Fri, 26 Nov 2004 15:31:54 -0500
From: stefano_giovannini@
User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 0.9+ (Macintosh/20041125)
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To: stefanog@
Subject: thanksgiving blanket/ single ride

 

2 am -
walking my bike - heading east - toward home -
feeling full from the thnxgiving meal -
prince and elisabeth -
distraught drunk girl - crying in the street - totally dazed.
miniskirt and high heels,
ask her if she need help -
guy walks up to me -
and asks me if I have a blanket to give him [why would I carry a blanket with me - i ask myself].
he says it is cold.
i mention the bowery mission just around the corner.
"it is closed/ they dont accept any more people"and made me think -
about thanksgiving and festivities.
to have and to have not -
I tell him to get on the subway.
it is warmer there than the street.
he has no clue where to go to. I ask him if he has a metrocard - but it seems he has no idea of what it is.
I walk him to the broadway lafayette stop. I am low on cash - so I give him a dollar and ask him if he wants a warm coffee from the indian take out. he refuses.
He looks south american. like from Peru or Ecuador. I ask hime and he says he is from China. Shanghai.
I walk him downstairs and try to get a single ride from the vending machine with my ATM card.
he wants to give my dollar back to buy the metrocard. but I tell him that is for coffee.
"I am sorry I can't read your card" shows up in the small monitor. I try again and again until I can make my purchase.
the homeless man just jumps the turnstyle and waves at me.
the MTA at the booth was soundly asleep with her face buried in her crossed arms.
Now I have a single ride card I don't need. expires within 2 hours.
as I walk out I see a skinny black homeless guy scratching his shins.
I give it to him and tell him to use it before it expires. he is waiting for his friend he says. he is gonna go to Bellevue. they have a shelter there.
I walk out it is freezing cold - I feel stuffed and sleepy.