Reminiscing

Niko and I met the other night. After 2 years of talking on the phone, this was our first time seeing each other in the flesh. Gray areas. I've become a master at exploring those. Yet this one is limpid and pure. He and I are living proof that even (especially?) online, you reap what you sow. When you are genuinely open to true friendship, you can find it anywhere.
We left Times Square and headed towards lower Manhattan to a place "far away", a place that took me 7 years back, back when you could still use tokens on the subway : the Staten Island ferry.
Very first night in the country.
Very first night in the City.
But truly, the very beginning of this love story.

I was one day late for my orientation, so of course nobody deigned to pick me up at the airport. It was 9pm and I was supposed to go from JFK to some random place in Staten Island. I had no clue where I was. I had no clue where I was going. But boy was I going there. I was in NYC at last and nothing could stop me. Not even the fact that my big travel bag was held together by safety pins, or the fact that I was lost in the city with just a vague idea of where that strange island was.
The airport shuttle dropped me off at Times Square. From there I took a train (or 2 or 3) downtown, befriended the strangest people. From the train to the ferry (thank God it runs all night) and so on and so forth.

I remember sitting there, a little scared, not knowing what was going to happen. Was I actually going to make it there? My bag could give up on me at any moment. A weird guy started pulling on my pants, asking me where I got them and could he get them anywhere around here. Could this get any stranger?


I couldn't help but smile while I was reminiscing. There I was, 7 years later. Same place, completely opposite situation.
While waiting for the ferry, Niko and I were resting, leaning on each other.
I was serene.
I knew exactly where we were and where we were going to.
But most importantly, I knew exactly where I was:
Home.