You have to understand something about New York. It’s a city where absolutely everyone is looking for any and every break they can get. There’s a shifting line of what’s up and what’s down. It’s a cold-hearted thing, as those on the bottom claw their way up, and those on the top whimper as they fall.
Ko and I were walking on the East side one Sunday afternoon when a man stopped ahead to put something in the corner garbage can. I spotted that it was a rolled up rug.
I, myself have put things out on the street to be taken. For example, a Pom-Pom Christmas tree from the 60s which I got tired of. That was gone within 5 minutes.
I immediately sped up to look at it. The back side of the rug faced outward. I saw that it was an oriental, and my heart jumped. I began to reach for it when another hand appeared. I turned and saw an old lady wearing a hat and coat on this Spring day.
Ko said, “Let her have it; she’s an old lady.”
I thought about what he said. I’d been pretty close to the poverty line myself for a couple of years. But as she reached her leather gloved hand closer to the rug, I snatched it out of the trash can.
Ko sighed in disapproval, but I didn’t care. It was something I wanted but couldn’t afford, and I wanted it more than I wanted to do a good deed. So I walked forward and waited for Ko to catch up. Behind, the old lady whimpered a little at my brashness. I didn’t care. This was The City. Up was up and down was down. This time, I was getting up, and couldn’t help it if she was old and on her way down.
When we got home, I opened it and saw that it was a well worn oriental rug – the type with years and years of standing up to well-shod feet crossing it in a nice apartment. I was happy with myself. After we got home, Ko pulled the vodka from his special shelf and drank himself into a stupor, ignoring me as he watched our small black and white TV.
A few months later, when Ko stopped grabbing my hand in his and started yelling at me when he drank, I quietly put my engagement ring on the dresser and didn’t put it back on. I waited for him to put it in a drawer, but he left it there.
A month later, when I loaded up a van to leave the city, I left the rug, but took the green ring.
Lo Scriviti 