I TURNED THE CORNER onto Broadway, headed towards the closest grocers to grab a few things for dinner, and ran into my neighbor's son standing with his little cousin. He's about eleven-years-old and pudgy, and she was bundled up and had her nails polished. A couple months ago, Oscar escaped from my apartment by
knocking aside a screen, and wound up walking through the kid's window from outside. Oscar eventually came back, but the kid didn't mind giving me a lecture when he saw me.
"You need to keep a better eye on that cat."
"I know," I said.
"He came right into my room," he said sternly, but then he brightened. "He's so nice though and he let me pet him. I gave him milk."
"It's a wonder he came back," I said.
SINCE THEN, THE KID brings up my cat whenever we see each other, and tonight was no different. Tonight, though, he ventured into new waters.
"Your cat? Is he a girl?" he asked, apparently hedging the issue.
"No," I said. "He's a boy."
"Shoot," he said.
"Why? Did you have a bet?"
"Not yet," he said and looked over at his cousin. They both looked up at me intently.
"Do you play guitar?" he asked.
"No, but I really want to learn," I said.
"You play piano?" she asked.
"Nope."
"Drums?" As I shook my head they grew increasingly incredulous. "Do you sing? Dance?"
"Only in my apartment when I'm alone," I said smiling, but they just looked up at me blankly.
"Shoot!" he said. "What do you do?"
Now it was my turn to look at them blankly. I couldn't very well tell two preteens that I spent what little free time I have drinking beer, talking on the phone, reading the
New Yorker, and wandering aimlessly around
Facebook.com. "I ... um... go to school." This seemed both an honest and a responsible answer. They seemed confused, but willing to take my word for it.
"You got a girlfriend?" his cousin asked shyly.
"Yeah, you got a girlfriend?" he asked. "A guy like you needs to have a girlfriend. How old are you?"
"25," I said.
"Yeah, you need a girlfriend. A guy your age needs to have a baby." He'd apparently forgotten that I can't even keep an animal to his exacting standards. You know, the standards by which you somehow manage
not to lose your pet out a
sixth story window.
They were in clear agreement on this baby point, however. His cousin had perked up, and looked at me like she finally understood the mystery standing before her. "My sister is 20 and she is almost done with school. She already has a baby, too!"
The kid's eyes lit up and he stepped forward, grabbing my arm and motioning for me to lean in close. I bent down. "I can hook you up with a girl," he said, and then let go of my arm. He nodded meaningfully with a
very serious look on his face.
