She looked at him and bit her lip. He saw her lip, with her front teeth nibbling it in, what was she thinking?
She blinked, swiped away her strand of hair that fell across her left eye, bit her lip again as she does when she is expecting something but unsure of what. He saw her swipe her hair, her rusty brown hair with some specks of grays. He looked into her eyes and made up his mind and asked her.
“How do you like to be kissed?”
She smiled, let out a soft quick laugh and bit her lip again, throwing back her hair and then taking his hand.
“Like this…”
Across from the great bridge of Manhattan there is Brooklyn. There is a promenade that overlooks the great Island; the great buildings seemed like plastic toys set up on a table. Lego pieces with windows radiating light making it seem that something is always happening – but its all a secret. Shhh. On the promenade walk Amanda and Ricky. It’s their first time alone all night having just come from a party at a mutual friends apartment. They had met on the terrace just above this promenade and had sat together speaking for three hours.
Amanda had just graduated Brooklyn College and Ricky was four years removed from his final year in organized education, having dropped out as a sophomore. He was working at a jewelry store in Bay Ridge while also getting his real estate license. His bank account said one thousand on a good day – today was not a good day and it whispered 26.53. He had another 7 dollars and 32 cents in his pocket and figured he could buy a cup of coffee for her.
Amanda was close to her father and chose to live with him rather than her mother. Her three brothers stayed with her mother and visited often, officially each weekend, but seemed to find themselves at their father’s house more often than not.
Ricky showed her where the twin towers once stood and they discussed where they each were that day. He was in his first week in High School and was told to pick up his younger brother and sister from elementary school which was ten blocks away and to wait for their mother. His father worked downtown, but was spared the trauma since he was at a trade show in Las Vegas at the time.
“It is really sad how they destroyed the world that day.” Amanda said.
“They did destroy it for all of us. Whatever sense of comfort existed was instantly taken away. My friend’s father was in the south tower.”
He nudged her and he said, “Let’s walk and change the subject.” She looked one more time across the river and followed him.
He checked his phone – saw it was 3:33 in the morning and told her to make a wish. She smiled. He smiled.
They walked and talked until it was 4:44 in the morning and he told her he had a wish.
She looked at him and bit her lip. He saw her lip, with her front teeth nibbling it in, what was she thinking?
She blinked, swiped away her strand of hair that fell across her left eye, bit her lip again as she seems to do when she is expecting something but unsure of what. He saw her swipe her hair, her rusty brown hair with some specks of ash. He looked into her eyes and made up his mind and asked her.
“How do you like to be kissed?”
She smiled, let out a soft quick laugh and bit her lip again, throwing back her hair and then taking his hand.
“Like this…”
Freddy Zalta 