Everyone is always saying that if you meet a stranger in New York City, the likelihood that you will ever see them again is slim to none. And yet, there are those individuals who seem to find you in varied places all over this grand city. Strangers who seem to be there at moments of your life that must have some significance in the grand scheme of things but for what purpose we may never know.
There's the kid who walks the subways asking for money/food for himself and his pet Chihuahau. There's the one other person on the floor of the building who always is in the ladies room the same time you are, but whom you've never spoken to. There's the high school crush who miraculously ends up on the same R/W train car as you at varied points of the day. But aside from those mysterious moments, most are lost again in the mix of the hustle and bustle of this great city.
My perfect New York moment was one of these strangers who after a moment's encounter I expected I would never see again.
It was a Friday; the last day of the week for my torturous commute from Princeton Jct on NJ Transit. I was exhausted and grossly under prepared for the day. But I had made it onto the overcrowded double decker train, that is after running up the stairs and flying through the door. I had learned to stop looking for seats, and just stand the 40 minutes to Newark when the majority of the passengers switched trains. So I stood in the doorway reading the In Style magazine I subscribed to merely for the $5 coupon to my favorite store it offered every month.
I was actually quite embarrassed to be reading the magazine, I'm a reader, not a fashion / gossip busy body. But with the delays in travel in the past days and weeks, I hadn't put together a new Barnes and Noble list and had grabbed the magazine as I headed out the door. Fortunately, one article proved somewhat interesting and so I focused on that and hoped the time would go by quickly. Across the way sitting on the floor no less, was an incredibly goodlooking guy who I tried to appear not to notice. He seemed to be making minor attempts to get my attention, but I knew he could try harder so I didn't respond.
After about 20 minutes he finally comes and sits on the stairs next to the doorway and of course starts to ask about the magazine. We exchange pleasantries, but I was not in the mood to give in to more, though I couldn't help but smile at how well he wore his jeans.
We pulled up to Newark and the masses scuttled by pushing him off the stairs. Here was the moment to leave him, I could just go and grab a seat next to someone else, surely he would easily find someone else to smile at. Just as I was about to dive downstairs, he motioned for me to go upstairs to find a seat. I purposely found two empty seats open next to each other, just to see what he would do. Most guys I knew would chicken out at the last minute, having used all their courage to say "hi". But he surprised me. He followed shortly and asked if I minded if he sat next to me. Surprised at his persistence I gladly offered it to him.
We chatted about our purposes in the city, where we had been and what we were off to do. He had returned from Iraq and was graduating from college in the city in 2 months -- his lease was up so he started commuting from his mom's that day. I apologized for my reading materials which led to discussions of great books. He recommended "Kite Runner" I recommended "Devil In The White City". We talked endlessly and easily.
His courage did run out however. We were on the stairs about to part ways and he had his phone out. He muttered to himself "I'll never see her again", but he never asked for my number. We smiled, and he headed to the A train, and I to the 1 train.
He had mentioned though that he commuted in on Tuesdays and Thursdays so I kept an eye out for him. A month went by and I never saw him. Until one day, it was a Monday and the train was late as per usual, and I went toward the train station clerk to wait it out. Surprisingly, I recognized him and found myself saying before I could even think about it "Cope? Is that you?". We embraced as if we were long lost friends.
The train was late and we piled on as usual into a tight space, though this time it wasn't so uncomfortable. Surprised to see him in on a Monday, he explained that he had an exam. I had in my hand the book he recommended on the subject of which we launched a long and deep discussion. (He assured me that although he was carrying school books, that he had picked up the book I recommended to read once exams were finished.)
The close quarters, with any other stranger would have put me in an uneasy situation because I tend to be that cautious, but with him there, I welcomed the moments when he leaned in so close our noses nearly touched.
Approaching Newark, there was an announcement that the Hudson River Tunnel had delays of 45 minutes and that they recommended that we get off at Newark and take the Path into the city - a journey I had never embarked on before. Cope didn't wince, he asked if I had ever gone that way, I said no and he grabbed my hand and said come on.
He lead me through the masses through the turnstiles and onto the train, making sure that I was comfortable (if that's possible) at every moment. We made it into the World Trade Center station, the sight of which gave new meaning to me of what he had been doing only a year before. The stairways and escalators never seemed to end. I was wearing my favorite red heels and red trench coat to match. He laughed at my red shoes, convinced that I should be like all the other ladies in trainers, but he knew how much I hated to be in flats, and so he just laughed at me negotiating all of the stairs.
We made it to the top and he was heading one way and I another. He walked me to my subway stop and on the crossroads of our paths in the early morning sun, pulled me into a hug that took my breath away. He then kissed my cheek, lingering, and asked me to meet him on the 7:43 am train the next day. I happily agreed.
That day I had packed as a snack a new kind of yogurt. The store I had gone to didn't carry my usual brand, and so I grabbed what looked best. I awoke that night covered in hives from head to toe. I had to run to the store to grab Benadryl and missed the train. Despite my trying to make it to the train station in time every Tuesday and Thursday, something would come up ... dead deer in the road that blocked 3 lanes of traffic, no parking, inexplicable traffic, a dump truck running through the median, a storm. You name it and on Tuesday or Thursday it would happen. Soon his graduation time had passed. I moved into the city and no longer commuted. I never saw Cope again.
He wanted to go to Harvard. I hope he made it.
We don't know why people come into our lives and then are never seen again. Maybe it's just part of the magic of this city. Maybe it's so we remember to cherish every moment. Or maybe it's so we can have those perfect moments, bringing with them hope that a life full of such moments is waiting for us.
