonderful city. So many tall buildings, so many lights, so much energy. I love it here, but I can’t imagine ever living here. I am from the country back in the mountains of North Carolina.”

“Do you live in a log cabin on a mountain?” He said looking at me intently, once again his blue eyes looking at me stronger than ever.

“How did you know that? Yes I do. Are you some kind of psychic or something?”

“Well I just heard that people from the mountains of North Carolina live in log cabins on the sides of mountains. I sure ain’t no psychic.” He laughed again.

“Where are you from?”

“Well I’m from Texas.”

I recognized the accent so I wasn’t surprised. My long time friend was from Texas so even though it had been a long time since I had heard his voice I remembered the accent. He used to call me and I still had one of his voicemails on my answering machine. I would never erase that. I even listened to it sometimes.

“I have a good friend and even relatives in Texas. I hear the accent in your voice.”

He then seemed to get quiet and both of us spent many moments looking out into the city lights through the falling snow. Finally I said, “Hey, I’m not making fun of your accent.”

“ I know you’re not. Was just thinking when I came up and said something to you, you seemed like you were somewhere else, somewhere in deep thought. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“You didn’t disturb me. Guess I was just thinking about things that I thought could be and I don’t guess can be. It’s a long story and I sure don’t want to bore you with it.”

“Well then why tell it to me in this cold. Hey, you drink Jack Daniels or do you like it?”

“That is what I always drink. Ole JD is my friend.” I laughed.

“Well, let’s get one then up here at this bar I passed on the corner. You want to?”

I said, “Hell yeah, let’s go for it.” He smiled, blue eyes shining once again.

We walked back up the street towards the lights of Times Square, snow blowing hard in our faces, he jokingly acted like he was falling down. I said, “You do that and I’m not sure I would be able to pick you up.” I laughed.

“You know I’m just a big ole cowboy, I can handle falling down every once in awhile.”

“Damn, so I have a cowboy in New York City I have to make sure doesn’t fall down.” I laughed.

I thought somehow this was just another one of those strange things that seems to happen to me. Here I am walking through the streets of New York City in the snow with Christmas lights so bright with some guy from Texas for a drink of Jack Daniels who happens to be talking about being a big ole cowboy. I guess it was a coincidence, some cruel joke in a way, but yet I felt good.
 
We entered some bar that was more than heavily decorated with Christmas lights. “All I Want For Christmas” by Mariah Carey was playing rather loudly in the background. The place was packed. The lights were flashing. I felt good, somehow the Christmas spirit had taken me out of the trance I felt I had been in for so long.

We found a table that seemed to have this enormous view of the Empire State Building, an almost magical view. I knew I had to stay focused on everything cause I already had a few drinks of JD while talking to the guy who I had known for so long. I sure did not want to be too drunk wandering around New York City in the middle of the night. New York’s finest are great as long as you are on their side.  For some reason I felt a safe and warm feeling inside though.

A waitress with a really good view of her tits came up to the table. He ordered four double shots of Jack Daniels. I thought “Damn I got to watch it, the hotel is quite a few blocks away.” He said, “Damn, boy, these waitresses here don’t leave a lot to the imagination.”

I said, “Yeah.” Well, one thing I knew for sure was that my companion was straight which was fine. Typically anybody I ever met on my travels was straight and that was perfectly fine with me.

In the light of the bar, I saw that my companion was like I had described my other friend from Texas. He was as if I had drawn a picture of who I would want if I had my choice of anyone. He was just the same as I had seen when I saw the first picture of my other friend who had been my life for 8 years. I felt guilty for thinking this.

The waitress, Audrey, brought drinks, lot of drinks, six damn shots of straight JD. He said, “To the mountain.” And drank one of the shots down. I looked at him in some kind of amazement and swallowed down my shot.  I said, “Damn good.” He said, “But it was damn good.” What in the hell was going on? Had I entered some kind of twilight zone where everything is not really real? These were the same words my guy and I had exchanged for so many years.

He said, “Hey, you see that building over there?”

“Which one?  There are lots of buildings over there.”

“The biggest one.”

“The Empire State Building?”

“Yep, that’s the one. You want to go and see what the city looks like from there?”

“That would be great. I have been there before in the summer, but would it still be open?”

“Oh yeah, it is. Somebody told me it was beautiful from up there.”

He gave me the biggest smile and said, “Let’s drink these drinks down and head up there. Who knows maybe somebody might kiss me at midnight.”

“Well if you find somebody that will.” I kidded him thinking that he thought he might find some girl up there. I figured the tits of the waitress had him turned on.

I was also thinking in my mind that would mean I would have about ten blocks to walk back to the hotel and then I realized I worried too much. It was the night. It was the time. It was the holidays and I was in New York City. It wasn’t like we were going to be riding in some kind of weird taxi cab in Los Angeles to a gentleman’s club near South Central or wherever we were.

So we drank down the JD quickly. I thought it was kind of strange in a way that he didn’t find it a big deal that I had no problem doing that with no chaser or anything. I don’t guess it is a big deal, but at one time I would have thought it would be.

We headed for the Empire State Building through even heavier snow than what had been falling when we met. The city was truly beautiful. It looked like what I had seen in so many movies and television shows, but it was real there in Technicolor and high definition or whatever. I was in the middle of it with some cowboy from Texas who reminded me so much of a person I had loved so long and wanted to be with so long.

It seemed I had to take the lead in getting us there. I guess I knew the city more than he did. We entered the mighty doors of one of the greatest buildings in the world.  We went through the security checkpoints on the way to the elevators and I noticed that he put some kind of badge in the tray. I wasn’t really worried about that, but I thought it was strange in a way. It seemed to take a long time for us to finally get on the elevator, but I had been there before and that was pretty usual. With it being Christmas I was surprised it wasn’t even longer.

While we were waiting he said, “Are you staying at a hotel here or with friends?”

I said, “I am staying at a hotel in Times Square. How about you?”

He said, “Yeah, I am too, but I didn’t have much to choose from, so it is not the best. I guess you are staying at one of the best. I did not expect to be here so I just had to take what I could find.”

“What did you come at the last minute?”

“Well I never expected to be here, but it just happened, and I got a flight and here I am in a city I don’t know nothing about. The warden told me to head out and this is where I knew I needed to head out too.”
I thought what in the hell is he talking about, the warden is what I have heard the guy I know call the wife. Or else this guy is some kind of convict.

So I just played it cool, knowing that this guy was not the guy I knew, and we would just go to the top of the Empire State Building and that would be the end of this weird night.
 

Kelda:
Interesting Jack. Is there going to be more?

jstephens9:

--- Quote from: Kelda on November 28, 2008, 06:02:37 am ---Interesting Jack. Is there going to be more?

--- End quote ---

Yes, there will be more.....well if I get comments like this wanting more  :)

Kelda:
more please!!

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