“Ready to go?” asks Annie taking
Jennings by the arm bundled in her green snow suit and leading her through the
doorway “We’ve got a lot to see today!”
“I think that I should be warm
enough” explains Jennings tying one last knot into her purple scarf “They
always say dressing in layers is the best thing to do, but I can hardly move in
this get-up!”
“I’m nice and cozy” joins in
Alice Hammer nibbling on the last piece of donut she found on a tray displayed
on the welcome counter as traces of powdered confection kiss her cheek.
“So am I” adds Alfred walking up
behind them putting his industrial gloves on “Helga offered to keep an eye on
Oscar for me today so I thought that I might join you.”
“Oh, I’m so glad you could come
with us!” delighted exclaims Alice Hammer enthusiastically bouncing on her feet
and clapping her hands “You can show us the best places to go. I’ve never been here before!”
“Where are we headed to first?”
asks Jennings pulling out a large map and twisting it back and forth, realizing
that upside down is probably not the most helpful direction.
“I thought we might try The Met”
offers Annie snuggling into her coat in the brisk wind “It’s one of my favorite
places to go. The have an excellent
collection of Impressionists, Cubism, and medieval art as well as Egyptian
antiquities.”
“Sounds good to me” agrees
Jennings keeping in step with Annie as Alice Hammer and Alfred trail behind
chatting away about the Neoclassical architecture of the buildings lining the
street explaining how Frederick Law Olmstead built many of the structures in
Central Park.
“Did you know Bryant Park was
named after the poet, William Cullen Bryant?” asks Alfred hoping for
encouragement of further discussion on the subject “He also was a driving force
behind the idea of creating Central Park”.
“No I didn’t. But I know one of his poems” shares Alice
Hammer and then quoting with dramatic effect of memories in her sophomore year
“The moon is at her full - and riding high -
Floods the calm fields with light.
The air that hover in the summer sky are all asleep tonight.”
Nodding his head and smiling
Alfred contributes one of his favorites looking directly at her “I like this
one: ‘Thine eyes are springs in whose
severe - And silent waters heaven is
seen. Their lashes are the herbs that
look On their young figures in the brook.”
At this they both giggle, Alice
Hammer responds “I’m not sure I’m quite the young duckling that I use to be”
“Awww, but time has turned you
into a lovely swan” counters Alfred feeling full admiration for her.
Feeling elated at this
compliment, Alice Hammer blushes and gives him a friendly little hug and a pat
around the shoulders, “You’re too sweet. You just made my day.”
Tapping on her arm to get Annie’s
attention, Jennings raises her eyebrows nodding her head back to the couple
behind her and jokingly adds, “I think you may have to keep an eye on them.” Annie grins happy to see her friend having
such a good time.
As the walk up the long cascade
of stairs, Jennings stops and takes a few pictures of the building at different
angles. The gothic revival cement faces
trimming the top of the building fascinate her.
A stranger offers to take a group photo for them as they say ‘cheese’
and smile their best.
Looking above her, Annie notices
the high vaulted ceilings and archways with large roman columns leading them
deeper into the museum. The crowds
meander and willingly provide a variety of reactions from meditation to
amusement or bewilderment and ridicule, and even utter adoration.
Just before the grand staircase, Jennings
spies a large ornamented silver cup and finds it to be the ‘Chalice of Antioch’
which many thought for centuries was the Holy Grail. Jennings remarks to her
friends, “Personally, I like the Indiana Jones version. A simple wooden cup seems more like Jesus’
personal style.”
Later as they wind their way around the
museum, the bright skylight floods the American Court illuminating the
sculpture of ‘Diana the Huntress’, giving the room an impression of pristine
clarity. Annie feels the light radiate
as if it is a cleansing of her thoughts and soul.
They wander along the
Impressionists Halls to the Post-Impressionists displays to ‘Cypresses’ by Van
Gogh. Informatively Alfred explains
“This was painted not long after Van Gogh lost his ear and a year before his
suicide. It was a darker moment in his
life very different from Sunflowers which was about birth and new
beginnings. He made seven versions of
Sunflowers which the yellow meant Happiness to him and to the Dutch devotion
and loyalty.”
As they wearily enter the next
exhibit showroom, they see large room size stone arches in front of them. The Temple of Dendur was built during the time
of Augustus Caesar in 15 BC along the Nile River, with carvings of papyrus and
lotus blossoms outlining the Temple base.
While each are overwhelmed by the
display of antiquities Alfred explains, “Actually Caesar Augustus of Rome who
ruled Egypt was a little vain. He had
his own image carved in Pharoah’s regalia and carved into the stone of this
Temple of Isis, and the long oval shapes around his image read ‘Pharoah’ to
make sure everyone knew who he would be in Egyptian history as the kings before
him”.
Finding their way to the gift
shop, each finds a perfect memento of the day.
Looking at the rows of magnets, Annie chooses a print of her favorite
impressionist painting by Monet “Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies”. Next to her, Jennings tries on a beautiful
peacock feather shawl in bright blue hues and hazel tones inspired by Louis
Comfort Tiffany’s iridescent glass vase in 1900. Jennings turns to Annie, “My
grandma many years ago use to have a lamp similar to this one, not the real
thing of course, sitting on her desk where she use to keep her
correspondence. She was a great letter
writer. I’ve kept some of her journals
over the years. Maybe I’ll let you
borrow them one day, and you’re a good writer maybe you can make a story of her
life. She was a bit eccentric but lots
of fun.”
Wanting to find something
practical, Alfred carefully peruses through the glass display case and chooses
a Rohde Deco watch in its own unique design. He puts in on his wrist holding it
up to the light using several angles as he squints to tell the time and finds
the watch to be exactly what he wanted.
Across the shop speaking to
another clerk who explains the different replicas of jewelry available for
purchase, Alice Hammer decides to buy an Egyptian amethyst stone Hepy necklace
made of lapis Luzuli beads in remembrance of her visit with Alfred. After the clerk hands her the receipt, she
puts them on and then as in the Bangles, “Walk like an Egyptian” advances out
through the security doors with Jennings silently shaking her head behind her.
“Where would you like to go
next?” curiously asks Alfred grabbing a quick hot dog from the vender cart in
front of the museum “You’ve got to try one of these. They’re the best!”
“I’ll take two!” orders Jennings
feeling a rumbling in her tummy “I’m hungry.
I skipped breakfast which wasn’t a terribly good idea”.
“Yeah, you get awfully cranky if
you don’t eat anything before noon” reflectively remarks Alice Hammer turning
to Alfred to explain “Some days you just know not to go near her. She’s like an old grizzly bear if she doesn’t
get her coffee first thing. It is not a
pretty site” feeling as if this doesn’t represent her entire description
continues “I always know because her hair has a way of standing on end just
like this” taking her hand and pulling up Jennings hair beside her to show him
an example, Alice Hamer continues “if she hasn’t had any caffeine. She has a crazy look in her eye too,” jutting
her eyes as if she has just seen a unexpected ghost.
In return Jennings furrows her
eyebrows and smirks, “Thanks so much for sharing.” Annie giggles but tries not to catch Jenning’s
look knowing that Alice Hammer is a very good mimic of her best friend.
The busy street vendor in
matching baseball hat and t-shirt hands Jennings two hot dogs through the
metallic food truck window with “The Original Dominick’s Dogs” colorfully
plastered on the side with other bright pictures of items available on the short
order menu. She stacks with mustard, relish, jalapeno peppers, with plenty of
onions too and topped with a long sliced dill pickle. She
immediate takes a very large bite and explains “Delicious … absolutely
wonderful! It hits the spot ….”
As they finish their snack, the
wander through the streets making every effort not to brush against individuals
in the crowds heading in many directions across the city. As an ambitious
stranger glares at Alice Hammer and as he pushes right past her, Alfred gently
reminds Alice Hammer that it is better if they walk two by two or single file
if there are too many people on the sidewalk.
He slows down so the two of them can share a conversation of their love
of music.
Up ahead Jennings and Annie are
lost in conversation about some of the places Annie has visited so far in the
city, when they hear a familiar voice coming across the other end of the crowd
standing on the corner waiting for the walk light to changes to white,
“Annie! Wait up!”
“Hi! How are you?” asks Annie feeling a moment of
exhilaration at the unexpected arrival of her friend and brushing her hair to
the side hoping that it looks like there was at least an attempt to look nice.
“I’m doing well. Are you guys out touring today?” politely
asks Rick glancing down to make sure everything is somewhat in place. “Where
have you been so far this morning?”
“We just went to The Met and a
hot dog stand. I confess that I was
starving and needed a bit of a boost” explains Jennings slowly tapping her full
and satisfied tummy “The museum is huge and it feels like you walk for miles to
see all of the sculptures and artwork. I think we still had a few sections that
we missed that we will have to catch next time, but it was definitely worth
it.”
After visiting the special
exhibition at the Guggenheim nestled in the Frank Lloyd Wright circular
inverted ziggurat building of winding sloping ramps Rick suggests “Would you
like to take a detour through Central Park?” They all agree and head in that
direction. Winding through the ravine, they
pass the waterfall at The Lock, the pool of weeping willows, pass the
Huddlestone Arch and eventually find their way to the Conservatory Gardens
between 104th and 106th streets on the Upper East side.
Rows of white flowers with bright
yellow centers encircled with a mustard crown known as Japanese Anemone mixed
with violet cranesbill and the deeper imperial purple scented sage with line
the walk avenues of floral design. It is
a quiet and tranquil place.
After a few minutes of walking
through the park, Alfred and Alice Hammer find a delicately carved cement bench
to sit and reflect on the beauty surrounding them. Further down the tier, Jennings
inspects some of the leaves and bushes considering ideas of what she would like
to do with the corps garden at back at home.
She contemplates making an atrium a project for the corps cadets this
upcoming spring.
As they stroll through the
efflorescent conservatory, Rick wonders how to prolong his time with
Annie. Feeling unusually subconscious he
debates whether to take her hand as she enthusiastically shares stories of her
less than successful gardening experiments from earlier years. He can’t remember a moment when he felt more
content and at home with her. The
conversation comes to an end and just as Rick is about to speak from his heart,
they are interrupted by an alarming female voice shouting for their attention,
“Hey! What are you guys doing here?”
As if obtrusively caught, Rick
and Annie immediately take a step back from each other to turn to see who is
speaking to them. “I guess we all that
the same thing in mind” offers Eliott with Ariel trailing behind him.
“I didn’t know you were coming to
the gardens today” pouts Beth but in an insincere tone “We could have joined
you.”
“I tried calling earlier today
and you didn’t answer” blurts Eliott not sure that he likes that Rick is
standing there with Annie “Did you get my message?”
“I accidentally left my phone at
home” truthfully answers Annie but surprisingly grateful that it was forgotten
today.
“Oh. I was wondering what time you would like for
me to pick you up for the Army concert tonight.
I thought about five so we could have dinner too before the meeting”
firmly suggests Eliott in a tone that is not quite optional.
Feeling uncomfortable but not
wanting Rick to feel like she will be on a date with Eliott turns to Rick, “Are
you going to the concert tonight too?”
“Yes, I had thought about
it. I will see you there” flatly states
Rick quickly turning on his heel to find the others “I have some things to do
this afternoon. I will see you
later. Enjoy the afternoon with your
sister and friends.”
Staring at the back of the person
she would prefer being with as he rigidly walks away, Annie wonders why life
has to be so complicated.
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