David Alan
A walk through an undiscovered neighborhood is one of New York's greatest balms and pleasures, and at that time the number of new-to-me neighborhoods was much higher than it is now. It wasn't hard to walk home on a street I hadn't seen before. Thirty-third and Madison could be exotic then.
It was on thirty-third and Madison, or maybe twenty-eighth and Broadway, I don't recall, where David ran up to me, out of breath, frantic. "Hi, I can't believe this is happening-I absolutely must catch a cab to my studio-you wouldn't believe the week I've had-I'm David Alan, I'm a designer, have you heard of me?-I'm gay, I swear I'm not trying to pick you up, I haven't touched a woman since I was eighteen-see, I have this rack that I need to move in time for my show and of course I lost my wallet and I can't get in touch with my partner because my cell phone died, and do you have twenty dollars I could borrow for cab fare? I swear to you I'll pay you back, you can look me up, David Alan, Ay Ell Ay En, I'm good to my word, I'll call you tomorrow so we can meet up and I'll pay you back-oh my god, are you okay?"
I wasn't okay, because it was between 2001 and 2004, The Years I Roamed New York In Tears, so I just said, "Man troubles." He rolled his eyes and said, "Honey, do I know man troubles! You want to talk about it? I'm good at this sort of thing." I didn't want to talk about it, where to begin? But he asked, at a time when I needed to be asked, so I told him about it in the form of a twenty-dollar bill that I knew I wouldn't see again. A twenty dollar bill I knew I wouldn't mention to anyone because they wouldn't understand.
It was on thirty-third and Madison, or maybe twenty-eighth and Broadway, I don't recall, where David ran up to me, out of breath, frantic. "Hi, I can't believe this is happening-I absolutely must catch a cab to my studio-you wouldn't believe the week I've had-I'm David Alan, I'm a designer, have you heard of me?-I'm gay, I swear I'm not trying to pick you up, I haven't touched a woman since I was eighteen-see, I have this rack that I need to move in time for my show and of course I lost my wallet and I can't get in touch with my partner because my cell phone died, and do you have twenty dollars I could borrow for cab fare? I swear to you I'll pay you back, you can look me up, David Alan, Ay Ell Ay En, I'm good to my word, I'll call you tomorrow so we can meet up and I'll pay you back-oh my god, are you okay?"
I wasn't okay, because it was between 2001 and 2004, The Years I Roamed New York In Tears, so I just said, "Man troubles." He rolled his eyes and said, "Honey, do I know man troubles! You want to talk about it? I'm good at this sort of thing." I didn't want to talk about it, where to begin? But he asked, at a time when I needed to be asked, so I told him about it in the form of a twenty-dollar bill that I knew I wouldn't see again. A twenty dollar bill I knew I wouldn't mention to anyone because they wouldn't understand.