"A heart that has chosen it's path cannot be led in any other direction."
Walking up the concrete hill, my suitcase seemed even heavier than the normal tug of a week long clothing haul. After throwing our bags into the back of the taxi, I found my way to the front seat. Rotund and smelly, our taxi driver was a definite cigar smoker in his late 50's with the thickest NJ accent of all time. A few wrong turns and a laundry list of good vs bad neighborhoods in the Hoboken area later, it was clear we were somewhat lost. As my glittery friend Gi and her boyfriend once again recited the name and direction of their street, I couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about the sketchy scenes of a 1 a.m. dimly lit NJ street corner. A corner we were currently sitting still at with the added bonus of rolled down windows.
Winding his way back to the correct destination, the stories never skipped a beat as he told us about restaurants, laundry mats and pool hall establishments which had been recently busted, confiscated or otherwise shutdown due to drug dealings or other illegal activity. This cabbie belonged in his own sitcom I thought, or maybe a Scorsese movie? At any rate, just as the dark stories rolled in I heard the sweetest voice chime in from the back seat...
"I just love it here! Such a great place to live." It flowed with a positive bouncy cadence born and raised in SoCal and about as far removed from the east coast as humanly possible. That's My Gi, Never ending sunshine. Admittedly, I did have to wonder if the view out of her back window was the same as my 1 a.m. dark corner passenger window view. While pondering that thought, we turned the corner and there it was. The darling street she had told me about. Tall majestic three story homes squished side by side with enormous character and great harmony. Tidy little yards filled with Halloween decor and family style WELCOME signs. Ok, I get it now.
"Right there, the super cute house in the middle!" she squealed. He pulled over and hoisted out our luggage and even through his overwhelming smelly? Ahhhh I could already feel the magic of Gi's New World.
Making our way up the stairs to their middle floor apt, I couldn't help but feel like I was in a scene of 1970's LOVE STORY. After all, their apartment was on the 2nd floor of a very similar Boston style home and the energy, age and beautiful faces seemed very much the same. As I imagined myself the visitor of a 70's Ali MacGraw and Ryan Oneal, Ryan lugged my concrete suitcase up the narrow flight. Walking through the front door, my LOVE STORY scenario was solidified.
Tall glorious ceilings with beautiful hardwood floors and majestic moldings. Corner coves, french style doors with vintage whitewashed built in bookshelves. They both gave me a tour of the 3 bdrm with sprawling windows and Hudson River Manhattan skyline views. An antique Italian tea set perched upon a classic kitchen shelf and knotty pine walls surrounding a back sitting porch area. "This is our favorite room."
Picturesque to say the least and no televisions. Only a projector affixed to the wall & a pull down screen mounted on the opposite.
"We gave up TV as we found the chatter to be disruptive." he said as she interjected
"Ahhh and you should see the view from this window during the day, you don't need tv!"
Ok, so now I know I'm a bit character in the LOVE STORY remake.
"This is my office slash inspirational writing room" she said it as she slid the door open to a space filled with butterflies and a stunning desk covered with fun writing utensils and notepads. Sketches, quotes and photographs. Onward to his office space and a mirror turned white board with a bevy of jotted down algorithms and meeting dates. A much more rigid room filled with deadlines and proposals. It was clear that two minds with different drives had found solace in a common steady ground.
"She keeps me believing in the impossible even when I like to get bogged down into reality" he smiled as she nodded in approval. Just an understood vibe, this balancing out factor and harmonious frequency.
As we sat just in front of the huge bay windows of a perfectly beige and white living room, 1 a.m. quickly turned into 3 a.m. Such fun re-enactments of our shop girl days as we let Ryan in on the convos we had about their first meeting and that day 3 years ago when I knew my friend had found the love of her life. Moments of a lifetime.
We talked about his innovative, game changing business ideas and her quest to help children in need from a psychology as well as voluntary standpoint. Such bright, life affirming and ambitious dreams. As we retired for bed I told both of them how excited I was for their new beginnings and how I was certain of their imminent success in NYC.
"Me? Well I do my thing and I know my ideas will be profitable. I'll successfully make the wealthy even wealthier, but my girl? My girl is the most amazing, caring person I know. My girl is gonna save the world."
Ok, so maybe it's not a movie sequel after all, but rather a true
Love
Story
Wishing you love, sunshine and irrepressible optimism today
Hepburn Hugs & Ric Ocasek Dreams
xo
Birdee Bow
