Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NYC. Show all posts
It's a warm, end-of-summer night in the South Bronx. I've just left my office and I'm thrown into a world that's completely different from the modern, minimalistic work environment I was just in. Everything out here is a punch to your senses: the smell of the East/ Harlem River, the sounds of the sluggish garbage trucks entering their depot, the emptiness and loneliness of what's mainly an industrial setting.
I approach the corner to wait for the traffic light to change. Through the corner of my eye I see a bulky figure coming towards where I stand. I turn around so I can see his face. He's a tall and muscular black man in his late 20s. He smiles. "Don't be scared. I see you turning around, probably thinking, 'Who's this big moreno'," he says in Spanish with a thick Puertorican accent. I smile back. "You know how it is. I'm a young woman walking by herself. I have to be careful and look around". He nods and sighs. "Yeah. Of course. You can never be too careful."
The light changes and we begin to walk. In an attempt to make small talk, I ask, "So, where are you coming from?" "I just left the Parole office."
"Oh. I work on the building right above it," I say, matter-of-factly. It's 7:30pm on a Thursday. "So they're open 'til now? That's late."
"I went there straight from work. That's good for people like me that are working, that way I don't have to miss a shift. They like that, when you're working. I've been doing good, passing my tests and shit. The only thing the officer's always warning me about this woman I'm seeing." He speaks with eyes fixed on his phone screen, hardly ever meeting my eyes.
"Wow. They even tell you who not to date? That's a bit much," I say, surprised.
"It's not like that. All it takes is for a woman to call and say you've hit her. They'll look for you, drag you like a dog, and put you in holding; all without any evidence. That's the way it works."
He looks up at me; I can see sorrow in his eyes. "If someone knows you're in Parole and they want to hurt you, they know exactly what they have to do."
When looking at him for the first time, the last adjective I would've picked to describe him would've been "vulnerable".
Every day, Ana shows up on my door wearing a new wig. It's become this tiny thing that I look forward to in the morning- trying to guess what hairstyle she'll sport next.
What's behind her decision of what hair to wear? Is it inspired by someone she spotted on the subway? Maybe her favorite tenelovela character wore the hairstyle in a particularly important scene? Or perhaps being in the "Land of the Free" means you can even afford to buy a whole new hair texture, color, style; and she relishes on her newfound ability to choose.
Even though I've always frowned upon these over-the-top artificial additions to one's body for the sake of beauty, I kind of envy Ana in that sense. She has the ability to slip into a different skin with every hairstyle she chooses; she gets to bring out all these different layers within herself.
When she wears her brunette Kate Gosselin short 'do she becomes feistier, sassier than her regular self. With the long blonde tresses she's suddenly more delicate, and won't be willing to do the more difficult and uncomfortable tasks that her job requires.
Oddly enough, my biggest question is what's under the wig? What, and who could Ana be hiding under her synthetic locks? I wonder what it would be like to to open up the door one morning and find Ana wearing her natural hair. I wonder who she'll be when she's being herself.
New York Summer 2011 To Do List
Go to the METGo to the Museum of Natural History- Go to the Museum of the Moving Image
- Go to the Bronx Zoo
- Take a row boat at the Central Park lake
Have a picnic at Wave Hill Estate, in the BronxGo to a Burlesque showGo to at least one Broadway musicalWatch at least one theatre playGo to the Opera- Have the Black Label Burger at Minetta Tavern
- Watch a Drag Queen performance
Minigolf at Governor's Island- Go to at least one Summerstage concert
- Go to a poetry reading
- Perform a scene from Casablanca for Movieoke
- Visit every NYC Neighborhood
BikeGo to the World Science Festival Street Fair- Watch a movie at every indie movie theatre (Maysles, Angelika,
Sunshine,IFC Center, BAM Rose,Film Forum, Anthology Film Archives,Zeigfeld) Go to at least one underground indie rock concertRide the Roosevelt Island Tram- Get my driver's license
- Write the first draft of my first feature screenplay
Watch a film outdoors at The PiersWatch a film outdoors at The IntrepidWatch a film outdoors at Bryant Park- Watch all the DVDs in my Criterion Collection
- Read at least one of my film textbooks
Finish an arts and crafts project-
Learn how to fish at The Piers - Shoot a short with my Super 8 cam
Go to the NY Public Library at Bryant Park
If you have any suggestions to add to the list, feel free to comment!
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