What up Fam?
Got back several days ago, after spending 16 days w/Stivalis. Because I put my emotional, spirital & physical concerns, before my financial concerns, ME & MONEY ARE NOT ON SPEAKING TERMS...LOL! We'll patch things up in the near future I'm sure.
I left NY Sept 28th, my city still very much dazed from the recent attack. I finished up my night shift @7am, stopped by the drug store to pick up 4 bottles of Advil (more on that later) & jumped in a cab at 14th st. Poe-poe (police) was everywhere. There were numerous check-points through-out the city. My flight was scheduled for 11:30am, and I desperately wanted to give myself enough time to arrive let alone get the hell outta dodge! Two miles from JFK, I was shocked at how empty the highway was. It looked like, JFK was closed! Inside the terminal, it was naked. No long lines, no noise, nothin,nada,zip. I see AA personel chatting to each other & sipping coffee. It took all of 3 minutes to get my boarding pass. At the security/x-ray station, mucho poe-poe & national guards. The security agents removed the mini fingernail file off my nail clipper because of security concerns, I KID YOU NOT. I'm talking about the 2 inch 50 cent nail clipper/nail filer you can attach to your key ring. My flights were on-time without any security related hitches.
Once the wheels touched the ground in Cali, I started to feel really tired & relieved. I can only guess, that all of the emotional stress of the pass couple of weeks, finally found an outlet to escape. Dashing through the terminal to immigration, where the tax guy stamped my passport for 60 days (don't I wish). Funny thing, the guys that normally go through your bags waved me through. There she was, with those eyes & that smile that captured me that fateful day in Sept of 99. The eyes had a couple of tears in them. Stivalis told me she freaked out the day of the attack. She remembered me telling her, that my company has clients in the towers & how I normally travel via the Path train. WHICH RUNS UNDERNEATH THE TOWERS!!! She tried calling for hours after the attack, but many of the lines were busy or down.
We jumped in a friend's (Jeyson) car & proceeded to town. Jeyson is a 25yr who attends a university in Cali, where he is studying computer science. We talk computer talk for awhile, then I cut it short. I said Jey, I'm not trying to be rude, but for the next few days, I don't wanna hear, speak or think of NYC OR COMPUTERS!!! Jey laughs & pumps up the stero. He's (we're..lol) listening to some HARD-CORE RAP. Jey, do you know what they're saying. He replies, he has no idea, he just loves the beat. I try to explain to him how these guys are rapping about doing crime, drugs & any woman they fancy. Jey is kinda hurt, he's a church going brah, who would never indulge in the actions of those whose music he's listening too. I've got to work on my english Hawah! Don't sweat it Jey, enjoy the beats. He sweated it big time, quickly switching to a salsa station. I reached into my bag & pulled out a cd. Ooooo LUTHER, is this his new one my love? said Stivalis. She loves Luther Vandross. She was disappointed when I told her Luther wasn't singing to women....lol.
We arrive at our apartment in the south-side of Cali. To our surprise it was only two blocks away from Norm's place. Very nicely furnished with 3 small bedrooms. It ran about $45 a nite. Stivalis found out, that the normal price per month of the apartment was around $275 to $325 per month (furnished). I was running on fumes, I didn't even bother to unpack. I dived on the bed, landing on the remote (ouch), which turned on the tv. Guess what popped on....You guessed it! A news update of the attack. Stivalis snatched the remote & killed the tv. She said, NO NEWS FOR YOU, FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK! Next thing I remember, was hearing Luther & my lady bringing me a Cuba Libre. The next morning, I woke up refreshed. Stivalis said, Well...the beast finally awakens! You've been asleep for 10 hours. You fell asleep in the middle of a sentence. You kept fighting the sleep like a little baby. NO WAY!! I've never slept for 10 hours straight. Look at the clock mi amor. The proof was right there.
Hawah don't touch the remote, remember NO NEWS for atleast a week. Your family has our telephone number. They will call if there is any problem, so relax, lunch will be ready in a minute. Si, mi amor, si. She knows how much of a news junkie I am. She made me promise to stay away from all the news concerning the attack....Dayyum I love this woman
More later...
Peace....Howard
