“Have you had a chance to see a lot of the city since you’ve lived here?” she asks.
“Not really. You know how it is. Life gets in the way.”
“I totally get it. If I hadn’t seen the Statue of Liberty on a field trip when I was in the fifth grade, I probably would have never seen it. There are millions of New Yorkers who haven’t visited our famous landmarks. Everyone’s too busy and of course no one wants to look like a tourist.”
“This might sound crazy, but when I was a kid, I always wanted to stand on the Brooklyn Bridge and look out at the city lights. I heard it was beautiful.”
“That doesn’t sound crazy at all. Would you want to paint it?”
“Some things I like to photograph or capture on canvas and other things I just want to experience.”
“Oh, well, the skyline is amazing from that view, especially this time of year. There’s nothing like Christmas in New York.”
“Humph, I’m not impressed yet.”
“You don’t love the shopping?”
“We have bigger malls in Texas.”
“The food?”
“Pizza at midnight is getting a little old.”
“Central Park?”
“That park is weird. What city has a big ole’ wilderness smack in the middle of it with trees, animals and muggers all in the same place.”
“It might be a little weird,” she agrees with a giggle. “How about Broadway?”
“Do I seem like the theatre type?”
“I guess you miss Texas.” She laughs at me while shaking her head.
“Yeah, I definitely do. Have you ever been?”
“No, I haven’t really had a reason to visit. What do you miss most about it?”
“The people, my animals, and most importantly the quiet. I don’t think that I’ll ever get used to living in a place that never slows down. I mean, look around us. It literally feels likes it’s the middle of the afternoon and all these people are still outside. Where the hell are they all going?”
“Nowhere and everywhere,” she says as we walk perfectly in tandem. “Just like us.”
Thirteen
JETT
Adrienne’sleft ankle teeters and the only reason she doesn’t fall is because I’ve got her.
“Whoa, there.”
I pull my elbow in closer to my chest so that we’re walking even closer together.
“I didn’t think I drank that much.” She blushes.
“You didn’t.”
“I haven’t had margaritas in a long time. I think they just hit me kind of hard.”
“Yeah, that’s probably it.”
