Chapter 2: Amtrak to Schenectady
There ain’t no quiet like snowfall quiet.
Even in a city like this, you know you got about 15, maybe 20 minutes of almost quiet, those short minutes after all the drunks get home from last call, those short minutes before the streets fill with cabs and garbage trucks.
The cops they in their cars on side streets or backed in alleys, they be drinking coffee, end of their watch within sight, fill in some paperwork from the overnight crap, text the wife or girlfriend they still alive, made it another day, city like this another day a win for the cops.
Bless you NYC Blue, Gotham Blue.
Taking a slow walk from my apartment down to Penn Station…
…Old Mrs. O’Grady going watch Boomer today, told her he been feed and pooped, toss a ball around your flat, he be asleep next to you on the couch before News2 comes on the tube.
So will Old Mrs. O’Grady, she be asleep on the couch next to the Boom too before the News hits the first commercial break.
You ever catch a snowflake…
…you ever follow a snowflake come down.
I do, I try and pick one out ‘bout the 4th or 5th floor of some building, a dark building works better, higher than the 5th floor my old eyes get all confused on which snowflake is which.
Snowflake you know don’t come down straight, they zig and zag, some, I think the ones who want to delay their melt, those ones sometimes even go back up some, they know, they know what it means to land.
A fallen snowflake is alive, a landed one be a dead snowflake.
Snowflake up close they all fancy looking just enjoying the ride down.
A city snowflake future be a puddle here in the city.
Snowflake be wishing he a country snowflake, come drifting down from the sky then landing on a bunch of other snowflakes.
Country snowflakes be happy they become snow, not a puddle.
Or worse…slush.
‘Nuff standing looking up, city starting to come alive, you stand to long looking up here lots of questions will be asked, tell them you watching snowflakes you damn sure to get a free government ride somewhere downtown, yep.
Also, know for sure Amtrak, that train ain’t going to be sitting there waiting for my sorry ass self.
Amtrak
“Where you headed to today, sir.”
“Schenectady.”
“Can I see your ticket please.”
“Yes sir, here you go.”
“Thank you, looks good, round trip huh, long day.”
“Yep...good day though, worth the length.”
Conductor nodded his head and moved on down the aisle to the next guy sitting alone.
Sammy the bartender he bought me the round-trip ticket on the internet, said it cost $38 bucks each way. I had $27 dollars in tip jar cash, had to buy Boomer some puppy pads for when he pees in the apartment when I’m not home, they ain’t cheap those puppy pee pads, ain’t cheap no how, so I was a little short money wise with Sammy the bartender, I agreed that he could have my entire tip jar money every night until my debt was paid in full.
Ain’t told no one but Boomer about my scratch off win, only Boomer knows that me, and him, are almost Millionaires now, will be real ass Millionaires once I get to Schenectady at the New York State Lottery Headquarters and pick up my cash winnings.
Even as a Millionaire though I let Sammy the Bartender work my debt off through my tip jar money, ain’t no use bragging you know, not in this town nope.
I told Boomer we going to be quiet Millionaires…
…told him though he going to eat better, he going to get that top shelf dog food that never goes on sale, those little plastic white containers with that cute looking dog picture on the cover. That dog he be smiling, going get that smiling dog food for Boomer so he be smiling to.
Didn’t tell him this, didn’t want him to get all excited you know, when he gets all excited he lifts his leg and pees all over the apartment, excited pee don’t be hitting those puppy pads much you know, didn’t tell him that boy, that boy he going to be eating steak, real steak he going to be a steak eating dog soon.
Me too, I’m going to be eating steak that comes wrapped in that white paper, steak that comes from behind a counter where a man cut it the way I like it, no more steak out of the can for me, I done with that.
Done.
