The Subway

This story is going to end at the same place it began, but you’ll see that in time. Standing on the subway platform I remember thinking to myself that the day had been abnormally cold. I pulled my coat tighter as the draft from the open stair well swirled in fresh snow. On most days the subway tunnel was one of the warmest places in the city, but today it was just as biting cold as the surface streets. The screech of the train made me smile; the train was always on time. I boarded the train along with the other passengers and grabbed onto one of the swinging “ape-handles”.
My name is Ray Conway. I’m a hopeless romantic, and I work at the deli on 72nd and Broadway. I live in an apartment on the Upper Westside of Manhattan and I have a dog named Lucious. Most days I’m too busy to hear my own thoughts, and other days I can’t even make a cheese sandwich; today was one of those days. The guy standing on the other side of the counter had a square jaw that got squarer each time my adversarial slices decided to cling together. I wiped my forehead with the back of my left hand and that’s when Mr. Jaw let loose on me.
“Wadda ya think ya doin’ you fuckin’ deli punk, I mean how hard can it be to make a fuckin’ cheese sandwhich!?” he screamed at me. I looked around nervously and tried to stammer out an apology. The other forty-three customers stared at me in shock and amusement. My face felt like it was on fire and my boss came from the back of the deli.
“What’s the screamin’ for Lou? Can’t you see the boy’s tryin’ to make your damn sandwich?” my boss Mac said. He nudged me aside and told me to ring up the lady with the bagel. “You gonna scream at me Lou? I didn’t think so. What else you want on this?” The rest of the conversation was said in a normal tone and I tuned it out as I rang up the woman. “That’ll be two-fifty.” I said to the smiling lady. She handed me the money and before she left the shop she whispered, “Some people are assholes, ain’t they?” She turned away from me and walked to the door, but the smile never left her face.
I finished up my shift and went to Rigolettos between 69th and 70th streets. The cool thing about Rigolettos was the fact that I could sit outside when the weather was warm. I went inside, got a table and ordered a beer and a slice of pizza. As I waited for the pizza I thought back to the woman that had the bagel. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her green eyes had a mischievous glint to them. Her slightly tanned skin had a soft glow to it and her robust shape made her all the more attractive. Smiling slightly I took a sip from my beer. I would probably never see her again, but it was nice to entertain the thought of exchanging numbers.
Glancing down at my watch I noticed that it was already eight o’clock. I finished up my beer and paid for my meal. The subway train was fifteen minutes out and I was dead tired. I sat down on a bench in the middle of the platform and closed my eyes for a moment. That’s when I heard her voice.
“Following me I see?” she said with a hint of amusement. I opened one eye and half looked at her. “I wouldn’t be doing a good job of following you with my eyes closed now would I?” I said closing my eye again. She sat down next to me and I was overwhelmed with the scent of Warm Vanilla Sugar from Bath and Body Works. She positioned herself so that she was looking at me, and I opened my eyes to look at her. Her smile was still there. “Aren’t you going to introduce yourself Mr. Stalker?” She flipped a loose strand of hair off of her face. “Shouldn’t you introduce yourself first Ms. Stalker? You did sit down next to me.” I said half smiling.
She extended her hand out “I’m Alexandra, and you are?” She smiled bigger as I took her hand. I felt a sudden wave of heat wash over my body. “My name’s Ray and I’m not a stalker.” I said smiling and blushing. We let each other’s hands go and the train came screeching into the station. I looked at it and got up. “This is me. Which one you waitin’ on?” I asked. “I’m getting on this one to.” Alex said getting up and moving into the oncoming crowd.I followed her onto the train and as it rocketed away I felt the first tingle of love.
We talked all the way to her stop and when she got up to leave she called over her shoulder “See you tomorrow Mr. Stalker.” I smiled and yelled after her “Not if I see you first Ms. Stalker!” The rest of the train ride home was uneventful, and I mulled the encounter over in my head. I had never really felt this strongly for a female after a first encounter, and I couldn’t stop myself from blushing every time I thought of her.
When the train screeched to my stop I shambled out of the train with the other subway zombies and made my way to the surface streets. The penetrating cold was waiting for me and I wrapped my arms around me to protect my body. I quickly made my way to my apartment building and waved at Beatrice, the desk clerk. She waved back and I grabbed the next elevator up to my room.
I could hear Lucious already scratching at the door and whining as I got my key out. When I opened the door he pounced on me and started licking my face. I laughed as I tried to calm him down. He loved me unconditionally and it was always nice to have a warm welcome when the weather outside was threatening to freeze you in place. I walked over to the kitchen and got out his food, and he almost went crazy. I chuckled to myself and poured him two helpings. He darted in and began to chow down on his dinner, wagging his tail the whole time. I told him about Alexandra as he ate, even though he could care less about what I was talking about. When he finished I told him to kennel up and I went to sleep.
My alarm clock blasted me out of my dream world at seven-a.m. I shut off the alarm and got ready for work. When I got to the platform I wishfully hoped that I would run into Alex. I kept looking around and anxiously playing with my key ring. I was startled when the train pulled into the station and a little downhearted when I didn’t see Alex. I spent the rest of the day going through the motions at work and right before my shift was over she came through the door covered in fresh snow.
The tiny white flakes in her hair seemed to shimmer as the fluorescent lights shone down on her. Her green eyes pierced into my blue ones. I felt the tingle again and had to look away as my cheeks betrayed me with their red color. She approached the counter and I asked her what she would like. This time it was her cheeks that gave her away. “I’ll take you and a Danish to go.” She said not looking directly at me but her ever present smile grew bigger. I have to admit that I was taken aback by this response. The tingling that I had only began to feel turned into a jolt of pure electricity and I felt the red color spread all over me. I yelled for Mac to come close up for me. He came up to the front as I was grabbing a danish for Alex and taking off my apron. “Ray what’s the matter with you boy…take two.” Mac said grinning at Alex. “I got the shop boyo, you go have your fun with the lass there.” He said turning to go into the back.
We stepped out on the dusk streets of New York and for once in my life I felt right. We ate danish and talked all the way to the stairs leading down to the subway. She stopped me by grabbing my arm. “Let’s not go home just yet. I know this little place that has poetry readings over by Lincoln Center.” I hesitated only for a moment then grabbed her hand. We practically ran all the way to Lincoln Center, laughing the whole way. At the poetry reading I pretended to listen intently to the abstract poems being presented but what I really was doing was sneaking glances at Alex. On the last attempt at sneaking a glance she caught me. I tried to turn quickly back to the performer but when I looked out of the corner of my eye she was still looking at me, smiling. I slowly turned my head to meet her gaze and that’s when it happened. I could feel the attraction like a huge magnet pulling me to her. I could smell the coffee being brewed mingled with her Warm Vanilla Sugar and when our lips touched I could feel tension melt away. The world seemed to stand still and if I could have frozen that moment I would have. When reality finally caught back up to us, there was a slow song playing and I picked it out immediately. As the song played I decided to sing, so I picked up the chorus. “See the stars, see how they shine for you, and everything you do…they were all yellow.” She locked eyes with me and I could see the warmth coming from them, and before I could serenade her again she kissed me again.
They say that love can hit you like a ton of bricks when you least expect it. Well, whoever “they” are, are right. After that night in the coffee shop I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of Alex every waking minute. I would walk by a flower stand and wonder “What type of flowers does she like? Or does she even like flowers?” I couldn’t help but hear the love songs floating out of a passing car and start humming along. As the winter slowly melted into spring and the trees in Central Park started to bloom I had this over powering urge to proclaim my love to her. I knew the very spot that would be perfect. I had always loved the angel fountain, and what better place to confess love to an angel than in front of one?
Friday after my shift at the deli I met Alex at my apartment and over dinner I brought up the idea of taking a walk around Central Park. She took a sip of her wine and glanced sideways at me. “There are usually only two reasons to go to Central Park, one is to get to the East Side and the other reason is something mischievous.” She took another sip and her lips curled into a sly smile. “Which are you planning sir?” I took a bite of my pasta and smiled as I chewed my food. Once I swallowed I said “You’ll just have to see.” Once we both finished our fill I scraped the scraps into Lucious’s bowl and put the dishes in the sink. I took Alex’s hand and told her to grab her coat. She did so with a mild bit of hesitation. “It’s already six-thirty at night Ray, can it wait til tomorrow?” She whined half-heartedly. “I think it’s just enough time to take a quick walk, besides it’s kinda stuffy in here don’t you think?” I said dragging her to the door.
We went down the Bethesda Stairs as the sun was setting below the skyline of the city and in those last moments of daylight the rays reflected mystically off of the angel and the water that poured beneath it. I heard Alex gasp, and when I felt her freeze in place I smiled slightly. I let her walk to the edge of the fountain before I spoke. “Beautiful isn’t it?” I whispered into her ear. She stared in awe at it a moment longer then answered “It’s the most captivating thing I’ve ever seen.” I hugged her from behind and nuzzled her neck, taking in a deep breath of her. “I brought you here because I had something to tell you.” She turned her head slightly so that her ear was pointed right at me. “I love you Alexandra. I brought you here to this spot because it is called the Heart of the Park. I wanted you to know that you have my heart.”