Some roads sail smoothe, while others bifurcate into many dead ends, never ending loops, nondescript detours and ill advised directions. Other destinations come with dangerous and narrow curves...rarely lethal, but always drastic and dramatic. Sometimes, more times than not, it's worth the effort to weather all our obstacles...necessary or not...And in the end, we look back and wonder...
"Is this it? Is this what it's all about?"
Then we close our eyes, and start the dream all over again...like a clean slate....
The night was stormy, an Mary Kay was late for her midnight shift. The stale indiginous smell mixed with the freshly coated Clorox which only created an extra amount of angst for Jane...who so patiently awaited for her relief. The ongoing outdoor chaos added a certain level of homely comfort, so the wait was not as intolerable. Opposite of her nursing station, the door to Room 17 lay adjar no more than four inches. Beyond those four inches stood an empty darkness of cold stagnant air that hurdled a void that has stood still for what seemed decades. In its background, the wind danced a ferocious tango...pushing aside tree limbs, and all it's tenants. The rustling of the leaves, coupled with the striking drops of rain...were the only life emerging from the darkness.
Jane's computer abruptly crashes. The lights cooperate with their subsequent flickering, yet remain on at their end of their threat. Nonetheless, there goes Jane's thirty eighth game of solitaire. Which only reminds her of 'when will Mary Kay get here?' The rebooting computer revs up it's voice as it attempts it's own resurrection. Just above sits a small desk top clock displaying in a predictable and methodical flashing sequence
12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:01
It dawns on Jane how much easier it is to correct the clock, then wait for a temperamental computer to regain command. She lifts the archaic piece of assembled plastic and closely examines all the small switches and buttons that decorate its superior and lateral surface. If she were at home, she would leave the task up to her husband...being that she's not, she attempts to play with the buttons. Randomly pressing them in hopes of some feedback.
"I could never be loved by anyone sweeter than you
and I could never belong to anyone
{sweeter than you}"
What a pity to catch a familiar song as it ends, Jane loves Ricky Nelson. The volume was on low, she finds the dial and twists it to the right. The sound, now amplified, starts with a long forgotten beat...
"Now and then there's a fool such as I)
Pardon me, if I’m sentimental
When we say goodbye
Don't be angry with me should I cry
When you're gone, yet I’ll dream
A little dream as years go by
Now and then there's a fool such as I
Now and then there's a fool such as I am over you
You taught me how to love
And now you say that we are through
I'm a fool, but I’ll love you dear
Until the day I die
Now and then there's a fool such as I
Now and then there's a fool such as I am over you
You taught me how to love
And now you say that we are through
I'm a fool, but I’ll love you dear
Until the day I die
Now and then there's a fool such as I
Now and then there's a fool such as I
Now and then there's a fool such as I "
The King, no matter how removed or lost in time, never loses that emotional push of complete youthful reckless excitement.
Following the King, a pioneer in his own right...Johnny Mathis starts his strum.
"Some folks like to get away,
Take a holiday from the neighborhood.
Hop a flight to Miami Beach or to Hollywood.
But I'm takin' a Greyhound on the Hudson River line.
I'm in a New York state of mind.
I've seen all the movie stars in their fancy cars and their limousines.
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens.
I know what I'm needin', and I don't wanna waste more time.
I'm in a New York state of mind.
It was so easy livin' day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, the Daily News.
It comes down to reality, and it's fine with me cause I've let it slide.
I don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside.
I don't have any reasons.
I left them all behind.
I'm in a New York state of mind...."
(Instrumental)
A gentle echo timidly encroaches beyond Room 17. Tickled by the faint elderly voice, Jane stands up and stares in the direction of its darkness. The sound, of the song, being sung continues. In her best robber impersonation, she peacefully slides her desk chair to her right and emerges from behind her desk. Six steps later, she's breathing face to face with the Number 17. Her ear, like an antenna, is immersed within the suddenly awaken room.
"It was so easy living day by day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, the Daily News.
It comes down to reality, and it's fine with me cause I've let it slide.
I don't care if it's Chinatown or on Riverside.
I don't have any reasons.
I left them all behind. I'm in a New York state of mind.
I don't have any reasons.
I left them all behind. I'm in a New York state of mind."
Stunned by the delicate clarity of the song, she pushes the door open.
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