headphones

I checked out of that New York Hotel room and started to walk the icy cold streets, the wind cut like a blade that had been buried in ice. The only destination I had in mind was the Public Library and that only opened at 1pm, it was now 11am. I walked past a comic shop that looked interesting, opening time 12:00, so I walked to Central park and lingered there a while, it is on lower ground and the wind was cut off so it was a lot warmer there. I walked around for thirty minutes or so and then decided to walk back to the comic store, which would be open by the time I arrived. Shortly after, I started to walk down 7^th Avenue, I walked past an inviting Irish pub and, needing to pee, I decided to step in and see if I could use the facilities. The barman asked ‘what can I getcha?’ and without even thinking, simple natural instinct, I responded ‘a Goose Island IPA, please.’ Before I knew it, I was at the bar and finishing my second pint. I decided to leave before I wasted the whole day and walked on towards the comic shop. When I arrived I found it full of the archetypal comic store kids – those who are fascinated by comic science but never get out of the house to experience how science and nature work. The store itself, although impressive in size, didn’t contain anything that appealed to me (figures dating back to the late 70s and early 80s) so I left after a few minutes and made my way to the Public Library. A beautiful building that is free to enter and is a magnificent monument to the humanities. The Lou Reed archives were on display and so I viewed these before walking the building to admire its internal architecture. For a few moments I sat in one of the reading rooms and scribbled a few notes in my notepad. Starting to feel hungry and a further need for alcohol I left the library and started to walk towards Hell’s Kitchen. I found a dive bar and entered. It was warm and welcoming, the bar lady shouted ‘hello’, and as I took my headphones off a woman at the bar asked me which kind of headphones they were. This struck me as quite strange and this woman would be the reason for my later introspective despair. On the other side of her was a couple who were having lunch and the headphone lady kept asking them questions about their food. Periodically she would turn to me and say something about my beer and her drink (she was sipping a whiskey very slowly) and talk about the price. I started to feel a little bit sorry for her because I suspected she wanted to eat and drink and couldn’t afford to do so. She had a slight speech defect and I couldn’t quite understand most things that she said. I wanted to offer to buy her another whiskey and a meal but I was concerned that I might send the wrong message… whatever message that might be. She told me that she was thinking of eating elsewhere and I wasn’t sure if that was legitimate or if she was just saying that to provide a reason for not eating anything. The lady next to her was coming to the end of her lunch and so headphone lady started to ask more questions about it. The lady pushed her plate gently in front of headphone lady and offered it to her. Headphone lady automatically proceeded to finish everything that was left on the plate. I was pondering the menu as the beer was flowing, simply because the first beer had subdued my hunger and I could not decide what I wanted to eat. Towards the end of my second beer I placed an order and as I was doing so headphone lady asked the bar lady ‘how much is the fish and chips?’ Clearly she was hoping that someone would offer to buy her lunch. She was a tourist just like me. I felt confused… a British tourist in Hell’s kitchen, simply looking for beers and lunch, suffering an existential crisis. I spiralled into a realm of deep thought about all the people who are homeless, hungry, neglected, abused, lonely, sick and a terrible dark despair overcame me. My lunch arrived, headphone lady said ‘oh, that looks really good’, and I felt like simply pushing it over to her so that she could eat it. However, she was correct, it looked great and I was very hungry. I proceeded in something of a delirious daydream. I wanted to call my parents and ask if they were okay. I wished I had the ability to cast a spell that would make all people of the planet content, with food and shelter and health and love and warmth. The couple on the other side of headphone lady moved seats and went deeper into the bar using the opening door and the cold air as an excuse. A new patron entered, a lady, and sat at the bar where the couple had been sitting. Headphone lady started to talk to her immediately. She started to show the new lady her camera and the two were talking joyfully so I paid my bill and left. Outside the icy wind struck me like a punch in the face and I realised it was too cold and that I was too tired to continue to walk the streets. I decided to walk back to the hotel I’d checked out of and go to the ‘Sky Room’ (the bar at the top of the hotel with a view of the Empire State Building). In the sky room it was warm and peaceful. I ordered a bottle of beer in an attempt to convince myself that I was slowing down somewhat considering I’d already had four pints. I passed a couple of pleasant hours in there… four bottles of beer, some reading, some gazing out of the window at the view. I left and walked to Penn Station and bought more beer. I asked if it was legal to drink in the station and the lady behind the counter said ‘sure, as long as you have it in a brown paper bag… I’ll give you one.’ I smiled at this American concept, took the tall Heineken can in the brown paper bag and sat waiting and drinking…