Meet Rob and Ed… 08.27.03

Silver, Pixel, Gully:

I missed the OC. I know. I am sad about it. It sears my brrrrrain! It tears my soul! It twigs my berries!

At 3.30 AM I found myself falling asleep on the street, on my heavy bag, hoping and waiting for a bus to come and take my tired ass home. I was still drunk, hella tired, and wondering what I had gotten into this evening.

What I got into was the company of two Brits who are visiting the states to teach soccer and now are on vacation for a few. Apparently, they found our last men’s softball game. The game itself was a torrid affair of misthrows and playing too shallow and a couple of collisions to boot, one which knocked captain Tom out of the game. I took his place at second base and it was fun, until the lights went too low and Satish flew out to end the season. Good to see Satish and Sammy, both Bens and Nicky Shoes.

But, these fellows had been trolling around for a coed softball game. In search of women, of course. Fine young university boys with a one-track mind. That track ain’t got nothing to do with the greyhounds. Ed and Rob decided they wished to get into a game—and got into ours. Ed, for his part, hit into a double play—I was the first of the outs.

Sammy was cool with driving them downtown and I was all about the OC. They of course couldn’t remember what side of the park their hostel was on but we found it; teeming with what looked like the remnant Euro gangsters from the drug movies that do not take place in Miami.

Upstairs, we drank and the OC was almost ready to come on, but Sammy left his celly downstairs. Ed and I exchanged jerseys, he receiving my Rogues jersey and I receiving his soccer jersey. We talked about birds, shagging, rap music, bad neighborhoods and such. Sammy and I showed them solid pizza and we ended up at the West End bar up around Columbia. I thought we should head downtown but they were looking for birds;

Midnight found the bar filling with what might pass as the Columbia football team and the women who love them. Lots of meat on the floor. Rob was ensconced with a trio of women in a conservation biology master’s program. A smooth operator. Sammy and I joined them.

My favorite of course was the acerbic one who wouldn’t tell us her name. I made fun of her a lot. Certainly worth the trip, since she poked fun back. And asked me what I was doing with these guys. Silliness. Ed is a classy fellow. He asked the kid sitting on his lap for a kiss. Made some mention of how excited he was. I think it showed.

We left them there around one. An extended goodbye; a possibility that they will come back down in a few days; a drive to Penn Station where I found out that my schedule was old—so the MTA subway system for me.

At 3.30 AM I was falling asleep on my bag. Trying to remember how I got to this place. With work the next morning.