“Nope. But I would have. I gave myself two months to see if I could make it in New York, then five years to earn a living doing what I love. I don’t even have any paintings I could show to anyone to be considered for any spot at a gallery.”
I hugged his side. “I believe you can achieve what you set your mind to. Can I help with anything? Since I arrived, I filled half my sketchbook with sculpture ideas. The sightseeing helps, but so does the sex.” I bumped him with my hip.
“It’s easier when you’re here because I told myself I only need to wrap up the projects I have scheduled for December. I haven’t planned to be productive with my art because I wanted to spend the time with you. So, you’re helping by taking the pressure off already.”
We stopped at a concession cart, bought a pretzel each, and continued walking past a busker playing John Lennon songs with a small crowd gathered around him.
Marin twirled me to face him. “This is the most important spot in the Strawberry Fields.” He crouched and moved a thin dusting of snow from the ground between us, revealing a round mosaic with the word “imagine” in the middle.
Several fresh flowers lay around it that must have been left there within the last few hours.
“This is the John Lennon memorial you told me about.” I crouched next to him.
“Yup. This area of the park is named after the Beatles songStrawberry Fields Forever.”
“And I recognize this song.” I patted the ground and stood up. “I love how you’re so into old music.”
“Mostly the sixties and seventies.” Marin took my hand and we left, but the sound of the busker’s singing followed us for a while.
“Yes, as I said. Old.”
“Well, not everyone can stomach mind-numbingRammstein. Wait.” Marin chuckled. “I should have known you were into BDSM when you took me to their concert in Berlin. That was a trip.”
“A great concert. But yeah, that imagery was hot.” I fanned myself.
“And the fire on stage too. We stood so close, I thought I’d burst into flames.”
“It was your first month there and I was trying to figure you out, so I thought that concert would shake you. You did great.” I elbowed him. “You enjoyedDie Toten Hosenmore. That was more my thing too.” He’d been so open to new experiences, he’d gone along with me to events that wouldn’t interest him.Did he do that out of curiosity or did he do it for me?
“I was used to them since you listened to their music in our room,” Marin said. “And the lack of flames on stage was a big improvement.”
“Well, they don’t have aquatic concerts in Berlin. Those are mostly by the seaside.” We left the depths of the park behind and moved towards the city. Behind Marin, the buildings of Manhattan stood tall while we still walked in the magical park. “So, how is your cephalopod nature in this place? I imagine the bathtub in your apartment is too small.”
“Yeah. I lay in it often but it’s not enough. In winter, I go to my local swimming pool once a week. Summer brings more options as I have beaches to choose from. I go to the Coney Island beach to get my saltwater fix and explore the depths. I have a spot where I meet with grandma every few months too.”
“Ah yes, she doesn’t spend a lot of time on land. How is she?” Marin’s grandma was the sweetest, most protective person, but she was also menacing when she wanted to be, with her dark-purple skin and huge tentacles.
“Good.” Marin touched the tanzanite gemstone necklace around his neck that he’d gotten from her. “She is going for Christmas to my parents’ place this year, but she needed the month to swim all the way to Greece and make it before the holidays. She has a nautical citizenship on top of her Greek one. So she can come on land here, but only briefly.”
“All of your brothers have American passports, right?”
“Yeah, all three of us were born here, so we have Greek and American citizenships. That’s why I’m able to stay here and work.”
“Even if I wanted to stay, I wouldn’t be able to.” This wasn’t necessarily the truth. I’d been researching possibilities to stay longer with Marin and I may have found a way. However, I was gonna need more information before I could decide on anything.
“Six months is better than nothing. Maybe your next visit could be longer?” Marin pulled me to his side with his tentacles.
“We’ll see. I can tell how this place might be a muse. For the good and bad things in here. I like the anonymity of being in a place where no one knows you, and even if they did, with the city being so large and crowded, people don’t pry into your personal affairs.” Unlike in Berlin, where I’d spent most of my life and couldn’t buy milk at the store without bumping into someone I knew.
“That’s true.” Marin nodded. “You can find your community if you want to. Some neighborhoods are like small villages where everyone knows one another, but the further you go from your apartment, the more anonymous you get.”
I sighed. Walking side by side with Marin, I could easily imagine staying with him, living with him, being a couple. Doing our everyday shit together, creating art, and spending nights in one bed. I was holding that dream in my hands. The tangibility of it scared me. But if I didn’t return to the pressure of the art world in Berlin, I’d crumble into obscurity as an artist. I’d nevertold Marin about my success, knowing he was still struggling, but seeing his life in New York, I could see he was a lot more accomplished than he gave himself credit for.
For the duration of my stay we were a couple, and I was determined to enjoy every moment.
I looked up, catching the carvings of buildings that had seen the rise of Manhattan. “I love the architecture here.”
“One of my clients lives up there.” Marin pointed to an old building overlooking central park in Central Park South. “She bought the penthouse for over ten million dollars. The rent in Central Park South is crazy. I have a job at her place next week that I couldn’t move to after Christmas. I asked in advance if you could come and she agreed. If you’d rather sightsee, I’ll touch up the living room in a few hours and be out.”
