Tuesday, February 23, 2010

PART 1 Too Much of a Good Thing: STAIR CASE OF DOOM

Every once in a while it is good to go through old camera shots, because, well what else would I do with them if I didn't. It is cleansing and sometimes a cathartic experience to go through history this way. But, ultimately its best to share. I would ask the same.

1) Cat food, kitty litter and a few weeks of groceries, hmmm, how would you get these home after a Costco/BJs trip? My blasted cart is my blessing and curse. You might think that this is a Grama in a jacket, no it's me in 20 degree weather.
----It goes like this: roll it to the bus, carry it up the steps, carry it off the bus, and carry it down two flights of stairs. This gets me to the subway, but just for good measure, I carry it down another flight of stairs to the platform. Booyah! By this time it just feels like a good workout. Well, then its back up a flight, roll it to an exit and then 1/3 mile push home.

After this experience we will only ever use taxis to come back, I insist.


2) STAIR CASE OF DOOM I got lost in the Bronx once and ended up walking back to Manhattan. Looking back I should have just gotten back on the subway from where I got on the wrong one. Everyone has had this happen, at least once, and this will never happen again. Thank goodness I had my "Not For Tourists" (NFT) Brand map showing me how to get back. It also shows grocery, liquor, and hardware stores in the city. I set off on foot at Yankee Stadium.

I ended up walking through Harlem, that was CRAZY! Two guys came up to me asking me if I knew where the liquor shop was and I was about to say no, but then...I remembered! I pulled out my NFT book and showed them with great exactness where they could go to spoil themselves...I felt proud, thinking "this new NEW YORKER can still teach regulars a thing or two."

Later on, I couldn't go north and I had to keep following a road. I noticed I was going downhill. I knew I'd eventually have to go up this embankment, but HOW? Hmmm....to get up the hill, then BOOM, there it was, the biggest staircase ever (for me anyway). I lost count.


On the other side of the staircase there were a bunch of police, fireman and emergency vehicles on a block. There were people everywhere around walking and staring at a stretcher with someone on it. I walked by many people and really wanted to ask what happened.
However, I was shy and embarrassed, but as I got to the end of the area I could take no more and had to ask. A young boy of 12-13 walked in front of me and I asked him, "Hey, do you know what happened?"

Of all the people I could have chosen, OF ALL THE PEOPLE...the boy responds, as he looked into my face, "It was my dad." Then he started moaning, "He's dead!" and again yelling, "He's dead!" He started walking off, I didn't even get to apologize, I felt horrible...

I quickly came home after. Now I admitted the misstepping of my boundaries to everyone, this is what I mean about a carthartic experience. Its good to have that out on the table.

Ending of Part 1


7 comments:

Gail said...

No way. That didn't happen... did it?

Rheslie said...

Gail, it's so true...Isnt it the worst story EVER!!!! I remember when Rhett came home and told me about it. NY is insaine!!!

Crystal said...

Let's look for the silver lining in this cloud, Rhett... At least you weren't carrying your cat food cart up the stairs on dead-dad-day.

Cassie said...

This blog is awesome! I miss NY so I love hearing about funny tales from the island. I can just see Leslie having all determination to get her couch into the apartment. I would do the same. Ha ha

Leave us another comment from your Rhett and Leslie account. John wrote it down and I lost the paper. Bummer.

Sarah, Abbey, and Clara said...

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!! I was enjoying your adventure.....worried about you a bit while you were in da hood, but you handled it so well!! I was a proud sis-in-law. And, then, my proud face turned to HORROR as I read that you asked the poor boy about his dead dad!! I can't believe it! And I feel so sorry for you!! Oh my gosh! That's awful! It's torcher! I'm glad you shared, because a bit of my morbidity slightly is intrigued that such an event happened......it's something you'd see on Seinfeld!! So crazy!!

Rhett said...

Haha that phrase "dead dad day", so funny but so horrible, it is hard just to write it now. And Sarah, sorry to intrigue your baser side, my bad....

Anonymous said...

Do you ever wonder why these things happen? Really! Why did you finally get the courage to ask someone what happened and it was the kid whos dad had just died? I don't understand. But Rhett I loved the pictures and I especially loved the granny look.