New York New York - part 2

I took a cab and went to Manhattan. F**k him - i was going to have a good time in new york. I was well prepared - i knew the places to go to, shows to see, people to meet - maybe not the people part. I got down on 42nd street. And stood there in awe. Not sure what it was - people and too many of them, honking of the cars, flashy signs, the smell of coffee - there was a general sense of madness; with a method. Reminded me of amchi mumbai. I longed for my home town and him. Talk of self destruction. Why?? It was stupid coming here..and what i was about to do was even more stupid. Have you wondered why sometimes we take ourselves on the path of self-destruction ? I was about to do the same. I was not the type to take the flight back home & go to my shekhar. I checked into this dingy hotel for 3 days instead. That's how long i had - to hurt myself.

This was all wrong. He was supposed to pick me up, take me to his hotel, treat me like a queen, show me around NY & then I was supposed to break his heart. Instead, with tears in my eyes, I was walking up the stairs to go to my hotel room. That's where I met Varun. He was smoking in the corridor. He nodded at me and embarrassed, i continued up the stairs. I knew NY from Sex and the City and to me; it was a symbol of hope. I changed into something sexy and walked out with my head held high (or as high as I could hold it). I walked into a subway (now, now - this subway is a sandwich place - one of my fav) and ate a sandwich all by myself. I got me a map and started walking towards a subway when i bumped into somebody. Varun saw the map in my hand and a tear in my eye. He said, "I leave for Paris tomorrow and I have a day to see the city. Do you want to see it with me?”

Varun was average looking and seemed smug. Not my kinda guy. Short - maybe 5 10'. long hair. So no, I didn't have butterflies in my stomach when he asked me out. It seemed out of pity & so I said no. He shrugged and walked away. I decided to ditch the subway and see NY the way it's meant to be seen - on foot. I imagined him to be with me. As I was walking the streets of NY, it seemed like a city for singles - it had this quality :) Vibrant people, lots of fashion , gorgeous weather , tons of shops..I got into a shop that sold leather jackets. Not sure why - i just did. There was Varun trying on a black jacket. I must have stood there a while because i suddenly saw varun raise his eyebrows with a curious look on his face. I twitched my nose and asked him to buy a brown one instead. We hunted a while for his perfect jacket, couldn't. I guess jackets are like men, it's hard to find the right fit. In the end, we left the shop and started walking towards battery park. So filmi.

On the way, Varun told me about john denver. I heard the song "leaving on a jet plane" for the first time...

to be continued...