Lost In New York City
There I was, walking along with my best friend and fellow traveler, Amanda, and wouldn’t you know it we had left our map on the bus. When we had first gotten off the bus it really wouldn’t have made a big difference. After all, we were with about thirteen other artists preparing for our first taste of the “Big Apple.” However as we had ambled our way down the many corridors of the city some had gone one way while others had gone another, Until we found ourselves alone and lost.
I knew I shouldn’t have left the navigation up to Amanda but, the excitement of the day and my faith in my friend clouded my good judgment. Well, looking up the street and then again back down the street I could tell right away we were in trouble. I was scared and just then my brain plunged into the black abyss of fear and locked the door tightly against my best ally, “Reason.”
Suddenly I realized Amanda was blubbering something so rapidly and in such a shrill voice that I knew she was as scared as I was. After she had gone through the whole thing about five times my brain thawed a bit and it all began to make sense. She felt that we should make a circuitous course through the nearby streets until we came across some of the other artists that we had lost along the way since leaving the safe haven of our bus.
We started off to the left and snaked our way along some of the tiny streets that branched off in every direction until we found ourselves in front of a small Chinese restaurant. Suddenly we realized we were starving. It seemed like hours since we had eaten breakfast and it had been. Like poor Wayfaring souls we entered the dark and shadowy confines of the tiny eatery.
Once inside we were directed to a table where five men were already seated and there were three empty seats amongst them. They were all well dressed, seemed to be of Eastern ancestry and all of them staring strait at us. As a matter of fact as I looked around I noticed that all the customers there were men, all well dressed and staring strait at us. There faces were hard and looked as if we had trespassed, perhaps invading some sort of men’s club.
Upon sitting down a diminutive Chinese lady hurried over to us with a menu and then quickly disappeared. No one had spoken a word and the silence was absolutely deafening. We glanced at each other, then at the menu and then back at each other again. I saw a look of shear terror creeping across Amanda’s face and I knew it was a mirror of my own. Wouldn’t you know it…The menu was in Chinese and “No Subtitles” Eeeeeek!
Somehow we melted down from our seats and oozed our way out the door. We scampered down the block as fast as our tired toes would go. Soon our nose led us to a little bitty Pizza shop. Most of the shop was out on the street but some was also tucked away inside. There was only enough room for two tables and four chairs. We snatched one of them up and grabbed a tattered old menu. We were so hungry and so happy to see that it was in English.
The smells emanating from the oven and over the counters were other worldly! As if the Pizza God himself had descended and prepared pizzas, strombolies and other such delicacies. With his own hands using the special nectar made by the dainty hands of his sisters the Pizza Goddesses. I fear I shall never again find the shop or ever find such wonderful food. Could if be that our senses ever so heightened by fear that our taste buds had been elevated to a level we had never before experienced? I don’t know but, upon reflection, Amanda had the same feelings as me. Only her brain had imagined an elf lord and his ladies in waiting. With Juices squeezed from the berries grown only in fairy rings or something similar.
We were sad to leave the place and would have never left if it had been up to us. Getting from our chairs and continuing on our way threw the many twisting streets. We stumbled around like lost children in a department store. We only wanted to find mommy and go home. Evidently it showed on our faces and a kindhearted lady came up to us. She was older and her eyes seemed to sparkle as she hunched over her cane. She asked if we could us some help, and I almost tearfully asked her if she knew where the art buses met up. She smiled sweetly and gave us directions writing the main streets down on a scrap of paper she had pulled from her purse.
Amanda took the paper as I thanked the lady, or perhaps guardian angle, that had helped us. She just nodded and disappeared into the crowd, with out a name or pay. I watched her go before turning to Amanda who was examining the directions intently. Looking at me she pointed in the direction we ought to be heading. Excitedly I bounded down the streets with her hand in mine. Everything seemed to be going well; after all we had directions now. Though after a hour of going, we noticed we were still lost.
Some how we had made a wrong turn or missed a street in the directions. We sat down on the side walk corner next to a building as Amanda looked at the directions. We were both quite and I was near tears. I reached into my pocket digging around for a tissue when my fingers bumped into something. It was smooth, and sent a jolt of happiness into me. I jumped up and pulled the cell phone out of my pocket. My panic had made me forget it. With bumbling fingers I held it up showing Amanda, whose jaw dropped.
I flipped threw the phone contacts looking for someone who could be helpful, but found that anyone that might have be of immediate help were all in Virginia. I was about to cry again as I looked at Amanda. She sighed and looked at the phone and dialed my grandmother’s home number. She stood there and when it started to ring handed it to me. I took it and was greeted by the soothing voice of my grandma. Her voice washed over me like a warm shower, washing away all my worries. She calmly asked me where we were. I muttered out the street names that I could see.
My grandmother went quite for a moment and all I could hear was a tapping noise. Then my grandmother spoke again asking what street we were trying to get to. We tried to read off what the lady had written. She went silent again accompanied by the odd tapping. I stood there holding the phone as if it were my only life line, when all the sudden she burst out into laughter. She tried to talk but kept getting the words stuck as she laughed wildly. I stuttered and asked her what was so funny. After what seemed like an eternity she composed herself and told us to go down a street to or left.
We did as she said and not even five minutes later did we notice that we were not even a block away from our bus. She had been laughing because we were sitting right on top of our location with out noticing it. We walked up to the bus tittering as we told each other how silly we had been. We climbed on board, we were a half hour early, but we could care less, finally we were safe and secure.
Hopefully I can one day return to New York, though perhaps with a map. So next time when I meet the gods and angles, I will be able to meet them on my own terms, staying as long as I like and learning their names. Perhaps I might even take up some Chinese. What ever happens though I will never forget to use reason and pay attention to what I am doing.
